The following are my notes from the morning session of the first day of the Toyo Hari Workshop in Framingham, Massachussetts, 1995. This was essentially my initiation into Toyo Hari. For those of you who came into it at the same time, or before, maybe it will stir some nice memories for you. For those who have come into Toyo Hari since then, this may be a source of inspiration or clarification. And for those who are interested in learning more about it, I hope you can get something valuable from this.
These are my notes transcribed verbatim, with some standard shorthand thrown in (TX = treatment(or treat), SX = symptoms, DX = diagnosis, etc), along with the occasional question mark where the translation was unclear. Fortunately, the translator for most of the lectures was Stephen Brown, who is seldom unclear, so I was able to get most of the notes intact. I've noted the person who's speaking in boldface. I've really just formatted the thing in HTML, so let me know if it's too hard to read and I'll try to clean it up a bit.
May 20, 1995--Day 1
Opening Remarks by Kuahara Koei-sensei and Stephen Birch
Stephen Birch opened by remarking that Fukushima
Kodo-sensei passed away last month (Takai-sensei later told me it was
April 17th). He spoke briefly then introduced the participants:
*Takai Akihiro-sensei, President of Toyo Hari Medical Association
*Yanagishita Toshio-sensei,
Vice-President of Toyo Hari Medical Association
*Takahashi Shozo-sensei, Vice-President of Toyo Hari Medical
Association
*Nakada Koryo-sensei, Chief
Instructor of Toyo Hari Medical Association
Stephen Birch made a few remarks on Keiraku Chiryo or
Meridian Therapy:
-It is different from other styles of acupuncture because it focuses
so strongly on pulse DX.
-The primary TX principle is to balance the Ki in the meridians, and
only after that to TX SX.
-It emphasizes the study of classics through practice.
-It relies on pulse confirmation for everything, including DX, TX,
point selection, etc.
He then introduced Takai-sensei, who spoke about “the
correct way of Keiraku Chiryo”:
-Keiraku Chiryo is a healing practice of touching patients, based on
clinical trial-and-error.
-It has its own unique DX-TX system.
-It does not TX individual SX.
-It uses the essential points to adjust the Ki of the whole body, to
adjust the life force.
-Its basic intent is to enhance the body’s own TX power, and
strengthen its constitution.
-Technique is central to its practice; theory is only there to
explain technique.
-The history of Keiraku Chiryo is very involved and difficult to
learn; if one is serious about studying it, one should get
Fukushima-sensei’s book.
-As civilization advances, the delicate needling techniques of
Keiraku Chiryo apply more and more; it is the style most suited for
our time.
First, Yanagishita-sensei lectured on pulse diagnosis:
-Ki is the foundation of all phenomena.
-Ki is divided into Yin and Yang; our life processes are a result of
the joining and separation of Yin and Yang.
-There is no particular rule or principle that governs its action,
that’s why storms and disasters happen.
-The human mind can move and control Ki. We move Ki by directing our
thoughts. We create the Ki for success and Ki aligns itself in that
direction.
-In a normal body, the temperature is about 36°-37° C. In
Asia it is said that “the five bodies are contented”,
meaning that the head and four limbs move freely. When Yin and Yang
are not in harmony, disease occurs.
-It is necessary to discuss five-phase theory. All things in the
universe are divided into five; if all five are equally strong, there
is health.
-Keiraku Chiryo and pulse DX are based on five-phase principles.
-The purpose of pulse DX is to assess the Ki of the body, and to
gauge whether it improves after TX.
-Place your middle finger over the radial prominence let the other
fingers naturally take their places beside it.
-There are two ways Keiraku Chiryo reads the pulse: pulse quality and
comparative or six-position pulse-taking.
-There are six pulse qualities in Keiraku Chiryo, divided into three
pairs of opposites: floating or sinking rapid or slow (>< 60-80
bpm) Kyo or Jitsu
-Press the three fingers to the point where the pulse can be felt the
strongest; this is the middle pulse. This is very important, it
represents the fundamental energy of the body.
