Mikao Usui
Dr. Mikao Usui, or Usui Sensei as he was called by his students in Japan, was born on August 15, 1865 in the village of Yago in the Yamagata district of Gifu Prefecture, Japan. It is thought that he entered a Tendai Buddhist school as a boy and studied Kiko, a health and healing discipline based on the manipulation of life energy. As a young man, Usui travelled to Europe and China to further his education. He studied medicine, psychology, philosophy, divination and theology. Upon returning to Tokyo he worked in the civil service and eventually became a successful businessman. During his years in Tokyo, he was an esteemed member of the Rei Jyutu Ka, a metaphysical organization devoted to the development of psychic abilities.
In 1914, Usui was experiencing difficulty in his personal and business life. He travelled to the holy mountain of Kurama, near Kyoto. He enrolled in the Isyu Guo, a 21 day training program sponsored by the Tendai Buddhist temple at Mount Kurama. During this intensive period of prayer, fasting, meditation, and soul-searching, Usui experienced a profound enlightenment. While in this sublime state of consciousness, Usui communed, for the first time, with Reiki. It is said that he experienced this communion as an influx of radiant, golden light, and that the energy changed him in profound ways. What actually occurred during Usui’s enlightenment is a matter of endless speculation, but after this event, his inherent healing abilities were dramatically and permanently enhanced. Usui felt that he had received a divine and wonderful gift.
Usui was fascinated by this new energy that was so powerful, yet gentle, and effortless to channel. He began using his newfound healing skills to help others in need. He founded a healing society which he named "Usui Shiki Reiki Ryoho" or "The Usui System of Natural Healing". He also opened a clinic in Harajuku, Aoyama,Tokyo, where he gave Reiki treatments and taught classes on energy healing. When, in 1923, the great Kanto earthquake devastated Tokyo, Usui’s clinic helped to treat hundreds of survivors.
In 1925, the public demand for Reiki treatment became so great that Usui opened a larger clinic in Nakano, Tokyo. His reputation as a healer spread across Japan. He developed a system of initiating others into Reiki and taught more than 2000 students. He also initiated 16 Reiki teachers.
Usui Sensei passed from this life on March 9, 1926, suffering a stroke whilst teaching in Fukuyama. His students erected a loving memorial to him in 1927, and carried on with his work.
 Hawayo TakataReiki was brought into the west during the 1940s by Hawayo Takata. Mrs. Takata was born on December 24, 1900 on the island of Kauai, Hawaii… |
 My HistoryI was first exposed to Reiki in 1999. For several years before my exposure, I had been suffering from an obscure arthritic condition which left me with partial paralysis in my hands and wrists… |