Reiki History
by Hiroshi Doi
from A Modern Reiki Method for Healing, 2014
Mikao Usui: the Founder of Usui Reiki Ryoho
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The personal history of the founder, Usui Sensei, is passed on semi-legendarily: the facts are not confirmed much in detail. Especially when Reiki-ho went overseas, many stories were made up while spreading from its base in the United States. The trustworthy record is (Usui Sensei Koutoku No Hi), the epitaph of Usui Sensei's merit and virtue found at (Saio-ji Temple) in Tokyo. This monument was erected on February 2, 1927, one year after his death, by some of his over 2,000 students. The following is an English translation of its interpretation into modern Japanese by me:
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"What you can naturally realize through cultivation and training is (virtue) and it is (merit) to voluntarily practice to lead and save people. The person who has many merits and a good deal of virtue can be eventually respected as a great founder. From old times, those who started up new studies and religions – sages, philosophers, or geniuses – were like as mentioned above. We can say that Usui Sensei is one of those magnificent leaders.
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He started newly a method to improve body and mind based on the Reiki of the Universe. His reputation attracted people from all around the country at once who wanted to learn Reiki and receive treatments. Really, it was very successful indeed.
Mikao Usui
Usui-Sensei, whose popular name is Mikao and whose pen name is Gyohan, came from Taniai-village, Yamagata- district, Cifu Prefecture, and had forefathers named Tsunetane Chiba who had played an active part as a military commander between the end of Heian Period and the beginning of Kamakura Period (1180–1230). His father’s real name is Taneuji and his popular name is Uzaemon. His mother came and got married from the family named Kawai.
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Usui-Sensei was born on 15th August, the first year of Keio (1865). Having learned under difficulties in his childhood, he studied hard with efforts and he was by far superior in ability to his friends.
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After growing up, he went over to Europe and America, and also studied in China. In spite of his real ability, however, he was not always successful in life. Although he was compelled to lead an unfortunate and poor life so often, he strove much more than before to harden his body and mind without flinching from the difficulties.
Usui Sensei–first name Mikao and pen name Gyohan–was from Taniai-village, Yamagat-county, Gifu–prefecture. His forefather was Tsunetane Chiba, who had played an active part as a military commander between the end of Heian Period and the beginning of Kamakura Period. His father’s name was Taneuji, but was commonly called Uzaemon. His mother was from the Kawai family. Usui Sensei was born on August 15, the first year of Keio (1865). Having studied while working since childhood, he made great efforts to be far superior to his friends.
Usui Memorial
One day, Usui Sensei climbed Mt. Kurama, where he began to do an ascetic practice while fasting. Suddenly on the twenty-first day, he felt a great Reiki over his head. He was given Satori and Reiki Ryoho at the same time. When he tried it on his own body and with his family, it brought immediate effects. He said, “I must share this power with the general public and enjoy the benefits with them rather than keep it exclusively inside my family.” Usui Sensei moved to Aoyama Harajuku, Tokyo in April, the eleventh year of Taisho (1922), and established the Gakkai, where Reiki Ryoho was instructed openly to the public and the treatment was given too. People visited him from far and near to ask for his guidance and cure and they overflowed outside of the Gakkai building making a long line.
In September of the twelfth year of Taisho (1923), Tokyo had a very big fire caused by the Great Kanto Earthquake, when the injured and sick suffered from pains everywhere. Usui Sensei felt deep sympathy for them and gave treatments, going around the city every day. We can hardly calculate how many people were saved from death through his devotion. This is just a brief description of his relief activity, in which he extended his hands of love over suffering people in an emergency.
As his training center became too small to receive the visitors, he built a new treatment house and moved to Nakano, outside the city, in February the fourteenth year of Taisho (1925). Gaining a growing reputation, he was often invited from everywhere throughout Japan. In accordance with these requests, he traveled to Kure and Hiroshima, then entered Saga and reached Fukuyama. When he was
staying at an inn there, he unexpectedly became sick and passed away there at the age of sixty-two.
His wife, Sadako, from the Suzuki family, had a son and a daughter with him. Their son’s name was Fuji, and he succeeded the Usui family.
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Usui Sensei’s natural character was gentle and modest, and he never showed off. His body was big and sturdy, and his face was always filled with a warm smile. But when he confronted difficulties, he went ahead with a strong will and persevered well, yet kept extremely careful. He was a man of versatile talents, and also a book lover, possessing great deal of information on a wide range of subjects, from history, biography, medical science, and from the canons of Christianity, Buddhism and psychology to the magic of the ascetic, the art of the curse, the science of divination and physiognomy. It was evident to everybody that Usui Sensei’s cultivation and self-discipline were based on his career of art and science, and this cultivation and self-discipline became a clue to the tenets of Reiki Ryoho.
Reiki Ryoho is aiming not only at how to heal diseases but also at how to correct Kokoro, keep the body healthy, and to enjoy the happiness of life by a God-sent spiritual ability. Therefore, when teaching, we first let the students understand the last instructions of the Meiji Emperor, and chant Go-Kai morning and evening to keep them in mind.
