Dr Mikao Usui page 2 

​

Up to this point the Usui system of natural healing consisted of the energy itself, the Symbols, the Attunement process and the Reiki ideals. This was what Dr Usui had received during his mystical experience on Mount Kuriyama. Dr Hayashi went on to develop the Usui System of natural healing.

 

Dr Hayashi opened a clinic in Tokyo near the Imperial Palace. It consisted of eight beds in a large room with two practitioners per patient. One practitioner would treat the head, the other would stand on the right treating the stomach area, then both would treat the patient’s back. The practitioners all worked here carrying out healings. They would also go to the homes of sick people for house calls. It was during this time that they created and established the standard hand positions, the system of the three Reiki degrees and their initiation procedures.

 

Dr Hayashi sensed a great war coming, (World War II) and knew that most of the men would be called for active service. In order to ensure that Reiki would be preserved, he decided to pass the complete teachings onto two women: his wife and Mrs Hawayo Takata. Dr Hayashi died on Tuesday 10th May, 1940 prior to the start of World War II.

 

Mrs Hawayo Takata was born on Kaui, Hawaii, on Christmas Eve 1900. She was of Japanese descent. Her parents were Japanese immigrants and her father worked in the sugar cane fields. She eventually married the bookkeeper of the plantation where she was employed. His name was Saichi Takata and they had two daughters. In October of 1930, Saichi died at the age of 34, leaving Mrs Takata to raise their 2 children. After five years she developed abdominal pains, a lung condition and had a nervous breakdown. Soon after this one of her sisters died. She went to Japan to visit her family and inform them of the death of her sister. Whilst there she became extremely sick and was admitted to hospital. The Doctors where going to operate and as she was being prepared she kept hearing a voice saying ‘Operation not necessary’. Eventually she jumped off the table asking, ‘is there another way’. The Doctors had a sister who had been cured of dysentery at Dr Hayashi’s clinic and suggested to Mrs Takata that she talk with his sister. She brought Mrs Takata to the clinic and her treatment began. She received daily treatments of Reiki from two Reiki practitioners and became progressively better. In four months, she was healed completely. She was so impressed that she wanted to learn Reiki herself but was told that as Reiki was Japanese it was intended to remain in Japan and as such it could not be taught to an outsider.

 

Through the good grace of her Doctor, Mrs Takata was able to persuade Dr Hayashi to train her in Reiki. In 1936 Mrs Takata received her 1st Degree Reiki. A further year of working and training with Dr Hayashi brought her to the 2nd Degree Reiki. Mrs Takata returned to Hawaii in 1973 and was soon followed by Dr Hayashi. Dr Hayashi travelled to Hawaii to promote Reiki on a speaking tour. During this time, he trained Mrs Takata to teach Reiki, thus making her what we now call a ‘Reiki Master’. She was the 13th and last Reiki Master he initiated. Mrs Takata continued practising and teaching Reiki. Eventually she moved to California practising and teaching Reiki there. She did not teach other Masters’ until 1975 and before her own death in 1980, she trained 22 Reiki Masters.

 

 

 

Mrs Takata’s 22 Masters are:

 

George Araki, Rick Bockner, Harry Kuboi, Wanja Twan, Shinobu Saito, Phyllis Lei Furumoto, Barbara Brown, Mary McFadyen, Beth Grey, Barbara Weber Ray, Paul Mitchell, Dorothy Baba, Virginia Samdahl, John Harvey Gray, Bethel Phaigh, Patricia Ewing, Kay Yamashita, (Takata’s Sister), Barbara Lincoln McCullough, Ursula Baylow, Iris Ishikuro, Fran Brown and Ethel Lombardi.

 

The Original 22 Masters have now taught and trained many others. Reiki has spread rapidly and is practised worldwide.

​