The words Toyo Hari translate as East Asian Needle Therapy. Toyohari is a method of acupuncture developed in Japan by a visually impaired acupuncturist named Kodo Fukushima. He founded the Toyohari Association over 60 years ago. Practitioners of Toyohari are trained to use highly developed palpatory skills to feel Ki (pronounced ´key´ in Japanese analagous to Qi, pronounced ´chee´ in Chinese) in the diagnosis and treatment of patients. The theory of Toyohari is rooted in the classical texts of acupuncture. The practice uses innovative new techniques, including the use of non-insertive needling methods.
The needles used in Toyohari are made of different metals such as silver, gold, copper and zinc. One of the main characteristics of Toyohari is the technique of “contact needling”, where a needle or probe is held over the skin without piercing it. This method is totally painless and is used not only for those patients with needle sensitivity but for all conditions being treated.
In the nineteen thirties and forties in Japan, a few acupuncture masters found that they were able to achieve remarkable results using specific techniques with gold and silver needles that actually did not involve inserting them through the skin. These techniques formed one special part of what is still known as Meridian Therapy in Japan, based on the study, interpretation and extrapolation of the classic texts of oriental medicine.
These non-inserted techniques were studied by Kodo Fukushima who both formally adopted them into a unique therapeutic method, and re-interpreted some of the classical doctrines in the context of his clinical experience. He essentially re-created a “living tradition” from the original theories based on practical clinical realities.
Fukushima originally founded the Toyohari Association in 1959 in Tokyo for blind Japanese acupuncture practitioners only. Today, the association is also open to the sighted and to foreign practitioners.
Toyohari is a unique therapy, based on the collective clinical experience of literally hundreds of accomplished clinicians. It is a living tradition, continuously being tuned to the times in which we live. What separates Toyohari from other styles of acupuncture practiced today is its use of refined non-inserted needle techniques and that its methods are being continuously improved, based on the feedback and consensus of the whole association
In addition to the ability of Toyohari in treating known conditions, it is also effective for modern diseases, caused by humans changing relationship with their environment. These include new kinds of illnesses arising from the effects of pollution, allergic reactions and sensitivities, mis or over use of pharmeceuticals and other complex medical conditions. Regular application of Toyohari has the capacity to promote health and prevent disease.