Mikao Usui

Reiki is one of the greatest gifts that you can give and receive

There are at least two versions of the story of Reiki.

One version was put forth by Mrs. Hawayo Takata. She was responsible for bringing Reiki from Japan to the United States, from where it spread to the rest of the world.
This has been accepted as Traditional History.
Researchers are trying to unravel an evidence based history.

Researched History, therefore differs from the traditional version.

Dr.Chujiro Hayashi was a student of Usui who set up a Reiki clinic in Tokyo. Many people were treated at his clinic and were healed. One of these people was Mrs. Hawayo Takata.
Mrs. Takata was an American lady of Japanese origin. She was born in Hawaii. At one point of time after she lost her husband and was in a depressed state of mind she decided to visit her parents in Japan. (This was some years before the Second World War) She was suffering from many illnesses and after arriving in Japan was advised to go in for surgery. She intuitively felt that this was not right for her and on inquiring about alternate therapy heard about Dr Hayashi's Reiki clinic. She underwent treatment there and was miraculously healed. Now, Mrs. Takata was determined to learn Reiki herself. But Reiki was not taught to women in those days. So initially
Dr. Hayashi was reluctant to teach her but she was persistent and he had to give in. She was given her first degree and later the second. She was made a Reiki master in 1938, when Dr. Hayashi visited Hawaii.

Mrs. Takata is the person responsible for introducing Reiki in the United States and from there to the rest of the world. She lived in Hawaii, healing and teaching Reiki until the time of her death in 1980 at the age of eighty. She had attuned 22 Reiki masters in U.S.A and Canada.
The traditional history of Reiki is what Mrs. Takata told her students and until recently was all the information that we had on Usui and the origins of Reiki. Recent research, however, indicates that Usui was not a Christian but a Buddhist. The reason for Mrs. Takata stating that he was a Christian could have been because she was teaching in a country, which was at war with Japan and hence would have regarded anything Buddhist or Japanese with suspicion. Her main concern would have been to ensure that this wonderful healing system would not get lost for want of acceptance.

Researched History

Recent research by Reiki masters bring to light certain facts about Usui and the origins of Reiki. The dates here are elicited from his tombstone memorial. Mikao Usui was born on August 15th, 1865, in a village of Kyoto, which was the capital of Japan at the time.
He studied in a Buddhist monastery as a child. This was an important period in Japanese history as it marked the restoration of the Emperor. This was also called the Meiji period.
It was a progressive period, which encouraged study and travel. Mikao Usui did both extensively and was called a person of free will.

Apparently, between 1914 and 1922, he started a business venture, which was not successful, and he went through a phase of depression. At this point of time he was also training in Zen,
and meditation was a part of this training. He was searching for the purpose of his life.

Kuriyama is a sacred mountain near Kyoto where many people meditate. It is stated in his memorial that Usui went there to meditate and that on the 21st day of his meditation he received Satori or enlightenment, through this he received Reiki. It is likely that fasting, meditation, chanting and prayers were part of the meditative practice. In addition, we know there is a small waterfall on this mountain where even today people go to meditate. This meditation involves standing under the waterfall and allowing the waters to strike and flow over the top of the head, a practice which is said to activate the crown chakra. Japanese Reiki Masters think that Usui Sensei may have used this meditation as part of his practice. It was during his meditation that Reiki energy entered his crown chakra. This greatly enhanced his healing abilities and he realized he had received a wonderful new gift - the ability to give healing to others without depleting his own energy! Usui felt rested, and full of life and energy. He jumped to his feet and wanted to hurry back and tell the monk of his exciting news! In his rush he stubbed his toe on a rock. He reached down to comfort the pain and to stop the bleeding. He found that the pain and the bleeding quit very rapidly! He realized that something was different about the energy in his hands, they had become very hot!
After healing his toe, Usui continued his pilgrimage down the mountain. Soon he began to feel hungry, so he stopped at a home that served travelers and ordered cold rice and cold tea. In a few moments a Japanese girl with a bandage wrapped around her jaw brought Usui his meal. She told him that her tooth had been aching for days. Encouraged by his own phenomenal pain relief Usui asked, "May I give you a healing?" She accepted his offer gladly. He put his hands around her jaw and within a short period of time the pain and swelling started going down. She was very happy and went to tell her father! Dr. Usui ate his meal and then went to pay the Papa-san. He reached into his pocket to get some coins, but the Papa-san said, "Thank you, sir monk, but I cannot accept the money. You have rendered unto my daughter a service for which I do not have the money to pay. Please accept the food in exchange for the healing services that you have rendered." Usui accepted the food in exchange for his services as a healing channel. Later, as he returned to the monastery, he healed his old friend, the monk companion who was ill from severe arthritis. This miraculous healing occurred while placing his hands on the monk during conversation about the mystic occurrences at the mountain top. The monk's arthritis pain went away. He then asked for advice on what he should do, now that he had received the keys and the energy of healing. He wanted to learn more about it's use and how to develop it. Usui was directed by the monk to meditate on this. Usui first tested this healing on himself and his family and on realizing it's significance, made it available to all. From his meditation, Usui was guided to go to the beggar kingdom in Tokyo. This kingdom was controlled by a beggar king. So Dr. Usui went to see the beggar king and asked if he might live there to heal the sick and the afflicted. The beggar king admitted him, but did not believe Usui would succeed in healing the beggars.
For the next seven years Usui worked on healing the sick. He worked from daylight to dark, healing the young and old alike, and saw many beautiful results take place! He began to understand how Reiki flowed through him into the healee, and how the body became well.

In April 1922 he opened his first teaching center. He also started the 'Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai' – USUI REIKI METHOD OF NATURAL HEALING SOCIETY.
This society is still functioning in Japan.
This, in short, is the new or researched history of Reiki.
All the details available have not been included. Research is ongoing.
The Five Reiki principles are very much a part of Usui's system.
They were taken from the Meiji Emperor's precepts.

PRINCIPLES
Just for today, I will not worry
Just for today, I will not be angry
Just for today, I will live honestly
Just for today, I will be kind to everyone I meet
Just for today, I will give thanks for my many blessings.

Who was the successor of Usui?
It is said that Usui Sensei (master/teacher) incorporated the Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai (society), an organization whose first president he himself was, in 1922. After his death in 1926
he was succeeded by the following presidents of the Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai:
Mr.Ushida
Mr.Taketomi
Mr. Watanabe
Mr. Wanami
Mrs. Koyama
Mr. Kondo
Chujiro Hayashi was one of several high ranking Reiki students in the Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai who had been given the teacher's level. However he was not allowed to teach the master level to anyone. In teaching Mrs. Takata he went against the rule of the Gakkai. We don't know when he left the Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai, but we do know for a fact that he did leave it. His style of Reiki, as he writes in his Reiki manual is called Hayashi Shiki Reiki- not Usui Reiki Ryoho!