Championship category
Body Care (Stretch)
Clothed work built on compression, kneading and stretching. Shiatsu, anma, tui na and reflexology meet relaxation practice in this category.
Practices related to this category
Thailand
Thai Massage (Nuad Thai)
タイ古式マッサージ（ヌアッドタイ）นวดไทย / นวดแผนโบราณ
Nuad Thai is the name used for traditional Thai massage. It can combine pressure over clothing and assisted stretching. Sen belongs to its traditional understanding of the body; practice varies by school and setting.
Pressure · Stretch · Herbal
Traditional healing systemTraditional massageView →Philippines
Hilot (Filipino Traditional Healing)
ヒロット（フィリピン伝統療法）
A name for traditional care carried forward in the Philippines. Practices may include manual work, herbs and family care. Knowledge and explanations among practitioners known as manghihilot vary locally; spa wellness massage does not represent the whole tradition.
Oil · Herbal · Heat · Pressure
Traditional healing systemView →Japan
Shiatsu
指圧指圧（しあつ）
A practice developed in Japan using pressure with fingers, palms and other forms of contact, often over clothing. Namikoshi and Masunaga traditions illustrate differences in teaching and understandings of the body; no single intensity or benefit defines them all.
Pressure · Stretch
Traditional massageClinical massageView →Japan
Anma
あん摩按摩（あんま）
A manual practice carried forward in Japan with historical connections to Chinese anmo. It combines kneading, stroking and pressure, often over clothing. The contributions of practitioners with visual impairments are an important part of its history.
Pressure · Percussion
Traditional massageView →China
Tui Na
推拿（すいな）推拿
Manual practices developed within Chinese traditional medicine, including pushing, grasping, kneading and rolling. They are described using concepts such as meridians and qi and blood. Introducing those concepts is separate from making medical judgements about symptoms.
Pressure · Stretch · Tool
Traditional healing systemClinical massageView →Aotearoa New Zealand
Mirimiri and Romiromi (Māori Bodywork)
ミリミリとロミロミ（マオリ伝統手技）Mirimiri / Romiromi
Mirimiri and romiromi are manual practices discussed within rongoā Māori in Aotearoa New Zealand. Accounts may emphasise concepts such as mauri and wairua and relationships with community. They should not be reduced to fixed light-versus-deep categories; practitioners’ own explanations matter.
Pressure · Wood · Tool · Herbal · Stretch
Traditional healing systemView →United States
Myofascial Release and Trigger Point Therapy
筋膜リリースとトリガーポイント療法Myofascial release / Trigger point therapy
Myofascial release is a name for approaches using sustained contact or stretching with attention to fascia. Trigger-point therapy is a related but distinct explanatory system. School-specific theories and practices should not be equated with established tissue changes or benefits for symptoms.
Fascia · Pressure · Stretch
Clinical massageModern bodyworkView →United States
Reflexology
リフレクソロジー（足の反射区療法）Zone therapy / 若石健康法
A practice applying pressure to feet, hands or other areas using the concept of reflex zones. Zone maps describe particular systems; they are not maps for diagnosing organs. Tools and ways of touch vary across schools.
Foot · Pressure · Tool
Modern bodyworkRelated therapyView →United States
Chair Massage (Seated Massage)
チェアマッサージ（シーテッド・マッサージ）On-site massage
Chair massage treats a clothed receiver seated forward in a purpose-built chair, working neck, shoulders, back, arms and hands in 10 to 30 minutes. David Palmer of San Francisco, drawing on his study of Japanese anma, systematised it as 'on-site massage' in the 1980s and designed the first dedicated chair in 1986. In Japan, short seated anma and shiatsu spread at the same time as 'quick massage', and the two together underpin the championship's chair category.
Pressure · Percussion
Modern bodyworkView →
How it is judged
Competition scoring is separate from the value of a culture or practice. Check the official rules for each edition and category. This encyclopedia does not invent judging criteria or award advantages to particular traditions.