24/08/2026
THE HISTORY OF MASSAGE 👉JAPANESE ANMA
Massage in Japan has a history that reaches far beyond the modern spa. One of Japan’s traditional forms of manual therapy is **Anma** – a style of massage introduced to Japan from China around the 6th century, which later developed according to Japanese traditions and approaches to working with the body.
🤲 WHAT IS ANMA?
Anma is based on working with the body using the hands and includes techniques such as pressing, kneading, rubbing, tapping and other forms of manual manipulation.
Historically, it was not created as a beauty treatment or luxury ritual. Anma formed part of traditional therapeutic practices and was associated with caring for the body and health.
Interestingly, the later development of Japanese manual therapies, including shiatsu, was connected to the earlier tradition of Anma.
But one of the most remarkable chapters in this story begins in the 17th century.
👤 WAICHI SUGIYAMA – AN IMPORTANT FIGURE IN JAPANESE THERAPEUTIC HISTORY
Waichi Sugiyama was a Japanese therapist and acupuncturist who lived during the Edo period. He was also blind.
He became one of the most important figures in the history of Japanese acupuncture. He developed a method of inserting a fine acupuncture needle using a guiding tube – a principle that is still used in acupuncture today.
🏫 EDUCATION FOR BLIND PEOPLE
Sugiyama was also involved in educating other blind people in therapeutic practices.
During the Edo period, schools were established in Japan where blind people could study practices including Anma and acupuncture. Over time, these professions became an important route to skilled employment and professional independence.
👁️ WHY IS THIS SO IMPORTANT TO THE HISTORY OF MASSAGE?
For centuries, Japan developed an unusually strong connection between blind people and professions involving Anma, massage and acupuncture.
This was not simply the story of one remarkable individual.
Generations of blind practitioners studied and worked in these professions, and their contribution became an important part of the development of Japanese manual therapies.
🌿 A TRADITION THAT CONTINUED
What makes this history even more fascinating is that it is not simply a story from hundreds of years ago.
In Japan, blind and visually impaired people still study and work in professions connected with Anma, massage, shiatsu and acupuncture today.
🇯🇵 Anma therefore represents much more than the history of a single massage technique.
It is a story of tradition passed through generations, the development of manual therapy, education and people who used the skill of their hands to build a specialised profession and a place in society.
The history of massage can be every bit as fascinating as the history of medicine. ✨
