Shiatsu first came to the UK, via a variety of routes, in the late 1970s. Many of the early teachers were Japanese either from Japan or the USA and the Western teachers who had initially studied with them.

In addition, The East-West Centre, a Macrobiotic school and centre based in London offered ‘Namikoshi Shiatsu’ together with Macrobiotic theory.

No specific Shiatsu school existed at this time, rather a loose association of people interested in learning and practising shiatsu together and exchanging ideas. One of these people, Michael Rose, went to Japan to study Zen Shiatsu with Shizuto Masunaga. After Michael came back from Tokyo he started to share what he had learned and Zen style Shiatsu really began to develop in the UK.

Wataru Ohashi visited the UK in the late 70s. Living and working in the USA he became very influential in the development of Shiatsu because of his own style that displayed grace, flow and a comfortable dance like quality. He combined this with teaching areas in Zen Shiatsu such as Hara/back diagnosis and use of Mother hand.

In the 1980s, The Shiatsu Society (link) first held a stall at the Alternative Health Festival in London. Today it is the largest Professional Association for Shiatsu Practitioners in the UK.

From these beginnings Shiatsu grew very fast. Pauline Sasaki and Akinobu Kishi who first trained with Masunaga in Japan still significantly influence how Shiatsu is practiced today.