Developer of Kanshoho · Research contributor

Takashi Sakato

Representative Director, Japan Health Organization, Tokyo

Connecting hands-on practice with research.

Takashi Sakato developed Kanshoho in 2007. In our studies he documents the technique, contributes to study design and delivers the intervention. We welcome research partners with expertise in tissue measurement, biological responses or clinical assessment.

Research roles and disclosures →Discuss a collaboration →

A LOW-FORCE MANUAL INTERVENTION

Measuring tissue and body responses to a low-force manual technique

Kanshoho combines a gentle focal load of about 5.0 N (500 gf) with small active movements made by the person receiving it. We study tissue mechanics, blood markers and the course of clinical symptoms.[1][A]

See the research Collaborate with us Publications

Peer-reviewed paperShort report · 2025

Effect of load and contact size on muscle hardness

Focal load on the lumbar muscles with small side-bending movements

Participants: 39 healthy adults
Duration: 5 minutes

Load

The post/pre hardness ratio was lower at 500 gf and 750 gf than at 250 gf.

Contact diameter

The ratio was lower with 1 cm and 2 cm tips than with a 3 cm tip.

Source: Sugimoto S, et al. Journal of Physical Therapy Fundamentals. 2025;28(1):32–38 (in Japanese). The paper reports loads in grams; this site gives them in gf.

Methods and results →

A practitioner places a hand on the lower back of a seated person, over clothing — Locating the contact point on the lower back of a seated person. Photo: Japan Health Organization

THE METHOD IN PRACTICE

The technique in practice

The practitioner places a fingertip on the target area while the person makes a small movement. In our studies we also record the force, duration and measurement conditions.

What Kanshoho is →

RESEARCH AREAS

Three areas of research

Each result is reported with the conditions under which it was obtained.

Muscle and fascia:
mechanical response

Where does change occur, and how much? Measured with a muscle hardness meter and ultrasound elastography.

Tissue response 02

Blood and metabolites:
biological response

How do blood markers change in the minutes after a session? An exploratory study of metabolites and proteins.

Blood response 03

Pain, function, symptoms:
clinical assessment

Which symptoms change, and for how long? Pain and daily function, with follow-up.

Clinical course

SELECTED RESEARCH

Selected studies

Each study is listed with its participants, design and follow-up period.

Mechanical responseManuscript submitted

Lateral abdominal wall, layer by layer: immediate change on shear wave elastography (SWE)

Randomised crossover pilot study

20healthy men

In a randomised crossover study, 20 healthy men received a 10-minute session at about 5.0 N (500 gf) and a movement-matched control at about 0.5 N (50 gf), 7 days apart. Shear wave speed fell more after the session at about 5.0 N (500 gf) than after the control, with the largest change at the deep interface between the external and internal oblique muscles.

Comparison: about 5.0 N (500 gf) / about 0.5 N (50 gf)
Time points: Immediately after · 15 min
Registration: UMIN000056162

Next steps are to follow the response beyond 15 minutes and to include women, older adults and patients. Layer-by-layer values and statistics will be posted after publication.

About the source Study details →

Clinical assessmentPresented · unpublished manuscript

Chronic whiplash-associated disorder:
six months after a single session

Prospective single-arm pilot study

10patients · 9 followed to 6 months

Ten patients whose neck pain had persisted for 6 months or more after injury received one Kanshoho session. Pain, function and range of motion were assessed. Immediately after the session, pain at the angle of maximum pain had changed by a median of −33 mm on the visual analogue scale (VAS). Nine patients completed 6 months of follow-up.

Intervention: Single session, up to 20 min
Follow-up: 6 months
Registration: jRCT1070250094

Because this was a single-arm pilot, natural recovery and concurrent treatment cannot be ruled out. We are planning a multicentre controlled trial that records both, and we are looking for participating sites.

About the source Study details →

Biological responseConference presentation

Blood metabolome:
short-term change after a session

Randomised crossover study

9adults analysed

Blood metabolites were measured before and 10 and 30 minutes after the session in nine adults with low back pain. Several metabolites changed from baseline. This is an exploratory study; differences from the control condition are shown on the study page.

Time points: Before · 10 min · 30 min
Presented: Japanese Society of Pathophysiology, 2025
Registration: UMIN000049180

Presentation slides (Japanese) Study details →

Each item identifies its status: peer-reviewed paper, submitted manuscript, conference presentation or unpublished manuscript.

All seven lines of research →

METHOD & ASSESSMENT

Recording technique and measurement conditions

We record force, contact site, the person's own movement and duration, and report the technique and measurement conditions in detail.

The dose-parameter paper

Load gauge and interchangeable contact tips of different diameters — Load gauge and contact tips used to verify force and contact diameter. Load, posture and movement for each study are on the Methods page. Photo: Japan Health Organization

Intervention

Site, posture, force, contact diameter, active movement, duration

Measurement and comparison

Measurement site, time points, comparator, primary and secondary outcomes

Transparency

Participants, ethics review, registration, funding, competing interests

Technique and measurement in detail →

U.S. patent granted in 2021

US 11,207,238 B2 · Inventor: Takashi Sakato.
Patent details and public document →

OPEN QUESTIONS

Open questions

How local tissue changes, blood markers and clinical symptoms relate to one another is not yet known. We are planning studies to test possible mechanisms.

Replication across sites and practitionersDuration of the tissue responseRelation to symptoms and function

Mechanisms and hypotheses →

Sections marked “Research direction” describe hypotheses and proposed studies for discussion with collaborators. Observations are presented with their participants, methods and sources.

PUBLICATIONS

Publications

All papers and presentations →

2026

Case report / Explore

Resolution of Long COVID and ME/CFS symptoms following Kanshoho

Amitani H, Sakato T, Asakawa A. · DOI: 10.1016/j.explore.2026.103374

2025

Short report / Journal of Physical Therapy Fundamentals

Effect of Kanshoho on lumbar muscle tone (in Japanese)

Sugimoto S, et al. · DOI: 10.24780/jjptf.JJPTF_2023-17

2025

Narrative review / Cureus

Gentle, focal load (4.9–7.4 N): Kanshoho and conventional manual therapies

Sakato T, Amitani H. · DOI: 10.7759/cureus.89646

2024

Case report / Medicine

Severe fibromyalgia alleviated by a low-force muscle relaxation method

Amitani H, et al. · DOI: 10.1097/MD.0000000000037929

Status of the studies shown above

[A] Layer-specific SWE of the lateral abdominal wall (submitted manuscript)

Trial registration: UMIN000056162, “Analysis of myokine dynamics due to relaxation of the oblique abdominal muscles”. Related presentation: symposium, ICPM 2026 (Fukuoka).

The manuscript has been submitted. This site gives a summary limited to the public registry entry and the conference abstract; details will follow publication.

Public trial registry · ICPM 2026 programme Haruka Amitani, symposium DSY11-2, 25 September 2026.

[B] Prospective study in chronic whiplash-associated disorder

Immediate and mid-term effects of Kanshoho in patients with chronic whiplash-associated disorder: a prospective single-arm pilot study (working title).

Summary based on the unpublished manuscript and on two conference presentations in 2026: the 55th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society for the Study of Chronic Pain and the 35th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Pathophysiology.

Papers and presentations as a timeline

RESEARCH COLLABORATION

Research collaboration

We welcome proposals for replication studies, mechanistic work on the tissue response and controlled clinical trials, from researchers in Japan and abroad. We can discuss protocols, independent assessment and how the intervention is delivered.

We can provide research funding by agreement, following discussion of the study protocol and budget.

Discuss a collaboration Themes, what we bring, how we work