Stephen BrownStephen Brown is a licensed shiatsu and acupuncture practitioner born and raised in Japan. Graduating from Japan Central Acupuncture College in 1983, he studied with renowned masters including Fukushima Kodo and Manaka Yoshio, and has followed Shudo Denmei since 1987. We have run this study tour in Japan for a decade now, and every year I look forward to meeting and studying with friends and colleagues who are passionate about the art of acupuncture and moxibustion. The line-up has continuously changed through the years, but every time we feature prominent teachers that could make Japanese acupuncturists envious, because they don’t have access to them in one place and in such a small class.
This year’s Japan Seminar stands out among all the previous programs due to the return of Shudo sensei, now 83, who stopped teaching about 5 years ago to focus on just his practice. He taught several times in the first few Japan Seminars, but just for 2 or 3 hours. This year he will be teaching two whole days in Shikoku with his able clinical assistant Mr. Sato and his top Japanese student Mr. Murata. Mr. Murata has been teaching in Japan and abroad, trying to fill the very large gap created by Shudo sensei. Mr. Murata’s last teaching trip abroad was in the US at Santa Fe, NM in May 2016, where I was fortunate to assist him. He embodies the Shudo style in spirit and technique, and having both of them will be like having a younger and elder version of Shudo sensei. Just for those who are new to Japan and its culture, the word “sensei” refers to a respected person, often a teacher, and it’s dispensed liberally to young and old teachers and practitioners alike. So all the teachers of the Japan Seminar and even their assistants could be followed by the honorific title “sensei.” There is no special title for Dr. other than “sensei,” so it’s used for everyone that could be considered more knowledgeable. There will be much more information forthcoming for those who are new the language and culture of Japan, but we will take care of most details and communication, so you can just follow your interest and inclination about how familiar you want to get with Japanese culture. Our primary focus is on assisting your learning acupuncture and moxibustion, and we will take care of the language issue, so learning Japanese is not your concern. Instead of worrying about language, I would prepare myself for the cultural immersion. As you probably are aware, acupuncture and moxibustion are traditional arts and as such you will encounter an older layer of Japan. Japanese culture is thoroughly Westernized, so most tourists don’t have a chance to see more than the surface of traditional culture for tourists like temples and shrines. You are in for a special in-depth experience of a side of Japan that even the Japanese themselves don’t know well. And now Shudo sensei, one of the most senior of Japanese acupuncturists, is uniquely endowed to transmit the ideas and practices that define Japanese styles. I feel most fortunate to b e able to assist you in this unique and unprecedented learning experience. The advice I have for new comers, especially, is to review Shudo sensei’s texts. Also be sure to arrive in Japan at least 2 days before the seminar begins so you are rested enough to begin this intensive learning experience on every level. I look forward to seeing all of you in Tokyo.
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 We have officially sold out for this years tour.
If you would like to get on the waiting list please sign up via the aimc website. Click on "Waitlist."  This year we are proud to offer a once in a lifetime opportunity to study Japanese Meridian Therapy with the legend: Shudo Demei Sensei.
If you are not familiar with him please check out his bio below: Born: 2-17-1932 He apprenticed 3 yrs with acupuncture and moxibustion practitioner Miura Nagahiko. 12-31-1948 Acupuncture license & moxibustion license issued in Osaka Prefecture He opened his own practice in Ohita City in 1959. He has now been practicing acupuncture and moxibustion continuously for 53 years. Shudo Acu-moxa Clinic He served 4 terms (8yrs) as the chairman of the Ohita Prefecture Acupuncture Association. He served 1 term (2yrs) as vice-chairman of the All Japan Acupuncture Association. He was a board member of for 7 terms (14yrs) of the All Japan Acupuncture Association. He has been a member of the Japan Meridian Therapy Association for 45 years. He was an instructor at Meridian Therapy Association Summer Seminars for 35 years. He served as chairman of the Japan Traditional Acupuncture Society for 8 years (2000-2008) He was the leader of a local acupuncturist study group (Gensai Jyuku) for 25 years. He received an award of merit from the Japanese Emperor, The Order of the Rising Sun, (旭日双光章) for his outstanding contribution to the profession and his community. He is the author of numerous articles in professional journals in Japan and the US and he is the author of two Japanese texts. Both Japanese texts have been translated into English and the first into German.