-From the middle position, sink the fingers into the skin to find the
Yin organ pulses, float the fingers up from the skin to find the Yang
organ pulses.
-Pulse taking may seem complex, but it is very important to learn
because it is not just for DX, but also a way to assess changes in
the body during TX.
-Practice is the key to pulse-taking; if you really want to, you can
master it. One’s intention is very important; if you intend to
master it, you will.
-Even in Japan, only Keiraku Chiryo practices pulse DX. It is
central, but please remember that you also need the other
examinations to arrive at a proper DX.
With that, he sat down. Kuahara Koei got up and remarked that Yanagishita-sensei had run a bit short in his lecture. He mentioned that the senseis were away from Japan for a week, and that their patients had wanted to be treated before they left. So (Yanagishita-sensei) had treated 140 patients on the day before he left, all working without an assistant. So these were obviously great masters, and if we wanted to get the most of this educational opportunity, we were going to have to ask lots of questions and coax it out of them. And, with that he pulled Yanagishita-sensei out of his chair and led him to the podium to continue, ad-lib.
-Unless medicine has a sound theoretical foundation, it cannot be
of much value. However, there are 5 billion people in the world, and
each of them is unique.
-If we had to come up with 5 billion different TX, this would be very
difficult. Things have been simplified to Yin-Yang-5-phase, meaning
only 10 different TX.
-Some people like a lot of complex theories, but Keiraku Chiryo is
simplified.
-Each practitioner and each patient has their own unique character;
sometimes this simplification doesn’t do justice to these
differences in character.
-How each student here receives this training will be different.
-Each patient will receive their TX in different ways; some will only
need one needle, some will need more, some will not get better.
-People react differently, just as some prefer sweet tastes and some
prefer pungent tastes.
-Those who feel this room is hot will have a more floating pulse,
those who feel it is cold will have a more sinking pulse.
-In accordance with floating or sinking pulses, one must adjust
one’s technique; needle depth will be more shallow for floating
pulse and more deep for sinking pulse.
-A rapid pulse requires rapid insertion and withdrawal; the classic
says as if testing hot water. A slow pulse requires slower insertion
and withdrawal; the classic says as if delaying a departing
friend.
-A Kyo pulse requires that the needle be gently placed on the point,
left until the Ki arrives, and quickly removed. A Jitsu pulse
indicates harmful Ki, it is strong and rough. It requires that the
needle be quickly placed on the point and slowly removed.
-The determination of Kyo and Jitsu in the pulse is based on whether
it feel soft or hard. It is difficult to say what constitutes a slow
or fast technique. The classic says that slow means “slow as a
snail”, and that fast means “like a rocket shooting into
the sky”.
-These techniques are not definite, they are able to be adapted to a
wide variety of patients. But the basics must be written down as the
foundation of the technique.
-The basics are no fun, they are very repetitive, like practicing
scales on the piano, but through them we grow and make them our
own.
-The basics are very important; please bear with us as we go through
the basics for the next few days.
Next, Takai-sensei lectured on the selection of Sho.
-In Keiraku Chiryo, the determination of Sho is the equivalent of
DX.
-Sho is categorized according to Keiraku Chiryo theory.
-It is necessary to determine which meridians are affected, to
discover what lies beneath the SX
-The concept of Sho is unique to Keiraku Chiryo.
-Overview of the Four Examinations:
Looking: Determine fundamental constitution of patient through
looking at the skin, the body type, etc. Look at the “wrist
crease (sic)”, look for the 5 colors. See if the condition is
affecting the meridians of the arms. Look at the richness or the
dullness of color.
Five colors:
Listening: Listen for the tone of voice, for example the
Koku voice is whispering or weeping, the Ka voice is...(?) (very
rhythmic), the Shin voice is groaning. Determine which of the five
smells the patient has. (much of this referred to charts in
handout)
Asking: Not only to determine Kyo or Jitsu, but also to
discern SX and ask about the 5 tastes. If the patient’s
preference for the five tastes is balanced, that is good; but if
there is a preference for one taste, that is a sign of imbalance.
