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Kyusho Jutsu

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There are many idea’s about Kyusho jutsu and where it started, who started it, & why? Well this is the truth, no body really knows!

O'Sensei used Kyusho Jutsu in his Aikido and you can see O'Sensei apply Kyusho in his early films. Recently I spoke to an Oomoto Kyu priest who was a student of O`Sensei and stated that O`Sensei incorporated Kyusho Jutsu into many of his practices.

Jin Shin Do (Jitsu)

Jin Shin Do, sometimes called Jin Shin Jitsu, translates as: "the way of the compassionate heart." Jin Shin Jitsu derives its influence most chiefly from Japanese acupressure & Shiatsu. It differs from the aforementioned in that it is the singular interpretation of these techniques by Jiro Murai, who, like Mikao Usui, formalized & named his art in the early twentieth-century.

Jin Shin Do is yet a further expansion on Murai's art by Marsaa Teeguarden, a student of Mary Iino Burmeister, who studied directly with Murai. Both customs make use of the fingertips to apply pressure to acupoints along the Ki Meridians. The most overt difference between these two related arts is Jin Shin Do's inclusion of eight extra so-called "extraordinary, strange-flow Meridians & pressure points." These Meridians & pressure points intersect & correspond with the primary twelve major pathways. In fact, a mere glance at the extra eight channels & pressure points found in Teeguarden's theory would show that they are simply constructed by connecting the acupoints in neighbouring conduits to create new patterns & relationships of energy flow.

Medicinally, Jin Shin Do (Jitsu) makes liberal use of both hands in its healing process. In fact, one hand almost always rests at the source of the Ki blockage, while the other near the manifestation of the problem or pain currently under treatment. Teeguarden refers to this as the "distal point/focal point" approach. Another notable contribution of her methodology is the addition & emphasis of Ki development exercises, borrowed from Qi Gong. This addendum alone is worthy of much consideration, given the importance of Ki practice to the success of Ki therapy, & the apparent lack of development procedures found in other healing arts.

Shiatsu – Aikido-Kyusho Jutsu - Karate

Shiatsu is the most well known system of Japanese acupressure, & is generally thought to be more of a "massage" art, than a Ki-related one. Nevertheless, I include it here because originally, its function was to stimulate the acupoints along the main Meridians with the fingertips, rather than to simply knead the flesh for tension reduction, as is the all too common practice in the Western culture's interpretation of this style of bodywork. Other forms of martial arts use pressure points as a strike zone; however do not understand the affect or how to use its full potential.

Shiatsu, Kiatsu, Kyusho Jitsu are said to have developed from the combination of Taoist & traditional Buddhist healing traditions. Unfortunately, each is so commonly found in the history of the Asian culture, that it's quite impossible to draw a straight line of lineage from the first to discover said practices to any current practitioner of Shiatsu today.

Suffice it to say, that Taoism, Buddhism, & Ki-related massage techniques were introduced to the Japanese culture via the Chinese. In fact, Traditional Chinese Medicine still holds manual manipulation of the Meridians as a vital component of their approach to health & healing. It's interesting to note that the Chinese culture has managed to retain much of the more metaphysical aspects of this approach; whereas, the Japanese seem to have bowed more readily to the Western interpretation of massage as merely a method of relaxation & stress reduction.

Kiatsu

Kiatsu is the creation of Koichi Tohei & his organization, the Ki no Kenkyukai. Known primarily for his outstanding ability in Aikido, Tohei has claimed his extraordinary martial powers to be the product of his rigorous Ki-related training. Consequently, his concentration on Ki-associated practices, including healing arts like Kiatsu.

Kiatsu bears many resemblances to both Shiatsu, Jin Shin Do & Kyusho Jitsu in the sense that it uses the fingertips to stimulate energy flow in the body. There are, however, many distinctions that make Tohei's approach unique as well. I do hope this helps you understand a little