 This article was written by Jake Paul Fratkin, OMD, L.Ac. after the Japan 6 tour in 2015. Originally published in Acupuncture Today, April, 2016 (Vol. 17, Issue 04)
Also, please check out the article and several others on his website Jake Paul Fratkin, OMD, L.Ac. In late October, 2015, I had the opportunity to join the Japan 6 tour of acupuncture masters in Japan. This tour, the sixth to be offered, was organized by Stephen Brown, Jeffrey Dann, and Heather Suzuki, and sponsored by the Acupuncture and Integrative Medicine College (AIMC) in Berkeley. Japanese versus TCM Acupuncture. Many American acupuncturists are not familiar of the difference between TCM and Japanese acupuncture. TCM acupuncture, as every American practitioner knows, prioritizes combinations of acupuncture points known for their energetic functions, eg, KI 7 to tonify kidney yang, SP 6 to tonify yin, etc. It is decidedly a zang-fu organized approach, and is the main system taught in both Chinese and American TCM colleges. TCM prioritizes disease or disorder (eg, Epigastric Pain, Dysmenorrhea), and offers 3-5 point treatments for diseases as differentiated by zang-fu pathologies. TCM acupuncture was institutionalized as the acupuncture model in China after 1956, based on a teaching curriculum organized by the TCM herbalists. In doing so, alternative channel-oriented systems disappeared from the established curriculum. Japanese acupuncture prioritizes channel imbalances rather than zang-fu pathologies. In Keiraku Chiryo, or Meridian Therapy, the 12 acupuncture channels are examined and corrected for imbalances of excess or deficiency. The idea is that if the body is in fundamental balance, it will go on to heal itself. Branch treatment is added to address the major complaint, and in modern practice, can include specific Japanese point applications, or other systems such as ear acupuncture, symmetrical treatment, and even TCM point application. Besides balancing meridians as its primary focus, Japanese style is unique for its manual techniques. Diagnosis involves sensitive palpation of the channels and pulse; acupuncture employs light and shallow needling, and is often combined with small, direct moxibustion, or moxa-needle. In addition, therapy is applied to the skin above channels using brushing and tapping techniques with metal teishin tools. The Japan 6 Tour. Although studying and practicing Japanese acupuncture for many years, the Japan 6 tour, held in late October, was my first actual trip to Japan. The tour offered an in-depth exposure to palpation and manual techniques, particularly the uniquely Japanese approach to moxibustion, and non-needle applications using various teishin tools. The course highlighted the importance of feeling the skin along the channels to evaluate excess, deficiency, stasis, dampness or dryness. Light brushing and light palpation were employed in diagnosis; scraping or tapping along the channels with teishin devices or warming moxa were used for therapy. The Tokyo training. During the tour, we were trained by five masters, each giving a one-day presentation combining lecture and supervised training. The first two were in Tokyo, given at the Goto College of Medical Arts and Sciences. Our first teacher was Kouya Miyakawa, the president of the Japan Neijing Association and a protégé of Shudo Denmai. He started with a talk differentiating the Chinese approach from the Japanese approach, and pointing out that the Japanese approach flowed more from the Daoist perspective inspired by Lao Zi. Taking quotes from the Dao De Jing, this sensei (master teacher) emphasized promoting health and long life, improving skill based on single mindedness, and respecting suppleness, balance, and flow. He also quoted the Nanjing, chapter 77, “When there is excess, reduce. Where there is deficiency, supplement.” Sensei Miyakawa emphasized the importance of observation and palpation of the channels, below the elbow and knee, and on the torso. Developing one’s palpation skill on the level of the skin was the key to diagnostic success. The channel can be assessed by lightly stroking above the skin, a little deeper into the fascia, or deeper still into the muscle, looking for various blockages that constrain the flow of qi. This guided his treatment, which he executed with needle and moxa-needle. (“If hot, disperse. If cold, use moxa.”) He said to try to return the patient’s skin to that of a baby: soft, warm, moist and with luster. Following treatment, the patient’s skin noticeably improved. Our second teacher in Tokyo was Katsuhiro Yamada, a moxa master in practice for 46 years. His topic was Sawada-style Taikyoku (Taiji) Therapy. This is a whole body regulation using direct moxibustion; it has the effect of building immunity and promoting health and longevity. The three burners (jiao) are evaluated for warmth, heat, cold or dampness. The upper jiao regulates the zong qi, the middle jiao regulates the ying qi, and the lower jiao regulates the yuan/source qi. Balancing treatment is applied to channels along the arms and legs, as well as torso and back. Master Yamada applies direct moxa using 5-7 extremely tiny pieces, the size of a sesame seed. Besides balancing channels and torso, there is a basic Sawada protocol to promote health and immune function. Here, direct moxa is applied to Ren 12, Ren 6 (or 4), SJ 4 (left), LI 11, St 36 and Ki3 or 6. On the back, the protocol uses Du 12, Bl 17, Bl 18, Bl 20, Bl 23, Bl 52 (or GB 25), and Bl 32. After his talk and demonstrations, we were divided into groups to practice his moxa technique, lighting small cones on a thin petroleum jelly base - on paper towels! The cone was meant to discolor the paper, but not actually create a burn. Shikoku Medical College. Taking a bullet train, we then went to Utazu on the distant island of Shikoku, to continue studies at the Shikoku Medical College. Our first teacher was Yoko Oasa, a