Long before it was a formalized modality, Japanese mat bodywork to move energy and cure ailments was called Amma or Amna (“push-pull), which in turn derives from the Chinese Tuina.  Tuina was introduced to Japan well over a thousand years ago.  

The term Shiatsu to describe bodywork comes from Shiatsu-Ho (“Finger Pressure Method”), written by Tenpaku Tamai in the early 1900’s.  Tamai’s Shiatsu relies on the fingres to the do work, as opposed to traditional Amna, which uses thumbs, fingers, palms and elbows, feet and knees.  The generally understood founder of modern Shiatsu is Tokujuro Namikoshi who in the 1920’s combined traditional Amna, Tamai’s methods and technique of his own design. In 1940, Namikoshi established the Japan Shiatsu College in Tokyo and over the years popularized Shiatsu through books and television.  Like Tamai’s Shiatsu-Ho, Namikoshi Shiatsu primarily used finger techniques.  

Many of his students went to expand upon or create their own school of Shiatsu.  Notably, Tadashi Izawa is credited with reintroducing therapeutic work in the hara (“belly”), traditionally called Ampuku.  Shizuto Masunaga founded Zen Shiatsu, which incorporates usage of other parts of the body to do bodywork and frames the work within Zen Buddhism. Mansunaga also expanded upon the Chinese meridians and created some of his own.    

In the 1970’s, a Zen Shiatsu student named Wataru Ohashi led several teachings in New York and San Francisco. Zen Shiatsu is the basis of most Shiatsu that is practiced in America today although many practitioners uses only the traditional Chinese meridians and not his expansions.