Anma is the Japanese manual therapy organized from Chinese anmo: kneading, pressing, stroking, and stretching applied through clothing, without oil, on a mat or chair. It is the root system shiatsu emerged from, and it survives as its own discipline with its own sequence logic.
SESSION FORMATMat or chair · Clothed · Dry
IDENTITY VALUES SHARE THE HUB’S FILTER VOCABULARY — ANY CELL REVERSES INTO A CATALOG QUERY.
04 · PRACTICE TODAY — PRESENT TENSE, NO HISTORY, NO OUTCOME PROMISES
How it is practiced and taught
Work proceeds through set kata-like sequences — kneading and pressing along the channels of the meridian framework, with rhythmic, repetitive technique from the shoulders outward. The dry, clothed format shapes the vocabulary: compression and kneading dominate where oiled systems glide.
It is commonly sought for muscular tension and general wellbeing. Channel descriptions are the framework’s own account, typed as tradition in this record’s register.
SESSION ARC
- 01Shoulders & neck opening — The classic starting region; rhythmic kneading sets tempo.
- 02Channel sequences — Pressing and kneading along the framework’s lines, region by region.
- 03Stretch & close — Joint movement and stretch, then closing strokes.
05 · PROVENANCE PLATE — THE RECORD’S ONLY PAST-TENSE ZONE
STATE = KIND OF CLAIM · CONF = STRENGTH OF TRAIL · [Sn] = THE TRAIL
Where it comes from — typed and doored
ENTRIES LEFT OF THE FIRST SCALE BREAK CAP AT MODERATE (R1) · STATE AND CONFIDENCE NEVER MERGE (R5) · ONE HISTORY DOOR PER PLATE.
06 · CAUTION LEDGER — THREE FIXED TIERS, EACH SOURCED, EACH DATED
What the profession documents
⚠ TIER 1 · ABSOLUTE CONTRAINDICATIONS
No absolute contraindications specific to this technique are documented; general massage contraindications apply — acute systemic infection or fever, suspected thrombosis, and acute medical emergencies.[S16]
TIER 2 · SITE & PRESSURE CAUTIONS
—Compression is moderated over the abdomen and kept off acute injury and inflamed joints.[S16]
TIER 3 · POPULATION CAUTIONS
—Documented practice adapts pressure and stretch range for osteoporosis, hypermobility, and pregnancy.[S16]
“This ledger summarizes documented professional cautions. It is not medical advice, and it does not replace pathology training, intake screening, or a provider’s clearance.”
REFERENCEPathology caution categories — the sitewide layer this ledger summarizes from.DOOR · LIVE →07 · TRAINING & SCOPE — THE WING NEVER ANSWERS A SCOPE QUESTION INLINE
Where it enters a career, and whose question scope is
TRAINING CONTEXTSPECIAL TRAINING
Separate credential system
Licensed as its own profession in Japan; taught in North America through dedicated programs and post-graduate study rather than entry-level curricula.
EDUCATIONUNDER REVIEW
Named programs and schools are not listed here. Training listings live on the Education wing and arrive through this door once vetting rules for traditional trainings are set. This door does not open yet — and says so.
SCOPE
Whether this technique sits inside your scope of practice is a state question, answered by your board’s rules — never by this record. The atlas keeps that question where it belongs:
08 · SOURCES — EVERY [Sn] ABOVE, RESOLVED IN THE SHARED REGISTER
S5T2Huangdi Neijing tradition — textual scholarship on anmo / daoyin references.CITED
S7T2Histories of anma & shiatsu; 1947 Japanese practitioners statute.PENDING CITATION
S16T2Werner, A Massage Therapist’s Guide to Pathology — caution & contraindication reference.CITED
Tiers and statuses per
Method & Sources. No orphan claims, no decorative citations.
09 · Doors & relatedDOORS DESCRIBE — THEY DO NOT ADVERTISE
IN THE SAME FAMILY — MERIDIAN-BASED FRAMEWORKS