Shanghan Lun Abdominal Diagnosis

Shanghan Lun Abdominal Diagnosis Fukushin


Japanese abdominal diagnosis or Fukushin is the diagnostic art developed in medieval Japan based on the canonical writings by Zhang Zhongjing. Careful inspection of the Shanghan Zabing Lun reveals countless references to abdominal conditions that could only have been diagnosed by actual palpation of the abdomen. The skill however never fully developed in China but flourished in Japan. Throughout history, two major trends and types of abdominal diagnosis developed, being the Nanjing and Shanghan Lun schools, which respectively diagnose the abdomen in service of either acupuncture or meridian treatment, and herbal treatment. Fukushin refers specifically to Shanghan Lun style of abdominal diagnosis developed by Japanese scholars during Edo period (1603-1867 CE) for the purpose of prescribing the Han dynasty formulas of Zhang Zhongjing.

Japanese herbal medicine or Kampo translates as ‘the Han Method’. Of the two main schools in Kampo, the Kohoha or School of the Ancient Method, teaches the medical practice exclusively based on the Han Dynasty formulas of the Shanghan Lun and the Jingui Yaolue. The Kohoha instructs on abdominal patterns and findings for virtually every Zhang Zhongjing formula.

As an integral part of the Canonical Chinese Medicine Training™ of Dr. Arnaud Versluys, Fukushin is taught to match the abdominal patterns with formula methods and formula families. The pulse diagnosis seminar introduces a lock-and-key system for recognizing pulses as herb methods. The Fukushin part of the canonical training introduces the second leg of Zhang Zhongjing’s original diagnostic methods as a mirror to the practice of pulse diagnosis, allowing for a failsafe system of diagnostic checks and balances.

Through this training, the participant will learn the theory behind abdominal diagnosis including an in-depth understanding of the pathomechanism of the abdominal patterns, as well as the interpretation of these actionable findings and their direct translation into herbal treatment with classical formulas. The second part of the course will instruct in the hands-on procedure of the abdominal examination.

The instructor Kumiko Shirai grew up in Kobe, Japan, but has been living in the USA for more than ten years. Influenced by her mother, a Taiji master, she learned to appreciate Asian medical and martial arts from an early age and has been practicing Aikido for almost twenty years. Kumiko majored in Chinese Studies (BSc) and attended the School of Classical Chinese Medicine at the National College of Natural Medicine in Portland, OR, USA where she graduated with a Masters of Oriental Medicine (MSOM). Kumiko trained in discipleship with Dr. Arnaud Versluys and is now a junior instructor at ICEAM responsible for abdominal diagnosis courses.