My Journey to the Original Makkō-Hō Exercises

 "Life is growth. If we stop growing, technically and spiritually, we are as good as dead."

Morehei Ueshiba (1883 - 1969), founder of Aikido, author of The Art of Peace

As a Shiatsu Practitioner my job is to study health and the human experience. Ueshiba Sensei's statement rings true in my observation. The healthiest people are those who actively learn. People who constantly expand their movement vocabulary and refine their habits are actively engaged with Life. Modern science might say they are exercising neuroplasticity.

Conversely, people who hold onto old patterns despite diminished return for effort, resist refining their movements and learning new movement allow their mobility to narrow. With narrowed range of motion it is no surprise pain conditions become part of daily life.

I have a specific case to back up this claim: that of Wataru Nagai, inventor of the Makkō-Hō exercises. 

The story of Mr. Wataru Nagai (1889 to 1967) of Japan:* In younger life he devoted all of his time and energy to building financial security and ignored his body. As a result he suffered a stroke at the age of 42. Paralyzed on his left side, doctors considered his condition incurable and told him that he would henceforth be disabled.

Rather than accept this prognosis he determined to regain his body. 

Inspired by the deep devotional bowing practices of Buddhism and common resting positions observed in children Mr. Nagai developed four specific exercises.

Here is a brief demonstration of correct form in an ad.

Having only this to focus on, Nagai practiced these exercises twice daily with precise form and breathing. According to the book his son Haruka Nagai wrote in 1972, progress was difficult and slow. With three years of perseverance and commitment to regular practice he was able to regain his health and vastly increase his mobility. With such remarkable results, Mr. Nagai knew he had discovered something important. The exercise method he designed stimulates blood flow, stretches the nerves, strengthens atrophied muscle groups and thus accelerates cell metabolism.

He dedicated the remainder of his life to teaching this amazing restorative system. He died at age of 78 in a car accident.

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How I came to know about the Makkō-Hō system.

Through Shiatsu: At the Boston Shiatsu School (1996-7) we began every class with the "Makkō-Hō meridian stretches." I did not hear the name nor learn the system of Wataru Nagai the entire time of my Shiatsu training. I was taught that Shizuto Masunaga (1925 - 1981), founder of Zen Shiatsu, had developed a series of meridian stretches to compliment his Shiatsu training. My teacher was one of Masunaga Sensei's students.

In subsequent years of Shiatsu study I've seen the meridian stretches taught in different ways. Each style has its own emphasis, but all stay true to Masunaga's method.

Through Aikido: I arrived in Boulder, CO, began my Shiatsu practice in 1999 and joined the Boulder Ki-Aikido dojo the following year. Every aikido class started with a martial arts version of four of the "Makkō-Hō meridian stretches" I had learned. Now I know that the four stretches are those of Nagai's original set. I could see that the dojo method was not focussed on the meridians but rather a general hip, back and leg warm-up. 

Over the course of years I saw that the pre-training stretches prevented injuries and helped students maintain adequate flexibility to advance their aikido practice.

Through research for my class: I taught the meridian stretches learned in Shiatsu school a few times. In 2020 I gave a 6-class series called "Makkō-Hō, Meridian Stretches and Basic Self-Care." I even made follow-up videos for my students during Pandemic Lockdown.

In the Summer of 2021 I started researching the material to prepare for another series. I wanted to know how Zen Shiatsu Students and Ki-Aikido students had learned this stretching system in such different ways.

I found two books. Makkō-Hō: Five Minutes' Physical Fitness by Haruka Nagai, out of print, and John Dixon's The Original MAKKŌ-HŌ: Regain Youth and Flexibility with Five Minutes Exercises from Japan, both pictured below. John Dixon revamped and streamlined the original material, staying true to the spirit of Haruka Nagai's writing.

Once I read the books three things happened:

First, I started doing the exercises correctly every morning before breakfast. It was different, I felt sore in the beginning as new muscle patterns were developing, but I found that the correct method produced a more satisfying stretch than either the meridian stretch or aikido versions had. My daily yoga asana practice began to deepen and I started noticing old hip and knee concerns fading away.

Second, I introduced the correct movements to members of my dojo. They shrugged and continued with what they had been doing. It seemed to them out of place to trade in the warm-up movements for therapeutic exercises.

Third, I now teach the original system in my class. For people who haven't been practicing any mobility exercises this system is deceptively challenging. For people who already have a stretching routine it's great! People who practiced the exercises even a few times between classes make notable progress in both mobility and physical comfort.

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Nagai discovered a rejuvenating sequence of movement, breath and spiritual focus that has the potential to restore robust quality of life. In the preface of his book, Nagai's son commented that his father spent 10 years actively promoting and teaching these four exercises. As with my experience, some individuals picked up the practice, but he was largely met with indifference because the exercises "are too simple and they cost nothing." His statement, published in 1972, addressed the modern misconception that only costly and complex methods have value.

Additionally, I have found that people lack persistence if they do not have an immediate need to improve their mobility.

Mr. Nagai's case exemplifies a dire need. After a health crisis that left him partially paralyzed he had nothing but time to practice twice-daily, slowly regaining full capacity over the course of three years. Because this was his need he struggled with precise form and breathing, and endured the temporary phases of soreness that came from rejuvenating his body.

Obviously Mr. Nagai's determination to teach his system had enough influence that his contemporaries Shizuto Masunaga and Ueshiba Sensei heard about it and made use of the general forms for their own purposes.

I am deeply grateful for this discovery, both for my own growth and for the quality of life improvement that can come to those who learn this exercise system. The Western Medical model does so very little to help people take control of their own wellbeing. As we see through the example of Wataru Nagai, it is up to each of us to find methods that help us grow, thus engage with the spirit of Life. 

Wishing you all the best in your wellbeing,

Christian

* Makkō-Hō: Five Minutes' Physical Fitness by Haruka Nagai, 1972 Japan Publications, Inc., Japan Publications Trading Company, San Francisco.