Modern traders often treat a Doji (a candle with a tiny body) as a simple signal of indecision. Shimizu treats it with far more reverence. In The Japanese Chart of Charts, the Doji is often a warning siren.
Shimizu highlights the importance of the Doji at the top of a trend. He explains that after a long advance, a Doji indicates that the bulls have lost their momentum. They didn't necessarily lose the battle yet, but they have stopped winning. For Shimizu, that distinction is critical.
The title is literal. Shimizu created a master reference—a "chart of charts"—that organizes every possible candlestick formation into a hierarchical flowchart. Unlike Western technical analysis, which prioritizes mathematical indicators, Shimizu’s work focuses on: The Japanese Chart Of Charts By Seiki Shimizu Pdf
The book is famous for its visual layout: complex patterns break down into simpler components, allowing the reader to diagnose the market’s health at a glance. It treats the candlestick chart as a living organism, with "breathing" rhythms of expansion and contraction.
For decades, Western traders relied on bar charts and point-and-figure analysis. The concept of candlesticks—where the "body" represents the range between open and close, and the "wicks" (or shadows) show the high and low—was virtually unknown outside of Japan. Modern traders often treat a Doji (a candle
While Steve Nison is rightly credited with popularizing these methods, Nison himself has cited Seiki Shimizu as a primary source. Shimizu was a journalist and analyst for the Kabu Shijo Shimbun (Stock Market Newspaper) in Japan. His book wasn't written as a "get rich quick" manual; it was a dense technical treatise documenting centuries of Japanese market wisdom originally developed by the legendary rice trader Munehisa Homma.
Accessing the PDF today offers a raw look at this knowledge before it was smoothed over and packaged for Western mass consumption. The book is famous for its visual layout:
Because this is a rare book, you must be cautious of malware-ridden "free PDF" sites. Here are the safest ways to obtain a digital copy:
Warning: Avoid any website requiring a credit card for a "free PDF." The legitimate PDF is rare; if someone claims to have the original, ask for a sample page of the fold-out chart.
For those who do not yet have the PDF, here are the foundational pillars that Shimizu emphasized—keys that will immediately improve your chart reading.