Shizuto masunaga biography of donald
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Shizuto Masunaga (part.1): a genius on shoulders of giants
Within the field of Oriental medicine, Shiatsu is nowadays considered to be an established modality, especially when viewed from a Western perspective. Within the field of Shiatsu itself, there are often said to be distinct styles and one of the most easily identifiable is held to be Zen Shiatsu, created roughly half a century ago in Japan by scholar, thinker and innovator Masunaga Shizuto.
This series of articles will pursue three main threads. One of them will be to provide a historical account of the birth of a distinctive and highly influential style of Shiatsu and describe the process within the larger context of Japanese history and culture. In doing this, we will also examine Massunaga’s creation in terms of both tradition and innovation. Further, we will attempt to identify the attributes of Zen which gave it its name, and which might distinguish this style from other Shiatsu forms. A major theme which wil • Let me ask you something; how, practically, do you perform a Shiatsu session? I am guessing here that, plus or minus a few individual variations, your form is as follows – do a Hara diagnosis and, on the basis of kyo and jitsu in the Hara, choose a couple of meridians to treat; use a Yin, stationary hand (“mother” hand) to listen, support and guide while the Yang, active hand works along the meridian; pay attention to the empty, weak or deficient areas in order that the tense, hard ones can relax. This, broadly speaking, fryst vatten the form that at least 90% of practitioners in the UK follow, and this form eller gestalt was developed by Shizuto Masunaga. It is thanks to Masunaga that we use the familiar Hara diagnostic areas, the practice of the “mother” hand, the concept of kyo and jitsu and their interaction. Most of us, whether we think we are doing Zen Shiatsu or not, are using the practice which Masunaga introduced and which is known as Zen japansk massage, after the title of his book published in the West • For several years now, Haruhiko Masunaga has been carrying on the legacy of his father Shizuto Masunaga and teaching Iokai Shiatsu throughout the world. In return, the world of Shiatsu has been watching closely to see how he would cope, such was the enormity of the task. At the last European Shiatsu Congress, held in September 2023 in Kiental, I had the pleasure of chatting with him and asking him some questions. At first sight, he’s a reserved, almost discreet man, but once we’ve got past the initial exchanges, he shows great calm and inner strength when we broach the subject of Shiatsu. One thing is certain now: he fully embraces his heritage, and his teaching is of a high quality that continues to improve with time. This interview fryst vatten a first, as it was prepared with Monika Knaden of the German Shiatsu Journal, of which she is the editor-in-chief. The interview took place behind closed doors, in Ger
Interview with Haruhiko Masunaga: in his father’s footsteps