In the United States today, amma continues to grow and evolve as a versatile and effective contemporary style of massage. The Japanese pronounce the same two characters amma, which is sometimes spelled anma. Japanese amma is the foundation of all forms of acupressure massage including the modern-day forms of shiatsu. Amma originated in the tradition of Chinese medicine.
It was first developed in the northern region of China in the barren lands north of the Yellow River. The inhabitants of this area used acupuncture, moxibustion and anmo, that is, manual methods, to provide cures Serizawa, Over many years of practice and experience with massage, acupuncture, and moxa, the Chinese people came to identify the points of the body where such therapy produces maximum effects.
Eventually these points, called tsubo or acupressure points, were documented together with the 14 major meridians or channels of energy that emerged from the patterns created by the tsubos Serizawa, , p.
Today we know this system of meridians and acupressure points as the energetic anatomy of traditional Chinese medicine. Anmo was brought to Japan by way of the Korean peninsula at the beginning of the Asuka period in the sixth century. It was an integral part of the unified system of Chinese medicine, which the Japanese call Kampo, ยซ the Chinese way Serizawa ,pp.
The Japanese assimilated the Chinese medical philosophy into their own culture, and amma was born as a therapeutic art form. By Taiho Law referred to the new massage of Japan with the mention of ยซ amma experts ยป Joya, , p.
