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. Contents Introduction. Part I: Histories. Manual therapy in Japan to the 20th century. The emergence of Shiatsu in 20th century Japan. Post-war Shiatsu. Tokujiro Namikoshi (1905-2000). Shizuto Masunaga (1925-1981). Akinobu Kishi (born 1949). Part II: In Conversation. Shiatsu Breathing Again: Seiki-Soho. Part III: Munich: A Workshop. Part IV: Meeting Kishi: Accounts of Seiki-Soho. Postscript: Akinobu Kishi. Glossary. Index. Appendix I: Flowchart of the history of Japanese Folk Medicine. Appendix II: Dr Taro Takemi and article on the need for Kanpo. Acknowledgements. Reviews 'I found this book inspirational - a richly textured and generous guide that coherently explains the Japanese healing tradition and, for the first time in a Western language, sets Shiatsu in its full historical context. Following Kishi's personal journey it explores, through his penetrating insights, the subtle interior processes and paradoxes of healing and reveals Seiki as a potent yet simple and natural way of harmony at the centre of the tradition.' - Paul Lundberg, Co-founder of The Shiatsu College (UK) and author of The Book of Shiatsu 'In this extraordinary book, Akinobu Kishi shares with us the history of Shiatsu in Japan, his experience of working with Masunaga and his own spiritual development. This book will be fascinating reading for all Shiatsu and Seiki practitioners.' - Clifford Andrews BSc PGCE PCE MRDD T, international Shiatsu teacher and founder of newenergywork.com Author information Akinobu Kishi is 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 now 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, meeting Akinobu Kishi in 1998, and has worked closely with him ever since.