Touching: pulse-taking has been addressed in the preceding
lecture. Abdominal DX (fukushin)
is based on Keiraku Chiryo theory. The tone of the abdomen is noted,
and palpation is to find the presence of Kyo or Jitsu, warmth or
cold. The luster or dullness of the skin is noted. The left palm
lightly touches the abdomen. The navel is the starting focus.
When appropriate TX techniques are applied, the condition of these
abdominal areas will improve. This is very helpful for beginners.
Palpation also includes meridian palpation to assess the Kyo or Jitsu
of the meridians themselves. It is primarily used to check the
condition of the five-phase points.
-These four examinations are the preliminaries that lead to the
TX.
-Once the four exams are completed, the next step is the selection of
Sho:
1. Choose the TX method
2. Analyze symptoms according to the twelve meridians
3. Select the primary meridian by pulse DX. This is the Sho.
-In Keiraku Chiryo theory, everything is Yin or Yang. Yin Ki is on
the inside, Yang Ki on the outside. Yin Ki moves outward, Yang Ki
moves inward. Yin Ki moves upward, Yang Ki moves downward.
-In Asia, “cool head and warm feet” means a healthy
state.
-In the first step of Sho selection, one considers the Yin or Yang
constitution of the patient, Yin or Yang nature of the disease, and
selects appropriate techniques of tonification or dispersion with
appropriate needles in an appropriate quantity.
-In the second step, one collects signs and symptoms and correlates
them to the twelve meridians
-Finally, pulse DX is used to determine the primary pattern or
Sho.
-It is very important to follow all these steps in order to correctly
determine Sho.
*TEA BREAK*
Next, Takahashi-sensei lectured on locating presently alive
points.
-Keiraku Chiryo is based on balancing the meridians; DX is seen in
terms of Kyo-Jitsu of the meridians.
-Keiraku Chiryo is based on the four examinations and pulse DX.
-In the clinic, the Sho determines point selection and needling
method.
-When the meridian is diseased, its points will show clear
reactions.
-It is important to be aware of the flow of each meridian in the
body.
-In the history of acupuncture, new points are found empirically. The
Sho is founded on determining the differences in the points.
-The function of each point is determined by theory; clinically, it
is very important to find the alive points.
-Points must be palpated to be found; they are found not just by
locating bones and muscles, but must be found in subtle ways.
-Take point location in the context of the flow of each meridian.
-Keiraku Chiryo practitioners find points on sick people, so it is
important to practice on people who are actually sick.
-There are gaps between what we read in point location textbooks and
the actual locations in practice.
-For example, a key point to remember in finding SP-3 is that it is
located at the separation of Yin and Yang (red and white skin).
-It is easy for the beginner to mistake anatomical points for the
live points. Points must be accurately located.
-Remember that the cun is not a strict measurement; it differs
according to the patient’s size.
-It is necessary to feel subtle signs manifesting in the areas around
the points.
-Kyo points are characterized by depression, looseness, or similar
abnormality.
-Jitsu points are characterized by redness, tension, hypersensitivity
or induration.
-It is very important to feel the point differences in the left hand,
especially in the tips of the thumb and index finger where the needle
touches.
-According to the Toyo Hari Association, point location is practiced
in groups of three: one is the model patient, the second locates the
points and the third monitors the pulse, breathing and abdomen to
detect changes that confirm the location of the point.
-An experienced practitioner can determine by pulse-taking if the
point has been located accurately. A floating pulse will begin to
sink and vice-versa. A rapid pulse will begin to slow and vice-versa.
The pulse becomes overall more smooth and more soft.
-The student must memorize particular feelings associated with
correct location and use these in practice.
