The Dashin Technique of Japanese Acupuncture

The Dashin technique is an old Japanese acupuncture technique in which a large needle (uchibari) is struck by a small mallet (kozuchi) and is mainly applied to the abdominal area. It was once part of main stream Japanese acupuncture in 17th century of Japan and is probably the most sophisticated form of abdominal acupuncture techniques.

The abdomen is a very sensitive and protected part of the human body. Because of the abdomen’s sensitivity, it is reasonable to expect that a patient would feel some fear when a practitioner places a large needle on his abdomen and in the other hand holding a mallet. However peculiar this technique may appear, it was thought up by wise doctors of the past and became a popular Japanese technique and one used only in Japan.

Recently acupuncturists in Japan have revived this technique and have been using gold or silver large needles with blunt tips that focus on creating a special vibration to the abdomen without pain. Vibrations are one of the many transformations of qi. By creating this translated regular qi, the acupuncturist is able to scatter the jaki (evil qi) in the patient's abdomen where the Zang-fu organs are located and the sorce of all the energy system of the body. This abdominal treatment is the direct approach to the Zang-fu organs using vibration.

The Origin of the Dashin Technique
There is no identifiable person believed to be the inventor of the Dashin Technique. There is, however, an existing classic which explains it. The classic is titled Shindo Hiketsu Shu (Compilation of Secrets of Acupuncture) which is a guide book for the Dashin technique Mubun style. In the beginning of this classic, there is a story that explains how Misono Mubunsai, an early 16th Century acupuncturist who founded the Mubun style, was motivated to try out the Dashin technique.1 It says that Mubunsai was a Zen Buddhist monk whose mother suffered from a serious illness. To help her, he first saw a renown doctor of his time to learn acupuncture using the direct insertion technique. He tried it out on her but the treatment was ineffective for her illness. Struggling and meditating over it, it is said that he was eventually enlightened to try the Dashin technique. This time it showed good results. When I saw that the Dashin technique was an insight gleaned by a Zen Buddhist monk following a long struggle, I was inspired to try out the technique myself.

One of the characteristics of this technique, besides using a mallet for tapping needles, is that a acupuncturist can treat, not just acupuncture points, but also reactive areas (abnormalities that a acupuncturist can sense when palpating a body) which can manifest on the abdomen. Reactive areas tend to be spaces that may cover a large area rather than points. In the above mentioned classic Shindo Hiketsu Shu, this reactive area is described as ja (evil), or jaki (evil energy), and the treatment is focused on treating the area directly . In the Mubun style which only treats the abdominal area, Mubunsai created an original chart of the abdominal diagnoses that cover the zang fu organs. Acupuncturists in the Mubun school believe that all illnesses are rooted in the abdomen and so they look for the cause of illness in the abdomen no matter where on one’s body the symptoms may appear. I think that the Dashin technique Mubun style has many characteristics in common with Japanese acupuncture because it does not only focus on acupuncture points, but also places emphasis on abdominal diagnosis and abdominal treatment. Besides these similarities they also make use of the effects of vibration which, in my personal opinion, are one of the characteristics of Japanese acupuncture.

It has now been 16 years since my curiosity first compelled me to try out the Dashin technique in my daily practice. There were times when I would almost give up practising it and were due to an inability on my part to achieve results I desired and a difficulty in making the tools. However, there has always been something that has continuously attracted me to this technique and for which I feel is the right treatment method that will allow me to use my senses most effectively. For this issue, I would like to share my experience with the Dashin technique.