Japanese Acupuncture Reading List Well, this page needs a major update, i'd better get reading.... I've been a student (still am, in fact, even though I'm teaching others now), and I know what it's like to drop some money on books. I've taken it upon myself to give my opinions on some of the available books on Japanese acupuncture, so that those of you who are interested may make a somewhat-more informed choice about what to spend your hard-earned money on. Keep in mind that this is my opinion only, and that some of the people who've written or translated these books are friends of mine. Five Elements Ten Stems, sometimes affectionately known as "5 and Dime". Kiiko Matsumoto and Stephen Birch. This is really the book that started my interest in Meridian Therapy. A bit abstruse, not terribly clinically useful, but I still get inspired when I read it, especially the bits about Keiri Inoue. Japanese Classical Acupuncture: Introduction to Meridian Therapy. Denmei Shudo. IMHO, the clearest, most useful book written on acupuncture (of any persuasion). An excellent starting point for studying Meridian Therapy, with or without a teacher, it will continue to be a valuable resource throughout your practice. So buy it, already. Japanese Acupuncture, A Clinical Guide. Stephen Birch and Junko Ida. An amazing book, just came out recently after a LONG wait... but worth it. Very useful, very readable. No substitute for hands-on training, but it is the closest thing you can get to actually having a teacher walk you through all the steps of the myriad techniques presented in this book. Much appreciated by me are the sections that Ms. Ida has painstakingly translated from some modern classics (Akabane, Shiroda, Ono, et al) detailing clinical applications for each technique. Get this one and Shudo sensei's book, and you'll be on your way. Meridian Therapy. Kodo Fukushima. A must-have for Toyo Hari students and members. It is aimed at beginners, but it is a difficult book, quite frankly. The nomenclature is all in romanized Japanese, including the point names (no alphanumerics like most of us learned in school). The descriptions of the techniques make very little sense unless you've been shown them firsthand. That having been said, it repays study, and I refer to it often, even now. Chasing the Dragon's Tail. Yoshio Manaka. Manaka was a giant of 20th-century acupuncture, and this book is fascinating from a theoretical standpoint as well as a clinical one. Manaka's techniques have been largely disseminated in the West by Stephen Birch, who co-authored this book. This is the book to get if you're into ion-pumping and so forth, or if you just want to get turned on to some new ideas for treatment. Extraordinary Vessels. Kiiko Matsumoto and Stephen Birch. Clinically, I've found this the most useful of the M-B series, if only because I used the Ito magnet knee treatment so much in the not-so-long-ago days when acupuncturists were getting run out of Illinois. The most detailed history I've found on the EV in English, and a long list of symptomatic applications for the different paired vessels. Hara Diagnosis, Reflections on the Sea. Kiiko Matsumoto and Stephen Birch. An ambitious work, almost too broad in scope to be very clinically useful. The "Hara Shiatsu" section is a revelation, and the theory is often fascinating, but a lot of the stuff in there has been done more thoroughly in other books. Related Japanese Medicine Books Kampo Treatment for Climacteric Disorders. Shibata and Wu. A great introduction to Kampo by the late Yoshio Shibata, a master practitioner. Very readable, and very useful clinically. Its repertoire focuses specifically on perimenopausal symptoms, but can be used in a wide variety of situations. Not as wide-ranging or theoretically elegant as TCM herbology, Koho school Kampo is nevertheless extraordinarily practical and effective. For me, it integrates nicely with what I'm already doing without having to split my brain into TCM and Meridian Therapy ghettos. Sotai. Keizo Hashimoto. Sotai is another thing I use in my practice. Sort of like Taoist physical therapy, it is simple to do, and can be amazingly effective in musculoskeletal and other situations. I couldn't make head or tail of this book until Stephen Brown (the book's translator) did a class on Sotai for JABI. Once you've got the principle, this book can be very useful, and some of the clinical protocols Hashimoto sensei gives are remarkable, real foot-bone-connected-to-the-neck-bone stuff... Books in Japanese These are a few books that I'm currently picking through. None of them has as of yet been published in English, but there's always hope. Just to let some of you know what you're missing, and maybe inspire a few to put on your decoder rings and get into some of this stuff. Wakariyasui Shonishin no Jissai (Easy-to-understand Practical Pediatric Acupuncture). Masanori Tanioka. I reviewed this for NAJOM. Here's the review. Shinkyu- Koten Handobukku Shiri-zu (Acupuncture Classic "Handbook Series"). Masakazu Ikeda. I have three of the five books in this series: Simple Questions (SoMon, Su Wen), Spiritual Pivot (ReiSu-, Ling Shu), and Classic of Difficulties (NanGyo-, Nan Jing). The other two are on Kampo classics, Treatise on Cold Damage (ShoKanRon, Shang Han Lun) and Prescriptions from the Golden Cabinet (KinKiYoRyaku, Jin Gui Yao Lue). These are fun to read, not-terribly-difficult simplified versions of the Classics with commentary. Ikeda sensei emphasizes practical considerations, showing how the classical concepts can be applied clinically. Ikeda, to my mind anyway, represents the great tradition of scholar-physicians in Chinese medicine. His devotion to the transmission of Classical sources is sorely needed in this age of medicalization, IMHO. For those interested in his treatment style, the "gotta-have" book is Dento- Shinkyu- Chiryo-ho- (Traditional AcuMoxa Treatment Techniques). The first half has detailed information on all of his patterns (expanded four-Sho Meridian Therapy), including pulse, abdominal diagnosis, and symptomology. The second half is made up of treatment strategies for a wide variety of conditions, complete with point selection and differentiation by patterns. A great book, it has been translated into English by Edward Obaidey and has been published by Eastland Press as "The Practice of Japanese Acupuncture and Moxibustion: Classic Principles in Action". Rinsho Kobore Hanashi (Clinical Stories Overflow). Kazuto Miyawaki. From one of my favorite teachers, a book of case histories, anecdotes and essays about his practice. The language can be a bit technical and lose me at times, but I have gotten some very useful clinical tips from this book. Miyawaki sensei's combination of Toyo Hari meridian therapy with his own Extra Vessel treatment style has been a major influence on the way I practice. back to the top   Home Links Email me! kampo36@yahoo.com