Seitai

Seitai (properly ordered body, 整体, せいたい). Technically, it consists in easing the activity of the life force by re-adjusting the physiology of the body. Basic knonw techniques are katsugen undō (活元運動, かつげんうんどう) Seitai taisō （整体体操、せいたいたいっそう）and yūki (愉気, ゆうき), which has been founded by Haruchika Noguchi (野口晴哉, のぐちはるちか). This is also known as Noguchi Seitai to prevent ambiguity.

History
The term Seitai (or Sei-Tai) was created by Mr Noguchi after the second world war. It represents a Japanese inner art of healing based on the mastery of ki based on re-adjustment techniques applied on a person (Seitai shido or Seitai sohō) or on oneself (such as Seitai taisō and katsugen undō for example).

It is only known among some of the first generation of practitioners that Seitai arose from an organization created by the government shortly before the second world war. This organization called Kenko Hojikai had the mission to inventory the knowledges and traditional healing patrimony owned by Japanese healers around the country. Among the people involved, was Mr Noguchi Haruchika.

Out of their study arose the clear understanding that one's internal life force is at the center point of health and well being. The greatest skills of the Kenko Hojikai group was:
 * 1) to recognize that the body has its own pre-existing order, intimately connected to this life force, and to inventory the particularities of a healthy (ordered) body and
 * 2) to elaborate precise techniques that would stimulate this inner life force in a way that forces the body to re-adjust itself from within, rather than using any external means.

Although the origin of Seitai finds some connections with different noble forms of healing schools such as Japanse bone settings ([sekkotsu] and Hone Tsugi) or Chinese medicine known as Kampo (Chinese pharmacopeia) for example, the actual technique of Seitai is in no way similar to any of the above. The name Seitai was actually created by Mr Noguchi. Before that, it did not exist in any Japanese dictionary. Shortly after the war the Kenko Hojika group split up giving birth to several school of healing arts as Sotai for example. Nevertheless, the larger part of the members followed Mr Noguchi who eventually founded the Seitai Foundation known as Seitai Kyokai.

Known teachers and practitioners

 * Itsuo Tsuda
 * Masatomi Ikeda
 * Imoto Kuniaki

Books

 * The Seitai Method by Mr Imoto Kuniaki. Tokyo, Japan, Kodansha International, 2005, paperback. ISBN 4770029977.
 * Order, Spontaneity and the Body by Haruchika Noguchi. Tokyo, Japan, Zensei, 1985, paperback. ISBN 4-915417-00-X.
 * Colds and their benefits by Haruchika Noguchi. Tokyo, Japan, Zensei, 1986, paperback. ISBN 4-915417-01-8.
 * Scolding and Praising by Haruchika Noguchi. Tokyo, Japan, Zensei, 1991, paperback. ISBN 4-915417-02-6.
 * Katsugen: The Gentle Art of Well-Being by Richard S. Omura, USA, iUniverse, 2000, paperback. ISBN 0-595-13079-8.