Shizuko Yamamoto Papers
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Date
Creator
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Abstract
The collection consists of materials Shizuko Yamamoto created and gathered throughout her career as a shiatsu practitioner and macrobiotic specialist. Materials include research files, notebooks, conference and workshop packets, photographs, correspondence, recipes, clippings, books, magazines, pamphlets, patient files, audio and video recordings. The collection primarily consists of Yamamoto's books and research files pertaining to shiatsu, macrobiotics, yoga, and alternative, non-Western healing methods. The materials date from 1965 to 2010.
Biographical Note
Shizuko Yamamoto is a well-known shiatsu practitioner and macrobiotic consultant. In her native country of Japan, Yamamoto studied alternative and non-Western healing methods including shiatsu, seitai, yoga, and macrobiotics. After living in Tokyo for 40 years she moved to New York in order to share her knowledge of and promote macrobiotic and shiatsu practices. During her time in the United States, Yamamoto worked as a macrobiotic chef for Gloria Swanson and several macrobiotic restaurants. She provided shiatsu treatments in combination with macrobiotic diet recommendations and guidance to clients suffering from various ailments. Yamamoto is the founder of the International Macrobiotic Shiatsu Society, and served as president of the Macrobiotic Center of New York from 1970 to 1990. She also taught shiatsu and macrobiotic seminars across the United States and Europe. Yamamoto is the author of several books, including Barefoot Shiatsu,The Shiatsu Handbook, andWhole Health Shiatsu.
Arrangement
This collection has been organized into four series: Series I: Research Files; Series II: Books and Magazines; Series III: Correspondence and Photographs; Series IV: Patient Files.
The contents of each series have not been physically arranged by an archivist and the materials are arranged in the order in which they were received from the donor.
Scope and Contents
The collection consists of materials Yamamoto created and gathered throughout her career as a shiatsu practitioner and macrobiotic specialist. The collection primarily consists of Yamamoto's research files, books, and magazines pertaining to shiatsu, macrobiotics, yoga, and alternative, non-Western healing methods. A small portion of the research files contain commercial and non-commercial audiocassette tapes, CDs, DVDs, and VHS tapes mostly relating to prominent figures in the macrobiotic and alternative medicine community. To a smaller extent the collection contains correspondence and photographs from friends, family, and clients. The collection also contains patient files documenting Yamamoto's consultations and treatments for patients with various ailments.
Collection materials include research files, notebooks, conference and workshop packets, photographs, correspondence, recipes, clippings, books, magazines, pamphlets, patient files, audio and video recordings. Some of the materials are in Japanese. The materials date from 1965 to 2010.
Subjects
People
Donors
Conditions Governing Access
Series IV: Patient Files contain sensitive data, and researchers should contact fales.library@nyu.edu for more information. The remainder of the collection is open without restrictions.
Conditions Governing Use
Copyright (or related rights to publicity and privacy) for materials in this collection, created by Shizuko Yamamoto was not transferred to New York University. Permission to use materials must be secured from the copyright holder. Please contact fales.library@nyu.edu
Preferred Citation
Identification of item, date; Shizuko Yamamoto Papers; MSS 235; box number; folder number; Fales Library and Special Collections, New York University.
Location of Materials
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donated by Kezia Snyder in 2009; an additional accession was donated in 2011. The accession numbers associated with these gifts are 2009.235 and 2011.235.
Audiovisual Access Policies and Procedures
Audiovisual materials have not been preserved and may not be available to researchers. Materials not yet digitized will need to have access copies made before they can be used. To request an access copy, or if you are unsure if an item has been digitized, please contact fales.library@nyu.edu with the collection name, collection number, and a description of the item(s) requested. A staff member will respond to you with further information.
About this Guide
Processing Information
The collection was arranged into series based on the original order of the materials as maintained by Shizuko Yamamoto. Materials were placed in archival folders and boxes. Original folder titles were retained when available. In most cases, where folder titles were missing, the archivist's interpretation is enclosed in square brackets. Some materials were shifted between boxes to correct over- or understuffing, but in all cases the original order of the materials was maintained.
