a brief history of Hakkoryu
Shodai Soke Okuyama, Founder of Hakkoryu Jujutsu & Koho Shiatsu Igaku
Nidai Soke Okuyama, Leader of Hakkoryu Jujutsu & Koho Shiatsu Igaku
On a quiet street in a suburb northwest of Tokyo, is a martial arts school that is unique in Japan. It is called Hakkoryu So Hombu Dojo (General Headquarters School of the Eighth Light Tradition), and was founded by Shodai Soke (First Generation Head) Okuyama Ryuho.
Shodai Soke Okuyama was a medicine man – a well-rounded, deeply educated, self-made man, whose voracious desire for knowledge and his talent in advanced thinking and connecting concepts led him to create a system of martial arts that is unlike any other program Japan has ever produced.
Shodai Soke Okuyama created and perfected a two-pronged martial arts system that teaches: (a) techniques of jujutsu that attack the tsubo (pressure) points located on the body’s meridian lines while also emphasizing (b) the teaching of a proprietary type of shiatsu (finger pressure therapy) called Hakkoryu Koho Shiatsu Igaku, which uses the same pressure points to promote healing.
Hakkoryu is not a competitive sport and is usually taught only to adults because it requires commitment, patience, maturity and spirituality to understand the philosophy that underlies its teachings.
Shodai Soke once said in his writings, “Hakkoryu belongs to the world where spiritual action is given priority over form and style. In Hakkoryu, there is indeed no technical skill without a spiritual determination to carry on without hesitation to life or death. Hakkoryu, therefore, is mainly for the preparation and training of the mind.”
Shodai Soke passed away in 1987, and the school has since been under the direction of his son Nidai Soke Okuyama. In addition to having complete authority over the Hombu Dojo, the global organization, and the licensing of Shiatsu and Shihan (master teacher) degrees, Nidai Soke is a passionate bonsai artist, whose work is considered to be some of Japan's finest treasures, with many plants on display at the national museum.
Hakkoryu So Hombu Dojo
Omiya, Japan
Hakkoryu Koho Shiatsu Igaku
Hakkoryu Koho Shiatsu Igaku is a form of Japanese acupressure, created by Shodai Soke Okuyama, targeting the tsubo (pressure) points on the 14 meridians of the body to address health issues. Meridians, according to Eastern medicine, are invisible but well documented energy channels throughout the body that relate to the internal organs and the earthly elements. People who receive Koho shiatsu report feeling energized, with the healing effects of their treatments lasting much longer than a Western massage.
I perform shiatsu on the mat in order to leverage my entire body weight and also to give me complete freedom to move my client's body in any way I see fit. Unlike massage, Shiatsu is done over comfortable clothing, which allows the practitioner complete access to the entire body without any connotation of impropriety.
Shiatsu is as much a physically rewarding treatment as it is a spiritually enriching one. Most of my clients claim gaining a deeper understanding of their own body after a shiatsu treatment, as well as feeling transformed to an elevated state in their mind and spirit.
To learn more about Hakkoryu visit the official site at: www.hakkoryu.com
I do my best work on the mat!
My official shiatsu certification from Hakkoryu So Hombu Dojo