Box containing one clay device and one clay-soaked cardboard device for moxibustion, for use by blind practitioners in Japan, from the surgery of a British practitioner c.1996, made by Dr Obika Reiko at the National Rehabilitation Centre, Tokorozawa City, Japanese, 1980-1985.

Moxibustion is a therapeutic technique used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Acupuncture points are stimulated by the application of burning moxa. Moxa is the dried product of the plant Artemisia vulgaris. It can be applied directly to the skin or burned on the head of an acupuncture needle in a combination therapy. These clay and cardboard devices were created in Japan for blind practitioners. The moxa is put into a perforated well under the lid. This allows the therapeutic heat to permeate down to the skin. Both clay and clay-soaked cardboard make excellent receptacles for burning moxa. They are light, cheap and easy to acquire. They do not melt and are resistant to burning. Unlike metal equivalents, they are warm to the initial touch and do not become excessively hot during treatment. They can also be used several times before being discarded.