Reiki is thought to be more than 2500 years old. It is believed that Reiki was originally a Tibetan healing art, used by monks as a tool in their search for enlightenment. Some also believe that it was originally Atlantean. Regardless of the origin, the particulars of the system were lost to the ages except for references in spiritual texts without specific symbols or directions.

Dr. Mikao Usui is credited with the "rediscovery" of the healing technique in the late 1800s. Since Dr. Usui was Japanese, the resulting system is given a Japanese name - Reiki. The story of this process of discovery differs depending upon which school you learn from, and there is currently much debate in the Reiki community about the validity of some historical information. It is an interesting debate, for the American schools and teachers have a different viewpoint from many in Japan. Presented here are the basics that are taught in most western lineages, but please keep in mind that this information has been passed on orally, and that allows for modification as time passes. If you wish a fuller perspective about the history of Reiki, please see the recommended books at the bottom of this page.

The core of the story remains the same in most western schools: Dr. Usui sought out the ancient method of healing, searching through the Japanese Lotus Sutras, Chinese Sutras, and Sanskrit Sutras of Tibet, but to no avail. He decided to meditate and fast atop Mount Kuruama for 21 days, hoping for enlightenment on the healing method he had read so much about. On the last day of his meditation and fasting, he gifted with the ability to both perform and teach Reiki.

Dr. Usui began to heal in Japan, eventually training others to the level of Master as well. One of these Masters - Dr. Chujiro Hayashi - took on the "leadership" of Reiki upon Dr. Usui's death. He opened a clinic in Tokyo near the Imperial Palace. By some accounts, he is credited with developing the practice of utilizing a specific order of hand placements during a Reiki session. Although they have been changed over time, these were likely very similar to the hand placements we use today.

Reiki did not come to the United States until just before World War II. It was brought to the states by Master Hawayo Takata, a Japanese-Hawaiian woman. She first sought out Reiki as a means of healing herself, eventually asking to be accepted as a student and spending at least a year (the amount of time varies per account) in Dr. Hayashi's clinic as an apprenticeship of sorts. She started giving Reiki in the States in 1936, but did not teach other Masters until 1975. Since then, it has grown exponentially, with the number of Reiki Masters in the States numbering to the thousands. Each Reiki practitioner has a "lineage" detailing the levels of masters that have attuned those before them.

This is a very brief overview of Reiki's history. There is much debate around the stories of Reiki's history, mostly because what is traditionally taught in the US comes only orally from Mrs. Takata. If you want a more complete picture, we recommend Reiki : A Torch in Daylight by Karyn K. Mitchell for the more western viewpoint and highly recommend Reiki Fire : New Information About the Origin of the Reiki Power a Complete Method by Frank Arjava Petter an excellent resource for a fully-researched perspective.

The history of Reiki is important, but not more so than the art itself. Although the debate about the origin and history of Reiki is intellectually interesting and it is important to understand its roots, each person must come to his or her own conclusions about this issue. Regardless of what you believe of its history - the crucial and defining aspect of Reiki will always be what we do with the gift.