director of the school and a specialist in facial acupuncture. Her treatment is not only for facial rejuvenation and beauty, but to promote stress relief. Sensei Oasa exuded gentleness, relaxing the body by stroking meridians and applying teishin, needles, and needle moxa. Her facial needles, as all her needles, were Japanese gauge 00 (.12mm), and she applied 20 needles to the face, plus distal points including ST 40, ST 36 and DU 12 on all patients. The overall effect, to the patient, was one of total relaxation. “A healthy face reflects a healthy body.” Our second teacher in Shikoku was Funamizu Takahiro, a master of teishin non-needle technique. Dr. Takahiro is one of the principle organizers of next year’s World Federation of Acupuncture conference, to be held in Tokyo, and a disciple of Akizo Okada. His mastery of teishin was very impressive, indicated by his speed and touch. Teishin involves using metal or other hard materials as tools to brush, tap, or flick at channels and locations of blockages. To me, it seemed the application of pediatric shoneishin tools and techniques to adults, regulating the channels along and beneath the skin. Sensei Takahiro concentrated his talk on the treatment of psychological problems, including depression and anxiety. His treatments sought to balance the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, and he was engaged in research showing the efficacy of teishin devices versus needle. Psychological problems primarily involve imbalances of the kidney and heart, as well as the liver and spleen, with the Bladder and Du channels acting as important regulators. He used the afternoon to demonstrate various techniques, while supervising and training the students in the group. Our third teacher in Shikoku was Hideyoshi Higushi, who came down from the north of Japan. Sensei Higushi is a revered and experienced clinician with 46 years in practice. His preferred treatment is using warming moxa. His device is a hollow bamboo tube, with a cotton cloth rubber-banded to the bottom. Inside is a layer of salt, over which a large chunk of moxa is burned. The tube is gently massaged over the area needing warmth, especially on the torso or back. Sensei Higushi demonstrated this on a woman’s abdomen, and on a child with asthma. He would slowly move the device over the abdomen, for the women, and along the back and upper torso of the child. Sensei Higushi reiterated his belief for all treatments – do often, do lightly. In gynecology, the teacher shared his clinical experience regarding infertility, amenorrhea, heavy menses and PMS. For infertility, he observed that treating anxiety was as important as regulating the period. His clinical research indicated that acupuncture, done weekly for six months prior to IVF, greatly increased success. Following pregnancy, acupuncture weekly in the first trimester or 16 weeks was important for preventing miscarriage. The Japan 6 Experience. These two-week trainings are offered once a year, with our tour being the 6th to be offered. What I saw, and what I learned, were the incredible hand techniques using teishin, light and superficial needling, and moxa, both direct and indirect. This is acupuncture as an art, demanding skill and finesse by the practitioner. I recommend anyone interested in training with advanced masters in Japan to contact the organizers, JeffreyDann@gmail.com or Heather Suzuki at mayalikesmonkeys@me.com. For a very cool demonstration of Japanese manual skills, look at the promo film for the upcoming 2016 WFAS conference to be held in Tokyo: see www.drjakefratkin.com/WFAS. The Annual Japan International In-Touch Acupuncture and Moxibustion Tour was the brain child of Stephen Brown, Yasuo Tanaka and Jeffrey Dann. There dream was to create a program that enabled acupuncturists from around the globe to come and learn the unique and culturally rich art of Japanese acupuncture. Their hope was that the students how joined this tour would become the spark that spread Japanese acupuncture around the globe. Over the past years of students, teaching and rich cultural excursions they are still striving, along with the help of Heather Maya Suzuki, to make to further spread the unique medical art of Japanese acupuncture.
Stephen Brown, L.Ac. Stephen Brown is a licensed shiatsu and acupuncture practitioner born and raised in Japan. Graduating from Japan Central Acupuncture College in 1983, he studied with renowned masters including Fukushima Kodo and Manaka Yoshio, and has followed Shudo Denmei since 1987. His native linguistic talent has made him the top translator in the field of Japanese styles of acupuncture. He lives and practices in Seattle and teaches locally and internationally. Yasuo Tanaka Our fearless leader and head of AIMC Berkeley. Tanaka San makes this tour possible with his vast experience in the acupuncture community. Jeffrey Dann, Ph.D., L.Ac. Jeffrey Dann started acupuncture in 1980 with Wang Ju-Yi in Beijing and Gary Butt in Hong Kong. While doing anthropological fieldwork in the mid 70's on Mind-Body training in Japan, he studied Kendo, Naginata-do and Iaido while also studying Seitai Ho and Shiatsu. Jeffrey has a unique theraputic style integrating Osteopathic Visceral Manipulation with Japanese style acupuncture. He recently taught structural acupuncture with Japanese techniques at the Beijing University of Chinese Medicine. Jeffrey is in demand as a national and international teacher and has taught in Istanbul Medical Acupuncture Association of Turkey as well as the Beijing University of Chinese Medicine. Heather "Maya" Suzuki Heather Maya is a trained and licensed acupuncture and moxibustion specialist in Japan. She is currently a mid-level practioner in the Iyashi No Michi acupuncture group and runs a pediatric speciality clinic in Colorado. In her free time she runs the Nippon Hari blog. |
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