Mikao Usui
It is well known that Mikao Usui (or Usui Sensei) discovered Reiki in March of 1922 while on Mount Kurama. But the actual history of Usui has been shrouded in myth and a subject of debate for decades because until recently so little was known about his life. Most Western Reiki schools present their version of Usui Sensei and his life. While some of these stories could pass as plausible, others have been embellished to the point of absurdity. However, in recent years a great deal of accurate, verifiable information has been brought forth from Japan through the hard work and efforts of Frank Arjava Petter, Tadao Yamaguchi, and others. It will be interesting to see what additional facts are uncovered in the coming years.
Usui Sensei was born August 15, 1865 in the Japanese province of Gifu. He died on March 9, 1926 in Fukuyama from a cerebral apoplexy (stroke). He was married to a woman named Sadako Suzuki and had two children.
When he was young he studied Kiko (a Japanese version of Qigong) at a Tendai Buddhist temple on Mt. Kurama. Usui was something of a scholar and traveled all over Japan, China, and Europe to broaden his experience and knowledge. He studied a wide range of subjects including medicine, psychology, various religions, and spiritual development.
Frank Arjava Petter explains that at the time of Usui, it was rare for a Japanese citizen to travel abroad unless they were somehow involved in politics. Meaning that when Usui traveled, he likely did so as a public servant and not in search of spiritual training or experience as was previously thought.
In his book “Light on the Origins of Reiki,” Tadao Yamaguchi discusses some of Usui Sensei’s life: “He was not a rich man, struggling to make a living, often changing jobs and working in various fields as a civil servant, company employee, journalist, political secretary and even a religious missionary and a counselor working to rehabilitate prisoners.”
Over time Usui came to ask himself the question: What is the true purpose of life? After a great deal of contemplation he came to the conclusion that the ultimate purpose of life is to attain An-Jin Ryu-Mei (the state of complete peace of mind or complete stillness). With this goal in mind he began to study Zen Buddhism in the hope of attaining this state. After three years had passed and still unable to attain enlightenment, Usui sought his Zen master for advice on how he might attain his goal. His master suggested that the only way he could attain An-Jin Ryu-Mei was to die. Usui Sensei concluded this must be the answer and decided that his life must be over. He went to Mount Kurama and started to fast. During the third week he felt a powerful shock to the center of his brain which knocked him unconscious. This was the point where the Reiki energy permeated his body and soul. When he awoke hours later, he was refreshed and energized and realized he had at last attained the enlightenment he sought.
Usui Sensei was born August 15, 1865 in the Japanese province of Gifu. He died on March 9, 1926 in Fukuyama from a cerebral apoplexy (stroke). He was married to a woman named Sadako Suzuki and had two children.
When he was young he studied Kiko (a Japanese version of Qigong) at a Tendai Buddhist temple on Mt. Kurama. Usui was something of a scholar and traveled all over Japan, China, and Europe to broaden his experience and knowledge. He studied a wide range of subjects including medicine, psychology, various religions, and spiritual development.
Frank Arjava Petter explains that at the time of Usui, it was rare for a Japanese citizen to travel abroad unless they were somehow involved in politics. Meaning that when Usui traveled, he likely did so as a public servant and not in search of spiritual training or experience as was previously thought.
In his book “Light on the Origins of Reiki,” Tadao Yamaguchi discusses some of Usui Sensei’s life: “He was not a rich man, struggling to make a living, often changing jobs and working in various fields as a civil servant, company employee, journalist, political secretary and even a religious missionary and a counselor working to rehabilitate prisoners.”
Over time Usui came to ask himself the question: What is the true purpose of life? After a great deal of contemplation he came to the conclusion that the ultimate purpose of life is to attain An-Jin Ryu-Mei (the state of complete peace of mind or complete stillness). With this goal in mind he began to study Zen Buddhism in the hope of attaining this state. After three years had passed and still unable to attain enlightenment, Usui sought his Zen master for advice on how he might attain his goal. His master suggested that the only way he could attain An-Jin Ryu-Mei was to die. Usui Sensei concluded this must be the answer and decided that his life must be over. He went to Mount Kurama and started to fast. During the third week he felt a powerful shock to the center of his brain which knocked him unconscious. This was the point where the Reiki energy permeated his body and soul. When he awoke hours later, he was refreshed and energized and realized he had at last attained the enlightenment he sought.
