Japanese Acupuncture and Kanpo

Chinese medicine was introduced to the imperial court of Japan in the 5th century A.D. by Korean physicians. Monks and traveling physicians from Korea and China introduced Chinese ideas more generally during the 5th and 6th centuries. Medical works on acupuncture and moxibustion, with detailed diagrams, were made known in Japan by the Chinese doctor Zhi Cong around A.D. 560, and from the early 7th century Chinese medicine began to be adopted systematically under the influence of two Buddhist monks who had spent many years in China.

A Japanese adaptation of Chinese medicine still exists today. However, there are several distinctive features in Japanese medical practice.

A strong tradition of blind practitioners has resulted in very well-developed palpation techniques of diagnosis and treatment, such as abdominal palpation; shiatsu, which is a specifically Japanese form of acupressure massage (developed from the traditional Chinese Tui-na massage), has also developed.

Japan also has a strong herbal tradition, which has close links with Chinese herbal medicine but tends to use smaller amounts of more refined ingredients and also has different formulas of its own. There are also a number of specifically Japanese manipulative and bone-setting therapies. Folk remedies, spa baths, and spiritual medicine in the form of prayers and talismans from shrines and temples are also popular.

The Japanese adaptation of Chinese medicine is known as Kanpo (or Kampo), and the main foundations of present practice date back to the 16th and 17th centuries.

Japan was also exposed to Western influence at this time, when Christian missionaries began to arrive. Just as Buddhist monks had once cared for the sick, now Jesuits, followed by Dominicans and Franciscans, did the same. This type of medicine came to be known as "cosmopolitan" medicine.

During the 18th century, when the Dutch and Chinese were the only nations allowed to trade with Japan, Western understanding of anatomy was introduced, and at the same time many Oriental notions were introduced from Japan to Europe. Acupuncture and moxibustion became known for the first time in the West in this way.

"Cosmopolitan" medicine now officially dominates in Japan, but Kanpo is also popular. This term is now often used to denote herbalism, but the whole range of Chinese medicine is practiced. There are many different styles of practice and the one which I mainly work with is called Toyohari. Its gentle approach, which emphasises touch, was developed in Japan where acupuncture has been uniquely influenced by its four-hundred year old tradition of blind acupuncture practitioners.

In Japan, Kanpo is regulated by the Japanese Government. All Kanpo medicines are continually being assessed with regards to both safety and efficiency, to ensure their position in the modern context of Japanese primary healthcare. The Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine recently reported on a UK safety study of Kanpo medicine. The six-year study took place in a London NHS practice and results, based on blood analysis, showed no adverse effects on patients treated with Kanpo medicine.

Kanpo is, as said, a kind of "Chinese herbal medicine" as it is practised in Japan where it has evolved slightly differently to China . The herbs themselves and the formulas used are very similar but there are subtle differences in terms of diagnosis and the treatment itself. Abdominal diagnosis for example, where the practitioner examines the abdomen using gentle palpatory techniques, may be an important feature of a Kanpo diagnosis but is hardly emphasised in other Chinese herbal traditions. From a patient point of view the most noticeable difference would be the herbs themselves which are given in a powder form and are therefore convenient to take. The Kanpo perspective may also lead to a different choice of herbs altogether and may in some cases result in a beneficial outcome where other Chinese herbal approaches have failed. The converse is of course also true and one of the benefits for Centre patients is that we offer access to practitioners trained in both Japanese and Chinese approaches. We believe that diversity of practice is fundamental to Chinese medicine, enriching its practice and offering patients greater choice.

Acupuncture has also evolved somewhat differently in Japan. From a patient point of view the differences between Chinese and Japanese approaches are quite subtle. In Japan acupuncture was traditionally a profession for the blind and this has resulted in an emphasis on palpatory techniques in terms of both diagnosis and assessment or feedback for the practitioner about effectiveness of the treatment, as in Japanese herbal medicine abdominal diagnosis is also frequently emphasised.

In general the needle techniques used in Japanese acupuncture are less invasive and more gentle, needles often being more shallowly inserted (the most known technique is Toyohari). One particular approach was developed by Dr. Manaka, a famous Japanese acupuncturist who invented ion pumping cords, these use magnets to assist and enhance the action of the acupuncture needles. Dr. Manaka's theories and techniques have been given detailed attention in the many works by both Stephen Birch and Kiiko Matsumoto. One Japanese approach which patients may experience as being noticeably different is Toyohari because it is very gentle and needles may not be inserted at all or are inserted very shallowly, Toyohari can therefore be suitable for individuals who want to use acupuncture but are wary about needles.



Sources:
http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/viewArticle.asp?articleID=47201
http://www.chisuk.org.uk/bodymind/whatis/kanpo.php
http://www.yinyanghouse.com/theory/japanese/acupuncture_information
http://www.acupunctureandkanpo.co.uk
http://www.toyohari.org.uk/about.htm
http://www.yamaguchiacupuncture.com/herbalmedicine.html
http://www.itmonline.org/arts/japacu.htm
http://www.itmonline.org/arts/kampo.htm

Photo: Elena Ray - "Yin Yang Nude"
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