The Go-kai says:
Today,
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do not be angry
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do not worry
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be thankful
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do what you are meant to do
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be kind to others
Reiki precepts in Japanese
These are truly important precepts for mental cultivation, just the same as those by which the ancient sages admonished themselves. Usui Sensei attributed Go-kai as being the secret to inviting in happiness and the miraculous medicine that cures all diseases. He clearly showed his purpose of teaching the Go-kai. Furthermore, he tried to teach as easily and simply as possible–so nothing was difficult to understand. Each time you sit quietly and Gassho and chant Go-kai morning and evening, you aid in the development of a pure and sound mind, and this is the essence for making the most of this in your daily life. This is the reason why Reiki Ryoho is accepted very easily by everybody.
The social situation is very changeable these days, and people’s thoughts are apt to change, too. If we would most fortunately succeed in spreading Reiki Ryoho everywhere, we feel sure that it would certainly be very helpful in preventing people from disordering their moral sense. Its benefits stretch even farther than the curing of long-term illnesses, chronic diseases and bad habits.
The number of students who learned from Usui Sensei amounts to more than 2,000 persons. Some leading students in Tokyo are taking over his work in the training center, while other pupils outside of Tokyo also do everything to popularize Reiki Ryoho. Although our teacher already passes away, we have to do the very best to hand Reiki Ryoho down to the public forever and spread it much more. Ah! What a great thing he did; he generously shared what he had experienced by himself!
As a result of our recent meeting, and discussion, we decided to erect a memorial stone at the graveyard in his family temple so that we could share his virtuous deeds and leave them for posterity; I was asked to write the epitaph on the monument. As I was deeply impressed by our Sensei’s great meritorious deeds and also struck by the students’ warm hearts in a bond with our Sensei, I dared not refuse the request, but described the outline on it. Therefore, I do expect from the heart that people in the future will look up at this monument with boundless admiration and deep respect for our Sensei.”
–February, the 2nd year of Showa (1927).
Edited by Masayuki Okada,
The Junior 3rd Rank, the 3rd Order of Merit, Doctor of Literature.
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Calligraphy by Juzaburo Ushida,
The Junior 4th Rank, the 3rd Order of Merit, the 4th Class of Services, Rear Admiral.
(Translated into modern Japanese by Hiroshi Doi, and into English by Tetsuyuki Ono).
Pursuit in Life and Awakening on Mt. Kurama
The memorial stone says that Usui Sensei worked his way through many studies and broadened his view by going to the Western countries and China several times. Following his instincts, he experienced a variety of occupations such as bureaucrat, office worker, entrepreneur, journalist, politician’s secretary, missionary, supervisor of prisoners and so on. As he faced both sides of society through his experiences and studies, he explored the greatest theme: “What is the purpose of life?”
As a result of his devotion to his studies he concluded that the ultimate purpose of life is to get An-shin Ritsu-mei. The dictionary explains: “An-shin Ritsu-mei is to know and accept one’s Tenmei (fate) and maintain peaceful Kokoro and be free from everything and Tenmei (fate) is destiny you cannot control.” So, An-shin Ritsu-mei can be explained in this way: “After you have done everything you had to do, you should leave what you cannot change to the Universe and keep peaceful Kokoro without worrying about anything at all.” This understanding is what is considered as Usui Sensei’s “first Satori.”
Satori is to know the truth (ultimate reality) by leaving behind the ego and reaching eternal
Mt. Kurama, Japan
joy. There are some steps necessary to reach this state. “The first Satori” is the intellectual one gotten by the self-consciousness. At this stage, it is understood only by the mind, and it is not yet a true awakening. A true Satori is an intuitive experience by Shinga (spirit, Higher-Self), which completes the unity with the truth.
Usui Sensei went into Zen practice and trained himself for three years to experience the state of “An-shin Ritsu-mei”. In spite of all those trainings, he could not attain spiritual enlightenment and asked his teacher of Zen how he should keep practicing to reach the true Satori.
The teacher responded immediately, “Well, why don’t you die once?” As Usui Sensei was advised to “die” from his only moorings, he prepared for death and started fasting on Mt. Kurama, It was in February 1922. At midnight after three weeks, he felt a great shock in the center of the brain as if being struck by lightening, and lost consciousness for some hours.
It was dawn when he became conscious, and he found that he was filled with an extreme refreshment that he had never felt before. When he had felt the great shock in his brain, Reiki of the Universe had pierced his body and mind, and he had resonated with Reiki in his body. He experienced a sense of oneness with the Universe: “I am the Universe. The Universe is me.” He had finally completed the true awakening.
Running down from the mountain with joy, he tripped on the root of a tree and fell and broke his toenail. When he put his hand on the toe as a reflex action, the pain was quickly removed and it cured immediately. This was the beginning of his healing experience. Usui Sensei not only relieved suffering and disease from many people, but he also developed the technique that gave this ability to large numbers of people after his continuous, dedicated study.
