History of Reiki

Mikao Usui, born in Japan in 1865, was the founder of Reiki. He studiedhard, married, had two children and was a lifelong spiritual seeker. Unlucky in material pursuits, he continued to study spirituality with great discipline, and was a lifelong student of Buddhism.

In later life, he went to a mountain called Mount Kurayama for a twenty- one day retreat of fasting and meditation. While on the mountain, at that time, through meditation, he received the ability to perform subtle healing. He called it Reiki. Mikao Usui dedicated the rest of his life to spreading Reiki, and before his death in 1926, he passed his knowledge to Chujiro Hayashi who continued his work.
In 1936, Hawayo Takata, a Japanese descendant, came to Hayashi’s clinic for healing of a serious illness. Experiencing the gentle power of Reiki, she was completely healed and was initiated into Reiki. After receiving mastership in 1938 from Chujiro Hayashi, he designated her to carry on his work. Before her death in 1980, she introduced Reiki to Hawaii, the mainland of the United States, and initiated 22 Reiki Masters. Because of the efforts of these early practitioners, these healing vibrations called Reiki are now practiced all over the world.