The History of Reiki
Mikao Usui Chujiro Hayashi Hawako Takata
Whilst there is an ancient past with energy healing, the re-discovering of this universal channel was founded only 100 years ago by Dr Mikao Usui.
You will find in ancient scripts that resonate with the similar properties and powers of Reiki, that is the universal energy was channelled in a different forum and was not labelled nor passed on to other beings.
The global growth of Reiki has been profound. The universal loving healing and guidance is here to be channeled by you and many others. Continue to follow the guidance of Reiki and watch the worlds transform to higher vibrational living.
Mikao Usui and the Origins of Reiki
Mikao Usui, often referred to as Usui Sensei by Reiki students in Japan, was born on August 15, 1865, in the village of Taniai, located in the Yamagata district of Gifu prefecture, near present-day Nagoya, Japan. He was a deeply curious individual with a strong passion for learning, dedicating himself to studies across subjects, including medicine, psychology, religion, and the art of divination.
As his life experiences deepened, Usui Sensei became increasingly focused on understanding the purpose of life itself. His search led him to discover the concept of An-shin Ritsu-mei, a state of consciousness that would not only clarify one's life purpose but also allow it to be fulfilled. This special state, where one remains at peace regardless of external circumstances, was described as a form of enlightenment, a state that arises spontaneously and is self-sustaining.
Usui Sensei recognised the importance of this state and dedicated his life to achieving it. He found that one path to An-shin Ritsu-mei could be through the practice of Zazen meditation. Despite his efforts, after three years of practice, he felt unfulfilled and sought further guidance from his Zen teacher. The teacher suggested an even more intense meditation practice in which the student must be willing to die in order to achieve the desired state of peace.
In Early 1922’s, Usui Sensei traveled to Kurama Yama, a sacred mountain north of Kyoto, to meditate and fast in search of enlightenment. Misunderstanding his teacher's advice, Usui prepared for death, thinking he was meant to die in order to reach his goal. During his fast, Usui practiced a specific meditation under a waterfall on the mountain, a practice believed to activate the crown chakra. On the 21st day of his fasting, at midnight, Usui experienced a powerful light entering his mind, which knocked him unconscious, as if struck by lightning. Upon awakening with the sunrise, he felt a profound sense of vitality and high-frequency energy unlike anything he'd ever known.
Usui Sensei’s experience granted him not only a spiritual awakening but also the ability to channel healing energy. As he continued his descent from the mountain, he accidentally stubbed his toe, and instinctively placed his hands over it. He was astonished when the pain disappeared, and his toe healed, realizing that he had received the gift of healing energy.
This revelation marked a turning point in Usui Sensei’s life. He understood that his purpose was to become a healer and to teach others how to harness this powerful energy. In April 1922, Usui moved to Tokyo, where he founded the Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai (Usui Reiki Healing Method Society) and opened a Reiki clinic in Harajuku, Tokyo. There, he taught Reiki classes and offered healing treatments.
Over time, Usui Sensei developed his system of Reiki healing. The Great Kanto earthquake and tsunami in 1923, which caused widespread destruction and loss of life in Tokyo, prompted him to refine his methods to help heal more people more quickly. It was during this time that Usui Sensei developed several Reiki techniques, such as Gassho, Byosen scanning, Reiji-ho, Gyoshi ho, and Enkaku Chiryo, as well as a formal attunement process (Reiju Kai), which allowed others to learn Reiki more efficiently.
Usui Sensei also introduced the Reiki symbols used in the second level of Reiki training (Okuden), and it was during this period that the practice of attunements became formalized. Previously, Reiki abilities were transferred through simple hand contact, but the Reiju Kai sped up this process. Usui Sensei's teachings emphasized the continuous improvement of one's ability to channel Reiki energy, encouraging students to deepen their connection to the energy and to heal more profoundly and swiftly.
The first degree of Usui's training was called Shoden (First Degree), which consisted of four levels, while the second degree, Okuden (Inner Teaching), had two levels. The final degree, Shinpiden (Mystery Teaching), was akin to the Master level in Western Reiki. By 1925, demand for Reiki had grown so great that Usui built a larger clinic in Nakano, Tokyo, and began traveling throughout Japan to teach and treat others. During his travels, Usui directly taught over 2,000 students and initiated 21 teachers, who were authorized to teach and pass on Reiki in the same manner as Usui.
Unfortunately, after Usui Sensei's passing on March 9, 1926, his ability to pass on enlightenment through the Shinpiden level ceased. The Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai continued teaching Reiki at the Shoden and Okuden levels, with the Shinpiden becoming honorary and no longer offering additional training. Usui Sensei’s legacy as a healer was recognized when the Japanese government awarded him the Kun San To award for his humanitarian work.
Usui Sensei passed away at the age of 60, far younger than the average life expectancy in Japan at the time. Following his death, his students honored him with a memorial stone beside his grave at Saihoji Temple in Tokyo. Today, Usui’s teachings continue to be preserved by the Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai, and his story remains a beacon for Reiki practitioners worldwide.
Chujiro Hayashi
Before Usui passed, Usui Sensei entrusted Chujiro Hayashi Sensei with the responsibility of opening his own Reiki clinic and further developing Reiki Ryoho, drawing on Hayashi's experience as a medical doctor in the Navy. Motivated by this request, Hayashi Sensei opened a school and clinic called Hayashi Reiki Kenkyukai (Reiki Institute) in Tokyo.
