Character
Anma is a traditional Japanese massage practice. The selected study protocol emphasizes kneading, with stroking and pressing. The atlas gives Anma and shiatsu separate entries. [1]
History & heritage
Japan’s Ministry of Health eJIM evidence directory lists anma, massage and shiatsu together. Modern research documents continued use of Anma; these sources do not establish a single founder, a precise origin year or a shared history for every school. [2] [1]
Anma in a school’s history
Kyoto Prefectural School for the Blind traces its institutional beginnings to the Kyoto school for blind and deaf pupils founded in 1878. Its archive account says anma joined vocational subjects in 1881, and the 1884 school regulations included a shin’an (鍼按) course combining acupuncture and anma. These dates concern one school’s teaching history, not the invention of anma or the experience of every blind practitioner. [6] [7]
Objects and public exhibitions
The Kyoto school’s collection lists massage implements and a manuscript copy titled 按摩図, whose Edo-period attribution carries a question mark. A separate school exhibit account records a massage apparatus sent to London exhibitions in 1884 and receiving awards. These records show what the institution preserves and reports about public display; an award is not evidence of medical effectiveness, and the manuscript copy’s uncertain date should remain uncertain. [8] [9]
Access to written learning
The same archive preserves raised-character textbooks, including three volumes of 療治之大概集. Its exhibit explains how characters were embossed into paper, while the collection dates those volumes to Meiji 18 (1885). This adds the history of accessible learning materials to the account of manual practice. The catalogue confirms the holdings; this atlas has not examined every page or validated the treatments described in them. [10] [8]
Techniques
The selected 2013 protocol uses massage through clothing, with stimulation kept within each participant’s comfort range. Its particular practitioner and protocol do not define every Anma service and are not a home-treatment guide. [1]
People with a cancer-treatment history should discuss suitability with their clinical team and choose someone with relevant training. Avoid damaged, bleeding or bruised skin and ordinary massage over areas affected by lymphoedema. Adapt pressure to the person’s condition; massage must not replace or delay medical assessment. [4] [5]
Evidence and limitations
A 2018 open-label randomized trial enrolled 40 gynecologic cancer survivors without recurrence for at least three years. At eight weeks, some quality-of-life outcomes favored massage over the control condition, but between-group differences in HADS anxiety and depression were not significant. Controls had usual follow-up and one initial conversation rather than equal ongoing attention. Small size, self-report and lack of blinding limit interpretation; this does not establish cancer treatment or benefit for all patients. [3]
Sources
- Donoyama et al. (2013) — Anma massage: trial protocol ↗
- Japan Ministry of Health eJIM — あんま・マッサージ・指圧 evidence directory ↗
- Donoyama et al. (2018) — Anma and quality of life in gynecologic cancer survivors ↗
- Cancer Research UK — Massage ↗
- NCCIH — Massage Therapy: What You Need To Know ↗
- Kyoto Prefectural School for the Blind — Principal’s message, 1 April 2022 ↗
- Kyoto Prefectural School for the Blind — 職業教育 ↗
- Kyoto Prefectural School for the Blind — 保存資料の一覧 ↗
- Kyoto Prefectural School for the Blind — 博覧会への出展 ↗
- Kyoto Prefectural School for the Blind — 凸字本 ↗
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