Usui Sensei, who was born to be a generous and open-minded person, became able to put himself into the perfect state of selflessness anytime and anywhere from the moment of this Satori on Mt. Kurama.
In April 1922, he developed the teachings and a system of instruction and established the Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai. He began healing people who had mental and physical diseases by using Reiki Ryoho. He also gave the healing ability by energy transmission to anyone who wanted it. He continued guiding and providing the purpose for Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai–not only to raise the healing ability of his students but also to maintain the health of self and others, as well as to enhance the happiness and prosperity of family, society, the nation and the world, while improving oneself.
Successors in Japan
Usui Sensei continues to be admired as “the restorer of hand healing” by later generations all over the world, right up to the present day. It is said that millions of people have been saved by Reiki. During his own time, Usui Sensei was renowned all over Japan. In addition to the people that he gave Reiki to, the records show that more than 2,000 people were given the Reiki Ryoho ability from Usui Sensei. But among those who finished Sho-den and Oku-den, only 21 people were permitted to progress to Shinpi-den. The distinctive aspect about those who progressed to Shinpi-den is that many of them were officers in the Japanse Navy, such as Rear Admiral Juzaburio Ushida, Read Admiral Kan’ichi Taketomi, Rear Admiral Tetsutaro Imaizumi, Vice Admiral Wanami Hoichi and Captain Chujiro Hayashi. The Japanese Navy provided three of Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai’s presidents from its top officers: Ushida, Taketomi and Wanami.
Chujiro Hayashi Sensei (1879-1940) had been practicing diligently as a member of the Gakkai from the time he was in the Navy. He was given Shinpi-den from Usui Sensei in 1925, the 14th year of Taisho period, after his tretirement from the navy. As Usui Sensei passed away the next year, Hayashi Sensi was the last Shinpi-den practitioner certified directly by Usui Sensei. He founded Hayashi Reiki Kenkyu-kai
Dr. Chujiro Hayashi
(research center) and opened his Reiki clinic in Shinano-machi, Tokyo under Usui Sensei’s instructions to develop Reiki Ryoho. The clinic had eight treatment beds and each patient was treated by two healers. It is said that the clinic was successful and always very busy, eventually employing 16 healers. Hayashi Sensei left the Gakkai after Usui Sensei passed away, but he worked actively according to Usui Sensei’s wishes until WWII broke out.
From Japan to the World
There was a woman named Hawayo Takata (1900-1980) who had made a dramatic recovery from life threatening diseases by receiving Reiki Ryoho at Hayashi Sensei’s clinic. She was a Nisei (a person born to Japanese parents in another country; considered to be second-generation), born in Hawaii. In 1935 she came back to Japan, her parents’ homeland. She was a widow with two little daughters when she was diagnosed with serious diseases and told that she did not have much time left. Her doctor
referred her to Hayashi Sensei’s clinic. By being given Reiki there, she was restored to health in two months and completely recovered after eight months. She was deeply impressed with this and worked at Hayashi Sensei’s clinic for a year as his student before she went back to Hawaii with her daughters. She received Shinpi-den when Hayashi Sensei visited Hawaii in 1938 and then started her Reiki clinic. She devoted herself mostly to giving Reiki and had seldom done energy transmissions. However, she started giving attunements about five years before her death and had trained 22 instructors before she passed away at the age of 80. These 22 instructors trained by Takata Sensei have spread Reiki all over the world and over three million people received the attunements in the first dozen years or so after this, and the number of the practitioners is still increasing.
Takata Sensei passed away in December 1980. One year later, 17 Reiki Masters taught by Takata Sensei came together in Hawaii for a week. In that year (1981), the Reiki Aliance was formed by this same group of Reiki Masters. Although most of the Reiki Masters joined this group, Barbara Ray, who had a different opinion about Reiki, established the American International Reiki Association (later the Radiance Technique). In this way, the Reiki current from Takata Sensei was split into two major streams.
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Hawayo Takata
In addition to its popularity in the United States, Reiki is also becoming popular in Canada, Britain, Australia, Germany, Spain, France, Brazil, Russia, India and many other countries. In India, a group of Osho (Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh) adopted Reiki from Ms. Furumoto’s group. They are promoting it as “Osho Reiki”. In the late, 1980s, Reiki teachings of many streams were brought back to Japan and it has grown in popularity here as well. It seems to be traveling to Taiwan and Korea from Japan.
Usui Reiki Ryoho, born in Japan, was developed through Chujiro Hayashi Sensei’s own style and as much, was taught to Hawayo Takata Sensei. In this way it expanded all over the world through her twenty-two Masters. However, Hawayo Takata Sensei changed the Hayashi style, simplifying it by eliminating many of the special techniques and developing a simplified hand position system. She also added the use of the Usui Master symbol. I call this current “Western Reiki”. You might discover stories and legends that were made up while it went through so many countries–one in particular, how Usui Sensei was given “diving revelation” on Mt. Kurama, is described dramatically, like a scene from a movie. But I think the above explanations cover enough information to know Reiki’s history.