To elevate acupuncture to the level of an art

This article is a continuation of “The Aesthetics of Acupuncture is in subtraction.

In writing this article, I referred to this book.

“Aesthetics (written by Tanehisa Otabe)”
“https://amzn.to/4117dUg”

It is written around the philosopher Kant’s “Critique of Judgment.” As Kant is difficult to understand, this book is also very challenging. Although I have yet to understand everything in the book entirely, I have come to see what is necessary to raise acupuncture to the level of an art form so that I will write it down.

Acupuncture is definitely a medical art. Today, it has been categorized outside the medical arts, but there is no doubt that the history of acupuncture is part of the history of medicine. What acupuncturists can do in the medical system is limited, but even with that limitation, we can do many things. It is interesting to pursue the possibilities in this circumstance.

What is the role of acupuncture?

I believe that the role of an acupuncturist is “to solve physical and mental problems through acupuncture.” Some may say, “Acupuncture is just a tool, so ‘through acupuncture’ is unnecessary.” However, “through acupuncture” is important since I am an acupuncturist.

A sense of justice is not enough for a policeman. They can do their job as a police officer because they wear a uniform and show a police handbook. Citizens are also cooperative. If they had neither uniforms nor police handbooks, they would have to fight evil as “heroes of justice.” Of course, the power of the organization, which is the system’s backbone, is also significant.

Acupuncturists do not have to compete on their strengths because of acupuncture. Some say, “An acupuncturist is a human power,” but before that, an acupuncturist must compete with “acupuncture power.

How does acupuncture work on the body and mind? Science is trying to answer this question, but classically, it is through the meridian (経脉) (欲以微鍼通其經脉,調其 血氣, 營其逆順出入之會).

It means applying acupuncture needles where the flow is poor. You can think of the meridian as the line where the flow is poor. The ability to improve the flow is the difference between an acupuncturist. The theory of acupuncture indicates where to apply acupuncture needles. There are many classical ideas, and new theories are being developed today. I am one of the proponents of a theory, but I will not introduce it because it is off-topic.

Technique and Art

Treatment by a good acupuncturist is pleasant to watch. I believe that acupuncture can be an art. I became an acupuncturist because I felt that way, and I will not retire as an acupuncturist because I feel that way.
One of the reasons I continue to be an acupuncturist is that my heart is attracted to the artistry that acupuncture possesses. It is the technique that brings artistry, and I will explain it with the help of Kant. You will find it clears your mind.

Kant makes a tight distinction between academics and technique. If you understand something in your head, you have achieved your learning goal. However, when it comes to technique, just understanding is not enough; you must be “able” to do it. In other words, just knowing is not called technique; only having acquired is called technique. As expected of Kant, this is easy to understand.

According to Kant, art is born of technique. He shows us that it is possible to become art by polishing technique up. However, the technique also needs to be divided into two categories. “Mechanical technique” and “aesthetic technique.”

The mechanical technique is an action that is essential to achieve a goal, like one-handed intubation in acupuncture. This one-handed intubation is “the act of inserting an acupuncture needle into a tube with one hand. This does not make it an art, even if it is done well or poorly.

What makes it art is what is called aesthetic technique. Kant did not describe this aesthetic technique in detail. We have to think of it literally as a “beautiful technique.” This aesthetic technique includes the “comfort technique.” In an acupuncture clinic, this would be the acupuncturist’s smile, the interior and lighting of the treatment room, and so on. You can think of this as mannerisms and creating an environment.

To make acupuncture an art, we should address manners and the environment. However, mastering them is not enough aesthetic techniques. I couldn’t find a detailed explanation, so it means “think for yourself. This could be called “your ingenuity.” It is only natural that creative ingenuity is necessary to push it to the level of art.

However, it is not the case that originality and ingenuity are enough to make art. For example, Kant tells us that “beauty requires the coexistence of nature and technique.” In a similar vein, Kant also says, “technique is more agreeable when it is recognized as a technique and but appears to be natural.”

In other words, the mechanical technique must not be deliberate for aesthetics.

Sophisticated one-handed intubation is smooth and natural in movement. Before you know it, the intubation is done. You should not show an intention in the movement, “I’m going to put an acupuncture needle in the tube.” No matter how much originality you have, you will ruin it.

For the acts essential in the treatment, it is necessary to repeat them repeatedly so the body can move on its own. If you shortcut the steady practice and say things like, “Acupuncture has become an art form! , you will be mocked by Kanto.

What can be called a technique

To become an acupuncturist, one must take three years of specialized education and pass a national exam. You may feel depressed because you can’t promptly do what you learned in school. However, according to Kant, Things you can do right away if you know are not called a technique.

If the people around you can do what you have learned right away, it does not mean you and they have mastered the technique. They just did what they knew. What you can’t do right away can become a technique. It is the same when you graduate from school and become an acupuncturist. What you can imitate promptly after attending a seminar differs from a technique. That should be called knowledge. But, of course, that knowledge has value.

What should we aim for?

Although I have written on the theme of “art,” I do not believe that “acupuncture must be an art. Acupuncture has many attractions, and being able to pursue artistry is only one of them. However, if we seek artistry and patients leave us, we can do nothing.

The pursuit of artistry must coexist with the goal of “solving physical and mental problems through acupuncture,” and the pursuit of artistry must support that goal.

What I learned from Kant is the importance of “being natural. This naturalness is not the same as stability. It is a natural act that is created through repetition and acquisition. Repeating it will one day become something that moves someone’s heart. Whether it is evaluated as artistic or not, steady repetition will surely be useful to someone.