At his clinic, Hayashi Sensei kept meticulous records of his Reiki patients' illnesses and conditions. He also documented which Reiki hand positions were most effective for treating each condition. Based on these observations, he created a handbook that he provided to his students.
Hayashi Sensei also redefined the way Reiki sessions were conducted. Instead of having the client seated while being treated by a single practitioner, he had clients lie on a treatment table and receive care from several practitioners simultaneously. Additionally, he developed a more efficient system for administering attunements and created a new approach to teaching Reiki.
In late 193o’s, during a trip to Hawaii, Hayashi Sensei was asked by the Japanese military to provide information about the location of warehouses and military targets in Honolulu. He refused to comply, resulting in his being declared a traitor. This caused him to "lose face," a significant disgrace in Japanese society, and left him and his family ostracized. The only way to restore honor was through seppuku (ritual suicide), which Hayashi Sensei chose to carry out, dying honorably on May 11, 1940.
After his death, Hayashi Sensei’s wife, Chie Hayashi, took over his clinic and ran it for several years. However, without a successor to continue the work, the clinic eventually closed. It is believed that some of Hayashi Sensei’s students continued to teach Reiki, but most of them have since passed away. In 1999, it was discovered that Chiyoko Yamaguchi Sensei, a Shinpiden (Master) student of Hayashi Sensei, was still alive and practicing Reiki. She was encouraged to teach and began offering Reiki training to new students.
Hawayo Takata
Hawayo Takata was born on December 24th, 1900, on the island of Kauai, Hawaii. Her parents were Japanese immigrants, and her father worked in the sugar cane fields. Takata eventually married Saichi Takata, the bookkeeper of the plantation where she worked. They had two daughters. In October 1930, Saichi passed away at the age of 34, leaving Takata to raise their two children on her own.
To provide for her family, Takata worked tirelessly, which led to severe abdominal pain, a lung condition, and a nervous breakdown. After five years of suffering, she also experienced the death of one of her sisters and traveled to Japan to deliver the news to her parents, who had resettled there. Takata hoped to receive treatment for her own health issues while in Japan. She entered a hospital where she was diagnosed with a tumor, gallstones, appendicitis, and asthma. Doctors advised her to prepare for surgery, but instead, she opted to visit the Hayashi Reiki Clinic.
At the clinic, Takata was unfamiliar with Reiki but was struck by how the Reiki practitioners’ diagnoses aligned closely with those of the hospital doctors. She began receiving daily treatments, during which two practitioners worked on her at a time. The heat from their hands was so intense that Takata thought they were using some kind of equipment. She once grabbed the sleeve of one practitioner, suspecting a hidden device, but found nothing. When she explained her reasoning, the practitioner laughed and explained Reiki to her. Over time, Takata’s health improved, and in four months, she was completely healed. She decided to learn Reiki for herself.
In mid 193o’s, Takata received First Degree Reiki from Dr. Hayashi. She worked alongside him for a year and then received Second Degree Reiki. Takata returned to Hawaii, and shortly afterward, Dr. Hayashi followed, helping to establish Reiki in Hawaii. Takata was initiated as a Reiki Master by Dr. Hayashi. She went on to establish several Reiki clinics, including one in Hilo on the Big Island, where she offered treatments and initiated students up to Reiki II. Takata became well-known as a healer and traveled extensively to teach Reiki, offering treatments and training throughout Hawaii and the U.S. mainland.
Takata Sensei’s approach to Reiki was distinctive and differed from that of Usui Sensei and Hayashi Sensei. One of her most significant changes was simplifying the Reiki system for Western students, whom she believed found the Japanese style too complicated. She developed her own hand position system, which she called the "foundation treatment." This system consisted of eight hand positions on the abdomen, shoulders, and head, with additional positions for the back as needed.
Takata Sensei also introduced a new system for attunements, with a separate method for each level of Reiki. She taught that the attunements empowered the symbols and included a Master symbol for Reiki Masters, which had not been used by Usui or Hayashi. The Master symbol was necessary for giving attunements and could also be used in healing sessions. Takata believed that just one set of four attunements for Reiki I, one or two for Reiki II, and one for the Master level were sufficient for her students. This simplified system yielded positive results for her students and their clients, making Takata Sensei an important innovator of Usui Reiki Ryoho.
Takata Sensei’s contribution to Reiki also included her addition of the Master symbol. Before her, neither Usui nor Hayashi used a Master symbol. According to Reiki author Robert Fueston, those initiated by Takata before 1975 did not receive the Master symbol, but those initiated after 1975 did. This suggests that Takata Sensei was responsible for introducing the Master symbol into Reiki.
Without Takata Sensei’s efforts, Reiki might have faded into obscurity. After World War II, the U.S. required Japan to surrender unconditionally, and one of the conditions was that healing practices must be licensed. Many healing groups complied, but the Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai chose to remain independent and went underground, limiting the spread of Reiki. Takata Sensei’s work in Hawaii and her efforts to teach Reiki in the U.S. mainland helped ensure that Reiki would continue to thrive worldwide. Through her efforts, she taught 22 Reiki Masters before her passing, ensuring that her legacy would continue and that Reiki would remain accessible to future generations.
