A Brief History of Western and Jikiden Usui Reiki

An Usui System of Natural Healing or Reiki is a healing art that anyone can learn and practice. It is a gentle hands-on and distant healing discipline that simply, but powerfully, balances body, mind, heart and spirit using your own natural healing energy. It is not a religion, but honors and coexists peacefully with all religions and belief systems. Both Jikiden and Western Reiki's tradition is oral and is passed from teacher to student based on their personal relationship as a Reiki student and a Reiki teacher. A thumbnail sketch of Reiki's history follows:

Reiki originated in Japan in the 1920's. Mikao Usui, the founder of Reiki, evolved a system of healing he called Reiki. He spent the rest of his life up until his death in 1926 practicing and teaching this method of natural healing which involves the laying on of hands and distant treatment. Mikao Usui authored the principles or precepts of Reiki.

One of Usui's students, Dr. Chujiro Hayashi, a medical doctor and retired Japanese naval officer, continued Usui's work after his death opening a Reiki clinic and school in Tokyo.

One of Dr. Hayashi's students, Mrs. Hawayo Takata, an American who was born in Hawaii of Japanese descent, consulted with Dr. Hayashi in Japan in 1935 about life-threatening medical problems she was having. Mrs. Takata studied Reiki under Dr. Hayashi, and in 1938 was very honored to be designated one of Hiyashi's small group of Reiki masters. Mrs. Takata brought Reiki to Hawaii and to the mainland of the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. Mrs. Takata's granddaughter Phyllis Lei Furumoto, is recognized as the present Reiki grand master of the Western Usui Reiki, Usui Shiki Ryoho by the Reiki Alliance, a worldwide organization founded in 1982 by 21 out of the 22 Reiki masters initiated by Hawayo Takata before her death in 1980. Phyllis Furumoto has taught and has encouraged the  teaching of Reiki worldwide.

Jikiden Reiki History

A Japanese student of Dr. Hayashi, Chiyoko Yamaguchi, first learned Reiki in 1938 from Chujiro Hayashi at the age of 17. Her uncle Mr. Sugano brought Dr. Hayashi to teach their entire extended family. Chiyoko studied all of the levels of Reiki that Dr. Hayashi taught learning the Shihan level from her uncle Wasaburo Sugano with Dr. Hayashi's permission. She spent her whole life treating others using the Reiki she was taught by Dr. Hayashi. Her son Tadao Yamaguchi began treating people with Reiki in 1965 at a young age. In the late 1990s, Tadao Yamaguchi and his mother started teaching Jikiden Reiki based on the Reiki Mrs. Yamaguchi learned from Hayashi and her uncle Wasaburo Sugano and with Hayashi's permission and that Mr. Yamaguchi learned from his mother. Chiyoko Yamaguchi died in 2003. Tadao Yamaguchi currently teaches the Jikiden Reiki in Japan and worldwide and is committed to preserving and spreading Jikiden Reiki through the Jikiden Reiki Kenkyu Kai,  his Reiki Institute in Kyoto, Japan. All Jikiden Reiki Shoden and Okuden Students as well as all Jikiden Reiki Shihan and Shihan kaku are registered with the Jikiden Reiki Institute.