Traditional Shiatsu

Learn traditional shiatsu as it was taught by the founder, Tokujiro Namikoshi

Mike Finn is best known for his skills in the martial arts and it is a little publicised fact that he was one of the first of about four westerners ever to study directly under the founder of shiatsu, Tokujiro Namikoshi, in Japan.

Below: Mike Finn with Tokujiro Namikoshi.

Image: Mike Finn with his teacher, Tokujiro Namikoshi

Mike Finn's training in Japan

Three years after Shiatsu gained official recognition in Japan, Mike Finn left England for Japan and was accepted as a student by Tokujiro Namikoshi. Mike Finn appeared on Japanese television with Namikoshi, working as assistant to the founder, and he graduated from the Japan Shiatsu School in 1970.
Soon after graduating Mike Finn returned to the UK where, at that time, Shiatsu was virtually unheard of. He established a small group who wanted to learn Shiatsu as a direct transmission from Tokujiro Namikoshi and is probably the first westerner to introduce Shiatsu to Britain.

Traditional Shiatsu tuition offered to the public

Until now Mike Finn's students been those few who have been lucky anough to have stumbled across him or those who learned of his reputation and set out to find him. Now Mike Finn is offering open courses and workshops to those discerning enough to appreciate traditional Shiatsu as it was taught by Tokujiro Namikoshi. He teaches the traditional system of Shiatsu in the same way that he was taught by Namikoshi in Japan.

What is Shiatsu?

Shiatsu is a system of healing and health therapy that relies upon the use of pressure to the body using mainly the thumbs and hands. Shiatsu works at many levels. The founder, Tokujiro Namikoshi, maintained that the body was a self repairing mechanism and that Shiatsu assisted the body to repair itself. Working even at the most basic level of Shiatsu, pressure applied to the correct regions of the body can help alleviate tiredness and the fatigue that is brought on by the stress of everyday life. It works by revitalizing blood in the capillaries and converting the lactic acid build up in the tissues which is a cause of fatigue. At higher levels Shiatsu can shift subtle energies to promote health and well being and can kickstart the body's own healing systems

How Did Shiatsu Begin?

Shiatsu was founded by Tokujiro Namikoshi in 1925 when he established his first institute in Japan. In 1940 he opened the Japan Shiatsu Institute, which was nationally accepted in 1955. In 1964 Shiatsu was recognized as a system in its own right, separate and distinct from Amma and similar forms of massage. Since that time Shiatsu has grown worldwide, with organizations and individuals perpetuating many aspects of this excellent therapy.

Seiho and Katsu

During his time in Japan Mike Finn studied the Seiho and Katsu methods of Martial Arts healing and has also studied various other Far Eastern alternative therapies. However these are not an integral part of Shiatsu and would not be encompassed in his tuition of Shiatsu.

How to arrange tuition

To arrange tuition please phone 07802 729662.

Last modified 18-Oct-2003 12:27 PM