東京都調布市・京王線調布駅東口徒歩0分の清野鍼灸整骨院ー肩こり・腰痛から骨折・体調不良までご相談ください。

On Thursday, January 29, 2026, I visited Sato Takeemon Shoten　佐藤竹衛門商店, a moxa manufacturing company located in the Nadachi district of Joetsu City, Niigata Prefecture, Japan. I had the opportunity to exchange thoughts with President Sato about moxa used for moxibustion therapy.

At Seino Medical Yoga Class , every fifth Thursday of each month is a self-practice day. Taking advantage of this day, I decided to visit the moxa factory.

Sato Takeemon Shoten was founded in 1896, marking its 130th anniversary. The two gentlemen in the photo above sre, Chairman Yoshiaki Sato and President Ikuta Sato. Chariman Sato is the former president and 4th-generation head of the company. Next to him is the current president, Ikuta Sato, Chairman Sato’s son and the 5th-generation successor.

This is my fourth time visiting Sato Takeemon Shoten. My very first visit was on February 28, 2000, more than 25 years ago. At that time, I was told that I was likely the first acumoxist 鍼灸師 (acupuncturist/moxibustionist) to visit the factory in person. Since then, I have had the privilege of maintaining a long-standing relationship with Chairman Sato. This visit was particularly meaningful, as it was my first time meeting with President Ikuta Sato – although I had spoken with him many times by phone.

Nadachi was formerly known as Nadachi Town and is now Nadachi Ward within Joetsu City. Nadachi Station is located directly in front of the Sato Takeemon Shoten office.

The station was once operated by JR West and is now part of the Echigo Tokimeki Railway (Nihonkai Hisui Line). Although I travelled by car for the past three visits, with the opening of the Hokuriku Shinkansen, this fourth visit was my first time traveling by train.

I woke up at 4:30 a.m., left Chofu Station at 5:08 a.m., arrived at Nadachi Station at 9:28 a.m., and reached the office arond 9:30 a.m. The journey took about 4.5 hours, but the time passed so quickly that the clinic staff and I had a great conversation on the way from Tokyo Station. The journey on the train felt fresh and new as it was different from the past three visits.

Each time I visit, I bring my clinic staff along so they can experience and learn the environment in which mugwort is produced. This time, I travelled with Riki Kajiwara and my trainees.

Mugwort production originally began as a household activity for personal use. Large-scale production dates back to the early Edo period, with records from 1636 in Kasuga, Gifu Prefecture. At that time, mugwort from Mount Ibuki was primarily used. Later, production spread to Shiga and Toyama Prefectures, and by the late Edo period (around 1850s to 1868), it had shifted north to the Joetsu region of Niigata Prefecture, where it became the mainstream production field. To this day, no moxa factories have been established north of Niigata within Japan.

This reason lies in the characteristics of the mugwort leaves.

Moxa is produced by collecting the fine hairs (cilia) found at the back of the mugwort leaves. Generally, mugwort used for moxa falls into two categories: Mugwort with large leaves and mugwort with small leaves. Mugwort with small leaves tends to have many fine hairs, whereas mugwort with large leaves has fewer hairs. However, mugwort grown in the Nadachi area has large leaves with a large amount of fine hairs seen on small leaves. This unique feature allows for both high production volume and quality, making it ideal for producing top-grade moxa and contributing to the growth of moxa factories in the Joetsu region.

Before World War II, there were more than 30 moxa factories in the Joetsu region. 26 years ago, that number had fallen to just three. This year, the nearby JA factory has stopped production. As a result, only three moxa factories remain in Japan.

Among them, 山正（Yamashō）– a long-established moxa factory founded in 1895, located at the bottom of Mount Ibuki in Shiga Prefecture – now only manufactures moxa for onkyu 温灸 (warm moxibustion). This means that only two factories produce hand-twisted moxa, which is used when practicing tenkyu 点灸 (point moxibustion). The remaining factory has limited production capacity, making Sato Takeemon Shsoten responsible for the vast majority of domestically produced moxa used for　tenkyu　点灸 (point moxibustion).

I discussed with President Sato about the current situation regarding moxa production. It became clear that globally, moxa production is changing rapidly. President Sato has a remarkably wide perspective as well as a very strong enthusiasm for developing new products.

In recent years, harvesting mugwort has become increasingly difficult. Since Chairman Sato was the president, they have been working towards solving this problem. Since the 1970s, mugwort from China and Korea has been used to produce moxa. However, it seems that they are difficult to use for tenkyu 点灸 (point moxibustion).

Over the past two years, a number of trials have been conducted using mugwort from Nepal and other regions to determine whether moxa comparable to Japanese products could be produced. The moment I held the Nepalese moxa, I immediately recognized its clinical potential. Sato Takeemon Shoten currently produces nine types of moxa using mugwort made in Japan. Even with all nine types, there are certain conditions in which heat cannot be delivered quickly or precisely enough. I felt that the Nepalese moxa was particularly well suited to treat these “in-between” conditions.

President Sato has generously allowed me to bring back two new types of Nepalese moxa. I hope to accumulate further clinical cases until we meet again. The potential of moxibustion therapy appears to expand even further.

With Chairman Sato and Mrs. Sato, we spent about four hours together. It was an extremely meaningful time.
For those interested in the process of manufacturing moxa, please visit the “東洋医学の辞書サイト(Dictionary of Oriental Medicine)” on our homepage.

「清野鍼灸整骨院ホームページ」⇒「東洋医学の辞書サイト(Dictionary of Oriental Medicine)」⇒「お灸のはなし」⇒「３．日本の艾工場」

On February 28, 2000, my entire staff toured the factory, and I uploaded the manufacturing process on my website. At that time, Chairman Sato warned me that moxa production was already declining. During peak years, the factory operated 24 hours a day, whereas today, the production has dropped to one-tenth.
One contributing factor may be the increasing number of acumoxists not practicing moxibustion therapy. Recognizing the importance of preserving the moxa factories in Joetsu region — which supports the techniques of Japanese moxibustion therapy — I have been raising awareness to many acumoxists about the current situation. However, when I revisited the factory 10 years later with newly hired staff, no one had visited yet.
To get people interested, I have worked very hard to discuess about moxa production at every lecture and meeting I attended. In 2012, I was relieved to hear that a college had finally visited the factory.
In recent years, several schools have visited the moxa factory. Apperently, one of the schools came with a minibus. Small groups have also visited two or three times a year. I hope that participants will share their experiences at the moxa factory so that we, as an acumoxist, can keep practicing our profession.
Please note that factory tours are not being held this year.

「2026年1月29日（木）に新潟県上越市名立区にある艾（もぐさ）製造会社の佐藤竹衛門商店へ行き佐藤社長と灸治療に使用する艾（もぐさ）に関する意見交換をして来ました」

Friday, January 30, 2026
Seino Acupuncture and Orthopedics Clinic (Chofu, Tokyo Location)
Director of the clinic, Mitsunori Seino

Seino Acupuncture and Orthopedics Clinic 清野鍼灸整骨院 was founded on October 5, 1946 as the Seino Medical Clinic 清野治療所, specializing in oketsu-kyuatsu therapy 瘀血吸圧治療 (blood stasis suction therapy). Now in its 80th year, the clinic remains one of the few medical clinics in Japan specializing in this treatment.
*On Monday, February 2, 2026, we will be celebrating our 40th anniversary at the Tokyo Chofu location.

［ 2026.02.04 ］