Anma in Japan for the most part developed separately from the Chinese Anmo tradition. There are a number of kinds of techniques that are only found in the Japanese form of Anma. In Japan, Anma eventually went into the formation of the art of Shiatsu. This is similar to how the art of Tuina was created in China. Some of the categories of Anma techniques were combined together to create a new art. In this manner, a number of arts were created using the techniques of Anma. Even Swedish massage was created using the 7 core techniques of Anma.

• Asuka Periods and Earlier (Early 5th Century to 710 A.D.) Anma and other forms of oriental medicine were introduced into Japan from Korea. During two centuries there was trade with China through Korea. The basis for modern Japanese culture was formulated during this time. In 562 A.D. a Chinese monk and physician by the name of Zhicong (Chiso in Japanese) brought many works on Chinese medicine and became a Japanese citizen. Chiso is said to have brought with him more than 160 volumes of Chinese medical texts which, at the time, represented state-of-the-art medicine. By the 8th century, government-sponsored acupuncture medical schools had been established in Japan and medical knowledge from China continued to be assimilated by the Japanese. However, by the middle of the 10th century, political tensions began to arise between China and Japan, and contact with China became increasingly cut off. It was during this period that Japanese physicians began refining the Chinese system and making their own unique innovations to the practice of Anma and medicine.

• Nara and Heian Periods (710 A.D. – 1185) In 718 A.D. a medical school in Japan was established by the government to make a systematic study of acupuncture. There were many degree offered in this school. It required 7 years to earn a degree in acupuncture and moxibustion. It took 3 years to earn a degree to become a “Anmashi” 按摩師 (massage therapist) or to become a “Jugonshi” 呪禁師 (medical spell incantation therapist). Jugonshi were considered indispensable for their spells, their medical treatments of the sick, and their efforts to make childbirth safer. The most outstanding practitioners from among the Jugonshi was appointed “Jugon Hakase” 呪禁博士 (master sorcerer), with only one such fixed position. The Jugon Hakase worked to train and cultivate the “Jugonsei” 呪禁生 (apprentice sorcerers). In 753 A.D a Chinese Buddhist monk named Jianzhen 鑒真 (Ganjin in Japanese) immigrated to Japan with 35 of his disciples who were all doctors. They transmitted their knowledge of oriental medicine to the monks in Japan. In 984 A.D. the Ishinpō 医心方 was written by Yasuyori Tamba. This medical work is 30 scrolls in length. The work is based on the Chinese Bìng Yuánhóu Lún, written by Suí Dynasty author Cháo Yuánfāng. Many of the Ishinpō texts have been lost in China, and have only survived to the present day through their inclusion in the Japanese work. The Ishinpō is the oldest surviving medical work in Japan and is considered a national treasure. It covers all known areas and topics of oriental medicine including Anma. It describes 658 Tsubo (acupoints).

• During the Kamakura and Muromachi Periods (1185 A.D. – 1574 A.D.) In Japan this time was a very turbulent period with many wars. Because of the instability of the government the support for the official medical system was abandoned and Japanese medicine began to decline during the 5th and 6th centuries. Anma as well as the other branches of oriental medicine were kept alive by the common people within their families.

• Momoyama Period (1575 A.D. – 1602) End of the Sengoku Jidai (warring states period). During this time the capitol was moved from Western Japan to the East near Yokohama and across from Tokyo. Society became stable once again and many new developments were made in the medical field including Anma.

• Edo Period (1602 A.D. – 1868) in 1602 Japan’s capitol moved to Edo (Tokyo). Development of Anma and oriental medicine had reached its peek in this period. Many new techniques, text, and schools were established in Tokyo. The Edo Period was the was time Japan was introduced to Western medical knowledge such as anatomy and physiology. This came from the Dutch Trading Company. They were the first Western company to have commerce with Japan and their physicians. With this exchange of knowledge Anma, acupuncture, and other oriental medical arts were taught to Dutch physicians who then brought them back to Europe. During the middle of the 19th century, shortly before the Shoguns fell, a Shogun regulation was made that only the blind were permitted to be practitioners of Anma as a form of welfare. Many blind took over the occupation and gave massage for relaxation purposes (Genko Anma) instead of for therapy (Koho Anma). A lot of technical and clinical knowledge was lost during this time due to the change in practitioners of Anma.

• Meiji Period (1868 A.D. – 1912) This is the time in Japan when the fall of the Shuguns happened and was replaced by imperialism. The Japanese government was modeled after the Western influences which had entered Japan. Changes where made to make Japanese society more Western. Western medicine became the primary treatment and the first choice for patients to receive. This greatly threaten the tradition of Anma and nearly wiped out the traditional therapeutic value of Anma and Oriental medicine. Anma was still maintained as an occupation for the blind. At the end of this period the government created regulations requiring licensing of all Anma practitioners. Western style of massage and the use of the massage table were introduced to Japan at this time.

• Taiso, Showa, and the Modern Period (1912 to Current) Info Coming Soon