It is important to note that until recently it was thought that Usui Sensei went to Mount Kurama to fast as part of religious training, when in actuality he went there to die.
Usui stopped his fast and climbed down Mount Kurama. On the way he tripped on a rock and tore the toenail off one of his toes. He grabbed his foot with his hands and to his surprise the pain disappeared and the bleeding stopped. He reached a small village where he met a girl suffering from a toothache and he healed her. Later Usui met with his master at the temple who confirmed his enlightenment and encouraged him to teach the healing to others. Note that in Japanese culture the attainment of enlightenment is not for the individual, but rather for the individual to help others.
Usui returned home and after producing great results with his family, decided to share this healing with others. After some experimentation he developed a way to pass this healing ability on to other people. The method is known as “Shin-Shin Kai-Zen Usui Reiki Ryo-Ho” (or The Usui Reiki Treatment Method for Improvement of Body and Mind). A month after receiving his healing ability, Usui Sensei moved to Tokyo and established the Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai – his own institute which is still in existence today. He began teaching openly and became very popular.
Usui returned home and after producing great results with his family, decided to share this healing with others. After some experimentation he developed a way to pass this healing ability on to other people. The method is known as “Shin-Shin Kai-Zen Usui Reiki Ryo-Ho” (or The Usui Reiki Treatment Method for Improvement of Body and Mind). A month after receiving his healing ability, Usui Sensei moved to Tokyo and established the Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai – his own institute which is still in existence today. He began teaching openly and became very popular.
Dispelling Myths and Misconceptions
Due to the lack of available information until recent years, very few verifiable facts were known about Reiki and its development, and most of this information was passed down from Hawayo Takata. Here we discuss some of the myths that have been propagated by Western Reiki over the years. Many thanks to Frank Arjava Petter for his tireless efforts in bringing the light of truth to the Reiki community.
Myth: Usui Sensei was a medical doctor (i.e. “Dr. Usui”)
False. Takata Sensei lovingly referred to Usui sensei as “Dr. Usui,” but she never stated he was a medical doctor. While he may have studied anatomy, he had no qualifications and to date there is no evidence to prove Usui Sensei was a medical doctor.
Myth: Usui Sensei coined the word “Reiki”
False. At the time of Usui Sensei, the term “Reiki” meant soul energy or spirit energy.[1] A misconception made by many people is that Reiki was exclusive to Usui Sensei, however, this is not the case. In Japan the word Reiki is generic and was already in use when Usui Sensei discovered his healing ability. He named his healing technique Shin Shin Kaizen Usui Reiki Ryoho (Usui Reiki Therapy for Improving Body and Mind) to ensure people understood that his system was different from other forms of Reiki.
Myth: Usui Sensei did not have his own school
False. Usui Sensei did, in fact, have his own school. It was founded in Tokyo approximately one month after he received his healing gift and is called “Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai.” It is still in existence today.
Myth: Usui Sensei did not have a manual and forced all his students to commit his training to memory.
False. Usui Sensei did write a manual and copies were distributed to his students. Frank Arjava Petter obtained a copy from the Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai. It has been translated and published. The title is: “The Original Reiki Handbook of Dr. Mikao Usui” and is available to the public.
Myth: All Reiki Masters and practitioners in Japan were killed during World War II
False. In the October 2013 issue of Reiki Online Newsletter, William Rand discusses this myth and how it came about: “One of the reasons that Reiki has historically been so difficult to research is due to the fact that when World War II ended and the Japanese were required to unconditionally surrender to the U.S., laws were enacted that banned all Eastern healing methods and required that only Western medical methods be practiced. And while some of the Japanese healing groups such as the acupuncturists were able to continue practicing by creating a government licensing system, the members of the Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai decided that they did not want to go through the process of licensing. So, in order to continue practicing, they decided to become a secret society. After that they would only practice at their private meetings and would not talk about Reiki to others outside their group. Because of this, Reiki disappeared from view and was more or less forgotten about by almost everyone outside the group of Gakkai members. Therefore, when people went to Japan and inquired about the system of Reiki started by Usui Sensei, no one knew anything about it. Because of this, those who attempted to research Reiki in the ‘80s and early ‘90s were not successful.”[2]
Myth: Usui Sensei was a Christian.
