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Cohort XII · Enrollment Open Closes 14 March 2025

Meridian Therapy Master Track Curriculum

A 600-hour clinical syllabus — jointly accredited by the American Organization for Bodywork Therapies of Asia and the International Association of Shiatsu — taught by seventeen master practitioners with an average of 25.3 years in clinical practice.

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Founded in Boulder, Colorado · Class XII begins 8 September 2025 · 14 satellite teaching clinics

Prospectus · Section I

A prospectus, not a brochure.

The Meridian Therapy Master Track is a 600-clock-hour, ten-month residential and hybrid program designed for certified massage therapists, acupuncturists, and holistic health practitioners who intend to practice meridian-based bodywork at clinical depth. The curriculum is delivered across six sequential chapters — Theory & Meridian Anatomy, Diagnostic Palpation, Classical Kata, Clinical Practicum, Case Integration, and Capstone Practicum — and culminates in a supervised residency at one of fourteen partner teaching clinics.

Graduates are awarded the credential Certified Practitioner of Meridian Therapy (CPMT), recognized by both the AOBTA and IASI. Since 2003, 4,800 practitioners have completed the program; 84% are employed in a clinical Shiatsu role within ninety days of graduation, as verified by an independent 2023 audit.

Section II · The Six Chapters

Six chapters. 600 hours. One credential.

Each chapter carries a defined clock-hour allocation, a stated set of learning outcomes, and a faculty-reviewed assessment. Hours are not interchangeable: clinical practicum hours cannot be substituted by lecture, and capstone residency is gated by successful completion of Chapters I through V.

  1. 01

    Theory & Meridian Anatomy

    110 hours

    The classical text foundation: the twelve primary channels, the eight extraordinary vessels, the Five-Phase correspondences, and the modern anatomical correlates used in evidence-informed practice.

    Modules
    Jing-Luo topology · Zang-Fu correspondences · Kyokai (warning) points · Anatomical landmarks on cadaveric imaging
    Outcomes
    Map 361 classical acupoints to surface anatomy; identify Kyokai points on a live subject under timed assessment
    Assessment
    Written examination (40%) · Live point-location practical (60%)
  2. 02

    Diagnostic Palpation

    95 hours

    Hara (abdominal) diagnosis, back-shu assessment, meridian pulse reading, and the Tsui-Ye (water-heat) differential framework inherited from the Namikoshi lineage.

    Modules
    Bo-Shin (visual) · Bun-Shin (auditory) · Mon-Shin (interview) · Setsu-Shin (palpatory)
    Outcomes
    Conduct a full four-method intake in 35 minutes; produce a meridian differential hypothesis with 80% concordance to faculty review
    Assessment
    OSCE-style structured practical with standardized patients
  3. 03

    Classical Kata

    115 hours

    The seventeen Namikoshi kata — from Yonkyo Hō (four-pressing technique) through Ampuku Hō (abdominal kata) — taught in their original sequencing with documented biomechanical rationale.

    Modules
    Yonkyo · Ankyo · Anpaku · Ampuku · Seifuku · Rotational and pressure-grade variations
    Outcomes
    Execute all seventeen kata at faculty-grade precision; demonstrate three pressure-grade transitions per minute under timed observation
    Assessment
    Recorded kata performance reviewed by two faculty members (inter-rater reliability threshold: κ ≥ 0.75)
  4. 04

    Clinical Practicum

    180 hours

    Supervised hands-on practice at one of fourteen satellite teaching clinics. Students treat real patients from week one under the direct supervision of a clinical instructor.

    Modules
    Intake & charting · Treatment planning · Adaptations for pregnancy, oncology, geriatric, and chronic-pain presentations · SOAP documentation
    Outcomes
    Complete 180 documented treatment sessions; submit three fully charted cases with meridian differential, treatment, and outcome review
    Assessment
    Faculty-attended live treatment, patient-reported outcome review, and chart audit
  5. 05

    Case Integration

    60 hours

    A seminar-format chapter in which students present complex cases from their own practices, defended before faculty and a visiting clinician from the International Shiatsu College of Kyoto.

    Modules
    Case-write methodology · Differential revision · Outcome measurement with validated PRO instruments · Cross-cohort peer review
    Outcomes
    Defend one complex case to faculty panel; produce one publication-ready case study of 3,000 words
    Assessment
    Case presentation (50%) · Written case study, peer-reviewed (50%)
  6. 06

    Capstone Practicum & Residency

    40 hours

    A two-week intensive residency at the Boulder teaching clinic. Students run a full patient panel under faculty supervision and present their capstone case before an external examiner.

    Modules
    Independent panel management · Faculty supervision at a 1:4 ratio · External examiner capstone defense
    Outcomes
    Manage a panel of twelve patients across the residency; defend capstone case to external examiner (AOBTA / IASI representative)
    Assessment
    Residency portfolio · External capstone defense (pass / fail with resit option)

Section III · Cohort Calendar

How the 600 hours are scheduled.

Cohort XII runs 8 September 2025 through 14 June 2026. The year is structured in five terms, alternating lecture-dense and clinic-dense blocks so that students can maintain an existing practice throughout the program.

A clinical treatment room at the Boulder teaching clinic, late afternoon.
  1. September — Orientation Week

    Foundations & Faculty Pairing

    Five-day on-site intensive in Boulder. Cohort orientation, faculty pairing, learning-contract drafting, and a baseline clinical-skills assessment used for individualized progress tracking.

    35 hours
  2. October — December · Term I

    Theory & Meridian Anatomy

    Chapter I delivered across two long weekends on-site and eight weekly live online rounds. Weekly clinical observation begins at the partner clinic nearest the student's home.

    110 hours
  3. January — March · Terms II & III

    Diagnostic Palpation & Classical Kata

    Chapters II and III delivered sequentially. Lab practice intensifies; students attend one supervised clinical shift per fortnight at a satellite teaching clinic.

    210 hours
  4. April — May · Terms IV & V

    Clinical Practicum & Case Integration

    The clinical block: students treat real patients one day per week at their assigned satellite clinic. Case Integration seminars meet on Friday evenings with visiting Kyoto clinicians via live link.

    205 hours
  5. June · Capstone Residency

    Two-Week Residency in Boulder

    Final 40-hour intensive: independent patient panel, external capstone defense, and graduation. Cohort XII closes 14 June 2026.

    40 hours

Section IV · Institutional Weight

  • 2005 AOBTA recognition granted
  • 2018 IASI endorsement formalized
  • 1,247 Partner wellness centers hiring graduates
  • 84% Graduate employment within 90 days (2023 audit)

Section V · Lineage

The curriculum is co-developed and annually reviewed with the International Shiatsu College of Kyoto. It is the only North American program holding this co-development relationship — a distinction that places our graduates inside a clinical lineage traceable, without interruption, to the founding generation of twentieth-century meridian therapy.

Master Hiroshi Tanaka Founder & Lineage Holder, Namikoshi Tradition

Curriculum jointly reviewed each March in Kyoto. Clinical Shiatsu Journal, indexed in PubMed since 2011, publishes one student case study per cohort.

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