Sugiyama Waichi (1610–1694) was a blind acupuncturist and healer in early Edo-period Japan, credited with inventing the guide-tube (kanshin) technique for inserting acupuncture needles, an innovation that made the practice safer and more accessible, particularly for practitioners who were themselves blind. He rose to the rank of kengyo, the highest position within the guild system for blind professionals, and later founded schools of acupuncture that trained blind students, helping establish acupuncture as a respected profession in Japan. After his death he came to be venerated at shrines associated with him, honored by later generations for his contributions to healing and to the livelihoods of the blind community.