False. Usui Sensei was not a Christian. While he may have studied Christianity in his search for knowledge, he was a Buddhist. His remains are buried at Saihoji Temple in the Suginami district of Tokyo.
Myth: Usui Sensei attended the University of Chicago.
False. The University of Chicago has been contacted several times. There are no records of Mikao Usui ever attending the University of Chicago.
Myth: Usui Sensei traveled the world to learn new ways to heal.
False. As mentioned previously, at the time of Usui, it was rare for a Japanese citizen to travel abroad unless they were somehow involved in politics. When Usui traveled, he likely did so as a public servant (when he was a private secretary for a politician named Shimpie Goto) and not in search of spiritual training or experience as was previously thought.
Due to the lack of available information until recent years, very few verifiable facts were known about Reiki and its development, and most of this information was passed down from Hawayo Takata. Here we discuss some of the myths that have been propagated by Western Reiki over the years. Many thanks to Frank Arjava Petter for his tireless efforts in bringing the light of truth to the Reiki community.
Myth: Usui Sensei was a medical doctor (i.e. “Dr. Usui”)
False. Takata Sensei lovingly referred to Usui sensei as “Dr. Usui,” but she never stated he was a medical doctor. While he may have studied anatomy, he had no qualifications and to date there is no evidence to prove Usui Sensei was a medical doctor.
Myth: Usui Sensei coined the word “Reiki”
False. At the time of Usui Sensei, the term “Reiki” meant soul energy or spirit energy.[1] A misconception made by many people is that Reiki was exclusive to Usui Sensei, however, this is not the case. In Japan the word Reiki is generic and was already in use when Usui Sensei discovered his healing ability. He named his healing technique Shin Shin Kaizen Usui Reiki Ryoho (Usui Reiki Therapy for Improving Body and Mind) to ensure people understood that his system was different from other forms of Reiki.
Myth: Usui Sensei did not have his own school
False. Usui Sensei did, in fact, have his own school. It was founded in Tokyo approximately one month after he received his healing gift and is called “Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai.” It is still in existence today.
Myth: Usui Sensei did not have a manual and forced all his students to commit his training to memory.
False. Usui Sensei did write a manual and copies were distributed to his students. Frank Arjava Petter obtained a copy from the Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai. It has been translated and published. The title is: “The Original Reiki Handbook of Dr. Mikao Usui” and is available to the public.
Myth: All Reiki Masters and practitioners in Japan were killed during World War II
False. In the October 2013 issue of Reiki Online Newsletter, William Rand discusses this myth and how it came about: “One of the reasons that Reiki has historically been so difficult to research is due to the fact that when World War II ended and the Japanese were required to unconditionally surrender to the U.S., laws were enacted that banned all Eastern healing methods and required that only Western medical methods be practiced. And while some of the Japanese healing groups such as the acupuncturists were able to continue practicing by creating a government licensing system, the members of the Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai decided that they did not want to go through the process of licensing. So, in order to continue practicing, they decided to become a secret society. After that they would only practice at their private meetings and would not talk about Reiki to others outside their group. Because of this, Reiki disappeared from view and was more or less forgotten about by almost everyone outside the group of Gakkai members. Therefore, when people went to Japan and inquired about the system of Reiki started by Usui Sensei, no one knew anything about it. Because of this, those who attempted to research Reiki in the ‘80s and early ‘90s were not successful.”[2]
Myth: Usui Sensei was a Christian.
False. Usui Sensei was not a Christian. While he may have studied Christianity in his search for knowledge, he was a Buddhist. His remains are buried at Saihoji Temple in the Suginami district of Tokyo.
Myth: Usui Sensei attended the University of Chicago.
False. The University of Chicago has been contacted several times. There are no records of Mikao Usui ever attending the University of Chicago.
Myth: Usui Sensei traveled the world to learn new ways to heal.
False. As mentioned previously, at the time of Usui, it was rare for a Japanese citizen to travel abroad unless they were somehow involved in politics. When Usui traveled, he likely did so as a public servant (when he was a private secretary for a politician named Shimpie Goto) and not in search of spiritual training or experience as was previously thought.