Kuahara Koei comments:
-What is the definition of “soft” pulse in Toyo Hari? There
may be a big gap between what you think it is and what it really is.
Those who get mad at this gap will do better.
Finally, Nakada-sensei lectured on Ho-Sha needle
technique.
-Keiraku Chiryo is the “art of the hands”.
-The most basic principle of technique is “conditioning”
(tr?) of the Ki-Ketsu; in this way it differs from stimulation-type
acupuncture.
-Even if you follow all the steps to arrive at the correct Sho, bad
technique can ruin the TX.
-The most basic ideas behind Toyo Hari technique:
Left-Right (L-R) pressure = Ho (tonification)
Downward pressure = Sha (dispersion)
-The aim of Sha technique is to remove obstruction of the Zheng
Qi.
-Two kinds of obstruction: external and internal (relative
excess=okijitsu)
-HO Technique:
*Rub the area gently with left index finger to locate the point
*Right hand lightly grasps the needle handle
*Bring the tip of the needle to rest lightly alongside the left index
fingertip
*Form the oshide
*Hold shorter needles more lightly than longer needles
*Apply horizontal (L-R) pressure on oshide: 70% for more Kyo patient,
30% for less Kyo patient
*Apply slight downward pressure with the needle and rotate it back
and forth slightly
*Apply more L-R pressure with longer needle than short needle
*When the arrival of Ki is felt, apply 100% L-R pressure and quickly
remove needle
*Recommended needles: 0.8-1.3 cun, #1 or #2 silver needle
-SHA Technique (general):
*Use thicker needle; #2-#5 silver or stainless
*Locate point, bring needle tip to oshide
*Manipulate, apply downward left-hand pressure and remove needle
-Sha Technique is further classified according to:
1. type of Jitsu (external or internal)
2. particular pulse quality
-EXTERNAL EVILS are differentiated into two types: Fujitsu &
Genjitsu.
1. Fujitsu Pulse is related to Ki; it is Floating and Rapid,
indicates febrile condition
*#3 silver or stainless needle, angled against meridian flow, 1-2 mm
depth
*Lift and thrust slightly, withdraw needle with downward LH pressure
“as if pushing out pus”
2. Genjitsu Pulse means pathogen is on Ketsu level; it is
Sinking and Wiry
*#3 stainless needle placed against meridian flow, push in 2-3mm
*Hold handle more tightly, lift and thrust and rotate with relatively
large amplitude
*When the resistance at the tip of the needle lessens, press down
harder and slowly withdraw needle
-DEFICIENT EVIL are not explained in the classics; the Toyo Hari
developed this doctrine to explain chronic constitutional illnesses
commonly encountered clinically. There are three types, each
associated with a different pulse type: Ko, Ken & Jin.
1. Ko = “dry leaves”; indicates disease on Ki level.
Yang pulses have no richness, feel dry.
*#1-#2 silver needle placed against meridian flow, gently push 1-2
mm
*”seal” oshide to apply Ho technique
*When needle tip loosens, apply L-R pressure and withdraw needle,
leave point open
*Do not apply downward pressure
*Best to use silver needle, as stainless needle “leaks Ki
more”
2. Ken = “dry twig”; disease on Ketsu level, harder
pulse than Ko, no richness or moisture.
*Similar to Ko technique, but slightly lift & thrust or rotate
needle
*When needle tip loosens, apply L-R pressure and slowly withdraw
needle
*Do not apply downward pressure, leave point open
*Silver needles recommended
3. Jin = “dust”; disease on Ki level, very Kyo; when
pressed feels diffuse, like soft cotton.
*Place silver needle on point very lightly
*Quick and light Ho technique followed by quick removal; leave point
open.
-Remember: in Ko, Ken & Jin please don’t apply any
downward pressure; the aim is to separate the diseased Ki from the
healthy Ki
-You must practice everyday on your own Hara
-Without diligent practice, you will not be able to do effective
Keiraku Chiryo.
back to top
Back to My Home Page