About Toyohari Acupuncture
 |
Toyohari is a refinement of the 2,500-year-old acupuncture tradition, and is derived from classical Chinese medical knowledge. Its gentle approach was developed in Japan where acupuncture has been uniquely influenced by its four hundred-year-old tradition of blind acupuncture practitioners. It is largely based on the practitioner’s ability to feel and work with Qi (pronounced chee) which flows throughout a person’s body, and in particular along twelve main channels or meridians. Practitioners use gentle and non-invasive specialized needle techniques which are unique to Toyohari. Since the treatment is pain free and less invasive than other forms of acupuncture it is particularly suited to those who are wary of needles. Toyohari can treat all sorts of health conditions but there are specific treatments for neck and shoulder problems unique to this approach.
Toyohari is different from other styles of Acupuncture
Acupuncture has evolved and developed in many different historical and cultural contexts since it originated in ancient China. There are many different styles of acupuncture used today, with the most common and widely known being TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine).
Toyohari acupuncture, while based on similar fundamental principles, is experienced in quite a different way by the patient. It is a gentle yet dynamic treatment using very fine needles and specialized needle techniques, many of which are non-insertive. The ability to influence the flow of vital energy (or Qi) using such subtle techniques is specifically characteristic to Toyohari. This system was developed in Japan by blind practitioners, as a style of Meridian Therapy acupuncture.
For the past four hundred years, visually-impaired practitioners have played a major part in the more recent development of acupuncture in Japan. In 1959 a blind Japanese acupuncturist named Kodo Fukushima founded the Toyohari Medical Association, which trained hundreds of sightless practitioners. The approach is similar to other “five element” or “five phase” styles such as “Meridian Therapy” but the needle techniques are quite different. The practice of Toyohari is constantly evolving as practitioners regularly come together to study and work with each other. In Toyohari there is a strong emphasis on palpation and feeling the quality of vital energy (or Qi) that flows through the meridian system, as well as a continuing refinement of extremely delicate techniques. Toyohari acupuncture is a living tradition where diagnostic and treatment techniques are continuously being re-examined and evaluated. More recently the association has started to accept sighted practitioners and today the Toyohari tradition is alive and strong in Japan and is growing in Australasia, the United States and Europe.