Have you ever wondered about the origins of Reiki? There are many stories out there, and it can sometimes be difficult to separate fact from fiction. Luckily, we have a trustworthy source of information: William Rand’s A Healing Touch, a manual you might be familiar with if you’ve completed your Reiki levels 1&2.
For over 20 years, Rand worked tirelessly to gather information from reliable sources to create a comprehensive and accurate account of Reiki’s origins and history. In this blog post, we’ll delve into the captivating story of Reiki together – So join us as we journey through time to the very beginning.
Reiki's Origins
Reiki has a long history that dates back hundreds of years, but it wasn’t until Mikao Usui (Usui Sensei) discovered Reiki during a 21-day spiritual journey of fasting on the Kurama yama in 1922 that it evolved into the healing practice we know today. Usui created his own style of Reiki, known as Usui Reiki Ryoho, which has since become the most well-known and widely-practiced form of Reiki.
However, before Usui’s discovery, there were already at least four other styles of Reiki healing being practiced in Japan. And interestingly, Usui’s mystical experience on Kurama yama occurred during a time when these other styles of Reiki were already in use. Nonetheless, Usui’s lineage was the only one that was maintained and shared widely, as the others were limited by post-WWII conditions (more on that later!). For this reason, we’ll focus on Usui’s lineage today.
Mikao Usui: A Journey to Enlightenment
Mikao Usui (Usui-Sensei), the founder of Usui Reiki, was a man of many talents and many lives. He worked as a civil servant, journalist, and even as a successful businessman before he turned his attention to discovering the purpose of life. His quest led him to seek the special state of consciousness called An-shin Ritus-mei, which promised to provide an understanding of one’s life purpose and guide one to achieve it.
But this special state of consciousness was not easy to achieve, and Usui-Sensei spent years practicing Zazen meditation to try and reach it. When he didn’t succeed, his teacher suggested a more austere practice in which the student must be willing to die to achieve An-shin Ritsu-mei.
In March of 1922, with this advice in mind, Usui-Sensei journeyed to Kurama yama, where he fasted and meditated for 21 days. And at midnight on the final day, something extraordinary happened. He felt a powerful light enter his mind, and fell unconscious. And when he awoke, he realized that he’d received the very thing he had been seeking and more.
Although he had felt weak and near death from his fasting, he was now filled with vitality and a sense of energy and joy he had never before experienced. But that wasn’t all. While hurrying down the mountain, he stubbed his toe and instinctively placed his hands on the injury. To his amazement, the pain disappeared, and he realized that healing energy was flowing from his hands. This was the moment that Usui Sensei began practicing and sharing Reiki with others.
After his experience on Kurama yama, Usui-Sensei founded an institute in Tokyo where he openly practiced and taught what he called “the Reiki cure.” He travelled throughout Japan, healing those in need and sharing the power of Reiki with as many people as he could.
So in the end, Usui-Sensei’s unwavering dedication to his spiritual practice resulted in the creation of a powerful complementary healing technique that has helped countless individuals find balance and peace. And today, Reiki has spread to all corners of the globe, touching the lives of people from all walks of life. But none of this would have been possible without the help of Usui-Sensei’s dedicated students and the Reiki masters who carried on his legacy.
Hawayo Takata: Bringing Reiki to the West
Hawayo Takata (Takata Sensei; Mrs. Takata) was born in 1900 on the island of Kauai in Hawaii. Her life was not without hardship, as she lost her husband in 1930 and was left to care for her two daughters alone. Takata worked tirelessly to provide for her family, but after five years, her health declined rapidly. She suffered from severe abdominal pain, a lung condition, and had a nervous breakdown.
Her condition worsened when her sister passed away, and Takata was responsible for travelling to Japan to deliver the news to her parents. After attending the funeral, she entered a hospital and was diagnosed with a tumour, gallstones, appendicitis, and asthma. The doctors recommended surgery, but Mrs. Takata decided to visit Dr. Hayashi’s Reiki clinic instead.
Although Takata was unfamiliar with Reiki, she was impressed when the diagnosis of the Reiki practitioners at the clinic matched that of the doctors at the hospital. She began to receive Reiki treatments, and in four months, to the astonishment of her doctors, she was completely healed. She was so amazed by Reiki that she wanted to learn it for herself.
Takata learned Reiki from Dr. Hayashi, a dedicated student of Usui Sensei, and returned to Hawaii in 1937. She was followed shortly thereafter by Dr. Hayashi, who came to help establish Reiki there. In February 1938, Dr. Hayashi initiated Hawayo Takata as a Reiki Master.
Once initiated, Takata Sensei established several Reiki clinics in Hawaii, including one in Hilo, and began attuning others to Reiki. She became a renowned healer and travelled throughout the U.S. to teach and offer treatments.
Reiki and the West
The significance of Takata Sensei’s story lies in the fact that Reiki may have been lost entirely if not for her efforts, not only in the Western world but everywhere. In post-World War II Japan, the U.S. implemented new licensing requirements which forced many Reiki practitioners underground, resulting in the near disappearance of Reiki in the country.
Thankfully, Takata Sensei learned Reiki before the war and returned to Hawaii to establish herself as a renowned teacher and Reiki advocate. She taught Reiki classes across Hawaii and the United States, training 22 Reiki Masters who carried on the tradition. And Reiki eventually spread like wildfire across the Western world… But not right away.
Takata Sensei charged a fee of $10,000 today for the Master level. This was meant to instill respect, but it also meant that Reiki was shared slowly at first. However, one of the Masters she taught, Iris Ishikuro, disregarded the pricing restriction and taught two other Reiki Masters. One of them, Arthur Robertson, went on to teach at a reasonable fee and became a catalyst for the rapid dispersion of Reiki worldwide. And that’s why today, most Reiki lineages can be traced back to Iris Ishikuro.
Want to Learn More About the History of Reiki?
We owe a great deal of gratitude to the International Center for Reiki Training (ICRT) and the tireless work of William Lee Rand in researching and documenting the history of Reiki. Without their efforts, much of the knowledge and understanding we have about the practice today may have been lost. But their dedication to preserving the integrity and authenticity of Reiki has allowed it to continue to thrive and help countless individuals find balance, peace, and healing.
So if you thought this was interesting, don’t hesitate to read the whole story, as written by Rand, because it’s a good one. There’s always more to discover, and we’d love for you to continue your exploration and deepen your understanding of Reiki. And when you’re ready to take your learning to the next level, we invite you to sign up for a Reiki class to experience the transformative power of this life-changing practice firsthand.
