History of Reiki
Reiki was given to us by Mikao Usui, a Japanese Buddhist Monk. There is not a lot of information on his life that has been authenticated, although Frank Arjava Petter and his Japanese ex-wife Chetna have done a lot of research and have translated what they have managed to find. Chris Marsh is currently translating information received directly from eleven students of Mikao Usui.
A surprising amount of information is to be found on Mikao Usui’s memorial stone, erected by his students a year after his death.
The history below was passed on to me at a workshop with Frank Arjava Petter.
Dr Mikao Usui was born on August 15th 1865. As a child he studied Kiko, a Japanese version of Qi Gong used for healing, at a Tendai Buddhist temple on Mt. Kurama. Kiko consists of physical and meditative exercises used to store up energy in the body, then used for healing by laying on of hands, but leaves the healer depleted as they are using their own energy.
He married Sadako Suzuki and had 2 children, a boy and a girl. Apparently he travelled all over Japan, Europe and China in pursuit of knowledge.
It is known that for a while he was the Private Secretary to the politician Shinpei Goto, who was the Secretary of the Railroad, the Post Master General and the Secretary for the Interior and State. Through his contacts whilst working with Shinpei Goto he was able to set himself up in business. It faltered in 1914.
Having knowledge of Buddhism, he decided to become a monk. He eventually returned to Mt. Kurama, where he had studied as a boy, and decided to go on a 21-day retreat on the mountain, where he fasted, chanted, prayed and meditated. On the last morning of his retreat, in March 1922, he suddenly felt a great and powerful spiritual light enter his crown chakra. His awareness expanded and he knew that a great power had entered him.
At first he used Reiki on himself and members of his family, before moving to Toyko and starting a healing society, ‘Usui Reiki Rhyoho Gakkai‘. He also opened a clinic in Harijuki, Tokyo and began giving classes and Reiki treatments.
In 1923 there was the great Kanto Earthquake, measuring 8.3 on the Richter scale ~ one of the worst to hit Japan. Over 140,000 people were killed. Thousands were left homeless and many were injured and became physically ill. The demand for Reiki was so great that he and his students were working both day and night to help as many as they could. Because of the help he provided, the Japanese government recognised him with the Kun San To award for meritorious service to others.
In 1925 he opened a larger clinic in Nakono, Tokyo and began travelling Japan to spread the word about Reiki. He visited Kure, Hiroshima and Saga. Finally he reached Fukuyama, where he had a stroke and died, on March 9th 1926. He was 62.
Dr Usui had over 2000 students and taught 21 teachers.