Wichita eagle., 1888-02-03
THE JAPANESE ANNA.
THE ARTIST WHO KNEADS AND
RUBS THE MUSCLES.
Oriental Massage as Practiced Among
Our Almond Eyed Brethren-An Old
Woman's Hard Work-A Restful Pro-
cess-Japanese Medical Students.


Our Almond Eyed Brethren-An Old
Woman's Hard Work-A Restful Pro-
cess--Japanese Medical Students.
As am sitting in my room there comes
to my ears the sound Of shril pipe,
sounding not unlike fife. The traveller
in Japan, go where he may, almost inyari-
ably hears the sound at night, and will be
told in answer to his inquiries that the
performance is a professional shampooer
or ANNA Many of these people are blind,
and at night pass up and down the streets,
feeling their way with long sticks, which
they hold in one hand, while with the
other hand they play upon the bamboo
pipe, which seems to notify the world OF
their presence.
The ANNA is not a shampooer in the
American sense of the term. He does not
con!ine his operations TO the heal and
hair. He practices what is known by the
French as the massage. His art consists
in sneading all the muscles Of the body
and bringing them into play, and he is re-
garded as a useful functionary, second only
in Importance to the physician as healer
of physical disorders. The art is prac-
ticed not only by men, but also by women,
and at almost every inn where I have
stopped among the first persons to proffer
their services have been the ammas. Only
once have yielded TO their invitations to
allow my body to be treated like a piece
of dough, and that was at Subasbirt, i'm.
mediately after my descent from Full
Tired and aching from the severe exer.
ton of climbing the mountain the sug-
gestion of DR.. Knippng that it might be
well to allow an ANNA to shampoo us
was scceded to, more from curiosity as to
the possible results than from any faith
in the efficacy Of the treatment.
The particular ANNA who came to our
room and shampooed Us was an ungainly
and awfully ugly woman Of middle age,
whose blackened teeth when she smiled
looked like row Of watermelon seeds set
in her face. During the process had an
opportunity to question her fully as to the
business, and learned from her quite a
number Of interesting facts. She informed
US that before commencing the practice Of
her art she has been obliged to serve an
apprenticeship Of three years, during
which time she read large number Of
japanese books teaching Of the human
body, and especially the muscles, and had
become learned in anatomy and physi-
ology. She had practiced the massage for
ten years already. and had by means Of it
gained her livelihood. She stated that
she was able n one evening, from 6 to 10,
to treat four persons, who paid her fee
OF fifteen sen apiece. Her daily earnings
were, however, not more than thirty sen
on 81 average, or about twenty-four cents
Of American currency.
In the operation Of shanpooin2, as
practiced by the ANNA, the patient lies
upon a futon or rug, while the ANNA
kneels beside him. The first act in the
drama deals with the abdominal cavity.
Placing one hand on either side Of the
abdomen, above the hips, the ANNA CON-
presses the body lateraliy number Of
times, then drawing up the loose folds OF
flesh, he koeads and pinches them, at the
same time making passes which CORE
spoud in their direction with that Of the
colon. This portion OF the treatment
ended. each leg Is attacked and vigorously
rubbed and kneaded, the process terrnin-
ating By smart bastinad, administered
70 the soles of the feet.
In rubbing and knesding Tire muscles
use is made Of round ball Of lockwood.
though the ANNA 10 whose treatment
saolatteo Gle lcgt d ohAy hei D-eeis am
Eruckles. The arms and chest are treated
es the legs, and then the patient is turned
over face downward, and the shoulders
AID hack a-c punched and kneaded Until
the breath almost forsakes the body The
entire performance epds with a vigorous
rubbing OF the neck, which, in my case,
seemed 70 threaten the djs.oca:son Of the
cerviczl vertebre. Tie amount Of
strength in fingers and wrists display I'd
By the ANNA is quite remarkable Our
ANNA shampooed four persons In sroces-
sion the evening .e engaged her, coaszD-
ing four hours in the task, during which
she was working with all her might al
most constantly. oaiy stopping 10 wipe OF
the psEspirstion which flowed from Ter
fsc.-
TIE result Of tbe experiment, 20 If -