The therapeutic art of shiatsu is now widely practised in the West, yet practitioners find it difficult to acquire the training that will take them beyond the mechanistic level.For many years Akinobu Kishi has been visiting the West to teach, but never before has his approach been recorded in book form. Regarded as one of the leading exponents of shiatsu, Kishi trained with and assisted Shizuto Masunaga, and is widely regarded as the heir to his work, developed to the higher level of Seiki Soho, which takes the practice beyond technique. With the assistance of his long-term student Alice Whieldon, Kishi's theory and practice of Seiki Soho are described and explained for the first time in this important book. Setting his work within the historical context of shiatsu, the long central section of the book consists of a dialogue about the fundamental principles and practice of Masunaga's Zen Shiatsu and Seiki Soho as taught by Kishi. The final section consists of case studies of practice, including the experiences of people treated by Kishi.This groundbreaking and generous book is illustrated with Kishi's calligraphy and other artwork, and will be essential reading for all shiatsu practitioners and students who want to deepen their practice, and a rich and rewarding read for anyone interested in Eastern approaches to life and healing.

Akinobu Kishi was an internationally renowned teacher and master of Zen Shiatsu. He developed his own method of bodywork, Seiki Soho, after studying extensively in the fields of Shiatsu, Haruchika Noguchi's Seitai and bio-energetics until, coming up against the limits of Shiatsu, he experienced a profound change in consciousness, out of which Seiki Soho emerged. Born in 1949 in the Gunma region of Japan, Kishi was originally taught by his father, an accomplished judo master, who introduced him to manual therapy when he was just 9 years old. His formal training took place at Tokujiro Namikoshi's Japan Shiatsu College and at the Iokai Centre in Tokyo with Shizuto Masunaga, the father of Zen Shiatsu. Kishi assisted Masunaga for 10 years, and is widely regarded as the heir to his work. Alice Whieldon is a shiatsu practitioner and teacher as well as a tutor and senior manager with the Open University in London. She began her training in 1991, met Akinobu Kishi in 1998, and worked closely with him until his death in 2012.

Preface. Introduction. Part I: Histories. Touch Therapy in Japan pre-20th Century and the Emergence of Shiatsu. Shizuto Masunaga and Zen Shiatsu. Akinobu Kishi and Seiki-Soho. Shiatsu Today in the West. Part II: Principles of Shiatsu. What on Earth is Shiatsu? The Aesthetic of Shiatsu. The Philosophy of Shiatsu. Zen Shiatsu Distorted. The Aim of Shiatsu. Health and the Medical Model. Connecting. Pain and Aversion. Shiatsu as Touch Therapy. Bridging the Gap Between Theory and Practice. Masunaga's System. Zen Mind - No Mind. Shiatsu as Art. So What is Shiatsu? Part III: Sheiki-Soho Principles. Masunaga and Kishi. Kyojitsu. Diagnosis and Treatment. The Way of Resonance. Seiki and Seiki-Soho. Seiki-Soho and Zen Shiatsu - is there a difference? Learning to Practice and Training. Part IV: Seiki-Soho Practice. Why We Need Seiki-Soho. Starting a Session. Movement. Jaqi. Reactions. Attention. Resonance. Hara. Kyojitsu. Katsugen. Gyoki. The Breath. An Account from a Seiki Workshop.