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Mikao Usui, the founder of Reiki, was a spiritual and philosophical man. There is a great deal of controversy regarding the history and origins of Reiki. To understand this history, it is necessary to understand the man behind the healing. Usui-Sensei was born on April 15, 1865 in the small village of Taniai, Gifu Prefecture, Japan. At the age of three, it is reported that Usui was sent to a Tendai Monastery School. When Usui was 12, he began to study martial arts. This was the beginning of a longstanding appreciation for martial arts and training. He studied ‘Yagyu Ryu’, a martial art incorporating Samurai swordsmanship (Ken-Jutsu) and unarmed combat (Ju-jitsu). Usui went on to earn ‘Menkyo Kaiden’ in his 20s, this being the highest level of mastery in weaponry.As a child and young man, Usui’s life was difficult. He did not come from a wealthy family, was regarded as an eccentric and had a number of jobs. He married Sadako Suzuki and had a son, Fuji, in 1908 and a daughter, Toshiko in 1913. While working in diplomatic service, he had the opportunity to travel to China, Europe and America where he learned about Western cultures. Usui has been reported to have practiced as a Tendai Buddhist Monk (not living in the monastery) and in 1922 studied Zen Buddhist training for three years.Reiki has its roots in the religions Usui had studied, Tendai Buddhism and Shintoism. A form of mystical Buddhism, Tendai nurtured spiritual teachings and Shintoism incorporated manipulating energies. Usui, as a swordsman and proficient in kiko (the Japanese word for the Chinese art of Chi Gung), combined his martial arts skills and spiritualism studies and training to create his vision of Reiki Ryoho. This term, literally translated, is Spiritual Healing and the term was used by other therapists of the time.Usui- Sensei, as he is known (meaning master), was teaching at this time and had some loyal students. In 1921, it is believed he employed the five principals/precepts (‘gokai’) as adopted from the 1915 book “ Kenzen no Genri” (Health Principles) written by Dr. Bizan Suzuki: “ Just for today, do not anger, do not fear, work hard, be honest and be kind to others” into his teachings.In March of 1922, Usui-Sensei climbed Mt. Kurama to perform fasting and meditation. On the last of his 21 days, it is said he experienced enlightenment in the form of a ball of light that spoke to him, giving him the opportunity to accept this light into his body, which could kill him but give him the energy to heal others. This is where Reiki was born. One month later, he opened a training center in Harajuku, Aoyama, Japan. “Unity of self through harmony and balance” was the motto for his teachings. Usui-Sensei administered his teachings to his students during a time of great modern change in Japan and it was important for people to retain historical spiritual teachings. It was here that he began his healing techniques. One of his students, an Imperial Naval Officer by the name of Dr Chujiro Hayashi, was responsible for bringing Reiki to the United States after Usui-Sensei’s death from a stroke in 1926.
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