The Life of Mikao Usui – The Founder of Reiki

Mikao Usui (pictured left) was born in the village of Taniai, which is now called Miyama cho, in the Gifu Prefecture on August 15, 1865, where his ancestors had lived for eleven generations. His ancestry dates back to the Chiba clan, who were once an influential samurai family in Japan. His family also belonged to the Tendai sect of Buddhism and when he was four, he was sent to a Tendai Monastery to receive his primary education.

Mikao Usui had three brothers, one named Sanya, another named Kuniji while the third name is unknown. He also had an older sister called Tsuru. His fathers name was Uzaemon and his mother was from the Kawai family.

Mikao Usui was born into a class system and therefore received a privileged education. When he was 12 years of age, Mikao began martial arts training. He studied two martial arts, called ‘Aiki Jutsu’ and ‘Yagyu Ryu’ and attained a high level of proficiency in weaponry and grappling. He spoke many languages and became well-versed in medicine, theology and philosophy. Usui’s memorial states that from his youth he had surpassed his fellow students and that he was well versed in history, medicine, Buddhist and Christian scriptures and Waka poetry. It also states on Usui’s memorial that Usui was versed in divination, incantation and physiognomy and like many intellectuals of his day, was fascinated with the ‘new science’ coming from the West.

During this time, the Meiji Emperor had begun a new regime that overthrew the Shoguns and Japan’s feudal states, now relocated in Tokyo and were brought under the direct control of the central government. Under this new regime, the ‘old ideas’ were discarded in favor of modernization and the country was opened to westerners for the first time. There rose a frenzy for transforming the modes of daily life into occidental fashions, which were identified with civilization. In every department of social and political life, men furnished with some knowledge of modern science, were promoted to high positions. Men of ‘new knowledge’ were almost idolized and the ambition of every young man was to read the ‘horizontal writings’ of occidental books. The nation as a whole asked eagerly for the benefits of the new civilization. The motto of the era was ‘Enlightenment and Civilization’.

Usui’s father, Uzaemon, was an avid follower of the new regime and adopted progressive political views. Usui had great respect for his father and was very influenced by this national obsession to become ‘westernized’.

During this time when Japan was opening its doors to the West, the first arrivals were the missionaries, both Catholic and Protestant. Prior to this time, Christianity was banned and it was not until the late 1860’s that the ban on Christianity was lifted. The missionaries set up their operations in three main areas. One was in Yokohama, under the influence of Rev. John Ballagh. Here, they started their medical work and brought with them knowledge of western medical science. These missionaries became very influential leaders and formed the first Japanese Christian church in 1872.

Throughout Usui’s early adulthood, he lived in Kyoto with his wife, Sadako Suzuki and their two children, a son named Fuji and a daughter named Toshiko. He continued his religious study and became involved with a group named ‘Rei Jyutsu Ka’. This group had a centre at the base of the holy mountain, Kurama Yama, north of Kyoto. There is an ancient Buddhist temple, Kurama-dera on the 1,700 ft mountain, which has a large statue of Bishamonten (Guardian of the North), one of the Four Directional Guardians. This central image is flanked by Senju Kannon (Kuan Yin of a Thousand Arms) on one side and by Son-ten (the deity of Venus) on the other, in the form of an old man. The temple houses many artifacts that are part of the National Treasure. Built in 770AD, the temple belonged to the Tendai sect of esoteric Buddhism. By 1945, the temple had evolved into an independent Buddhist sect, now dedicated to a cult that centres around the planet Venus and the Shinto deity of Son-ten.

For centuries, Kurama has been regarded as a spiritual place and many famous sages, as well as Emperors, go there to pray. The temple and surrounding areas are kept in their natural state and the mountain itself is the spiritual symbol of Kurama temple. Steps lead down to the base where one can sit and meditate. Nearby is a waterfall. Usui reportedly went to this area frequently to meditate.

It is believed that during this time, Usui began to take a deeper interest in meditation. He furthered his studies and undertook protracted retreats to further his spiritual development. Some sources indicate Usui took formal training in Shingon Buddhism. He is also believed to have undertaken the position of a lay Tendai priest (Zaike) and is said to have taken the Buddhist name of Gyoho.

Mikao Usui spent much time and money pursuing his new-found spiritual path by studying and collecting Buddhist scriptures. In particular, he studied Buddhist healing techniques and invested an enormous amount of money collecting old medical texts. Usui had good political and academic connections and had many contacts in various countries searching for texts. For example, in Bombay, India, merchants traveling along the silk route through

Tibet to China were given gold to find secret Buddhist healing texts. Usui was particularly interested in obtaining texts from Tibet.

Kyoto was home to many large and extensive Buddhist libraries and monasteries that had collections of ancient texts. Usui did much of his research there. For many years, Usui continued to collect, study and practice, using these medical texts. He became an advanced practitioner and master of meditation.

Over time, Usui became a respected and learned Buddhist teacher with a following of devoted students. They met regularly and Usui would teach from the texts that he had been collecting. The focus of his teachings was on healing and benefiting humankind by the healing practices. They practiced elaborate rituals for averting newly created diseases that were ravaging Japan, as well as esoteric practices for healing every type of illness.

Kurama Temple, View from Mt. Kurama, and Kurama Trees

It is still unclear when Mikao Usui actually began taking on students. The Usui memorial states that he did not begin teaching his system of healing until 1922. However, other sources state that he began teaching long before. For example, Mariko Suzuki, the cousin of Mikao Usui’s wife was said to have begun training with Usui in 1915. Other sources state that Usui’s system of healing began as early as the late 1890’s. Whether this teaching took the form of meditation or his system of hands-on healing is not certain.

According to the Usui Memorial, one day he decided to commence an intensive meditation retreat on Mt. Kurama. It is not known how long he spent in meditation, however some accounts suggest it was 21 days. During this time, Usui fasted and undertook a practice called Kushu Shinren, which is a particular type of meditation practice. At the completion of his time on Mt. Kurama, he gained a realization into the way of healing. According to several sources including this memorial stone, a great energy appeared over his head and he received the empowerment of the Universal healing energy. Through his prior learning and spiritual attainment, he formulated a system of healing which later became known as Reiki.

After much contemplation and careful consideration, he decided to share these teachings with others. Usui first practiced his newly discovered method on his family and friends. Then he began to offer his healing method to the lower class district of Kyoto. Kyoto is a religious center and the people in the streets are taken in and cared for. Usui opened his home to many and with boundless compassion brought Reiki to them. This gave him the opportunity to perfect and refine his new healing method. Meanwhile, he continued to hold regular classes for his growing ‘circle’ of Buddhist followers and further developed and refined his system.

It seems from recent research that Usui taught his system in different ways, depending upon his students’ level of understanding and ability. His earlier teachings were less formalized. Some teachings introduced the use of mantra and symbol, whilst others utilized methods of meditation. Irrespective of the methods used, the vehicle was the practice of healing.

In April of the 11th year of Taisho (1922), Usui moved to Tokyo where he worked as the secretary to Pei Gotoushin, the Prime Minister of Tokyo. He opened a Reiki clinic in Harajuku, Aoyama, outside Tokyo and began to set up classes and teach his system of Reiki. Some sources suggest this was the formation of the Reiki Gakkai and purportedly, many students came to study.