Kyusho-Jitsu — Okinawan pressure-point karate

The temple is the shallow depression at the lateral forehead, anterior to the ear and above the zygomatic arch. Kyusho lineages associate it with a vulnerable head target, but the precise point and any incapacitating effect vary by school and are not established by the scholarly evidence cited here.

The mastoid point is the palpable bony prominence behind the auricle at the base of the temporal bone. It is mapped here as a surface landmark only; the diagram does not prescribe contact, force, or a medical outcome.

The angle of the mandible is the posterior-inferior corner of the lower jaw where its body meets the ramus. Kyusho teaching treats this as a jaw and facial control landmark, while actual response depends on anatomy, conditioning, and context rather than a guaranteed pressure-point reaction.

The carotid sinus region lies on the anterolateral neck near the bifurcation of the common carotid artery. It is included because Kyusho materials name the neck as a high-risk control area, and it must be treated as medically dangerous rather than as a reproducible knockout switch.

The philtrum is the vertical groove between the nose and upper lip on the facial midline. It is an easily located facial landmark in the map, but the model makes no claim that touching it produces the autonomic or analgesic effects sometimes attributed to kyusho.

The brachial plexus region is represented in the supraclavicular hollow where the nerve network passes from the neck toward the upper limb. Kyusho manuals use the region as a control and pain target, but the broad surface landmark cannot establish a repeatable result or safe application.

The radial nerve landmark is shown along the posterolateral forearm, where the nerve can be approached near the radius and extensor compartment. The displayed point is an approximate surface projection of a branching nerve, not a claim that a single pinpoint contact reliably disables the limb.

The solar plexus region is the epigastric area below the sternum and between the costal margins, projected here on the front midline. Kyusho traditions relate it to breath disruption and pain, while this anatomical map does not assert a guaranteed autonomic response.

The xiphoid process is the small inferior projection of the sternum at the lower end of the anterior chest. It is included as a clear skeletal landmark used in many striking-point lists, with a warning that anatomical variation and injury risk make it unsuitable for casual experimentation.

The floating ribs are the anterior ends of the eleventh and twelfth ribs, represented here at the lower lateral costal margin. Their mobility and shallow protection are reasons martial lists call the flank vulnerable, but the point is a broad anatomical region rather than a precise meridian node.

The common peroneal nerve is projected near the lateral knee as it winds around the fibular neck. It is included as a locatable lower-limb vulnerability named in modern pressure-point teaching, but nerve injury and unpredictable neurological response are safety concerns, not evidence of a reliable knockout mechanism.

The tibial periosteum is the sensitive covering along the subcutaneous anteromedial border of the shin. The diagram places it as a long-bone surface landmark; it does not imply that impact there has a standardized meridian effect or that intentionally injuring it is safe.

The instep is the dorsum of the foot over the metatarsal bones and extensor tendons. It is a broad, easily oriented distal target in Kyusho-Jitsu lists, and variation in footwear, tissue, and individual anatomy makes any claimed pressure response non-universal.