I was first introduced to shiatsu as a high school student in 1979. when I apprenticed with Nabui Fumoto, of Blessed memory, in Monterey California. Mrs. Fumoto was a tiny, sweet, strong Japanese woman who learned Shiatsu as a child in the Japanese internment camps in California. She spent her life using this knowledge to care for those whom she loved, (which included a great many people). Upon seeing my interest in japanese martial arts, she offered to teach me, and we began meeting weekly. I am eternally grateful for all the treatments and care she has given to my family and for all that she has shared with me.
In 1982 I was introduced to Hakkoryu Jujutsu and Koho Shiatsu by my teacher, of Blessed memory, Brian W. Workman, Kaiden Shihan Sandiakich.
In 1986, I was certified in Koho Shiatsu Igaku (Imperial Finger pressure Therapy) by the headmaster of the system Nidai Soke, Ryuho Okuyama. In 1992 I received the first of my 3 mastery ranks in Hakkoryu from Nidai Soke, and am currently one of the most senior practitioners of Hakkoryu and Koho Shiatsu in the U.S.
In 2010 I moved to Ashland where I graduated from the Ashland Institute of Massage, and in 2015, along with Jaye Marolla, established The Ashland Center of Asian Bodywork. It is my hope that Center is not only a place where people can receive treatments that will help them resolve issues and find wellbeing, but also a place where people can experience the value of deep traditions, and to provide an entry point for those interested in a lineage system.