History and Lineage

Reiki was discovered by Mikao Usui (1865-1926) in Japan in 1922 while he was fasting on Mount Kurama, a beautiful mountain close to Kyoto. During this time he was enlightened and learned that he had a healing ability that he could use to treat others, including himself. He developed the Reiki treatment method ("Shin Shin Kaizen Usui Reiki Ryoho") and was later able to teach others. Usui Sensei spent the rest of his life practicing and teaching this method of natural healing. By his death in 1926, he had taught 20 teachers.

One of his students was Dr. Chuijiro Hayashi. He was a medical doctor who opened a clinic in Tokyo where he and his students offered Reiki treatments. He also travelled throughout Japan and to Hawaii, teaching Reiki before the Second World War. In Hawaii he taught Ms. Takata, a Japanese-American woman, who later became known as the originator of Western Reiki. In Japan, one of his students was Chiyoko Yamaguchi. 

Chiyoko Yamaguchi learned Reiki at the age of 17 years and practised Reiki daily throughout her life, helping family and friends with injuries, first aid, and minor or major illnesses. Her youngest son, Tadao Yamaguchi, enjoyed and benefitted from Reiki daily. He also learned to give Reiki at a young age and started treating people in 1965.

In the late nineties, Chiyoko Yamaguchi’s practise was discovered. People recognized that she held deep knowledge of the original Reiki from the thirties, when she was taught by Chuijiro Hayashi. When Chiyoko and Tadao Yamaguchi recognized the difference between the original Reiki and Western Reiki, they decided to found the Jikiden Reiki Kenkyukai (Institute) in 1999 — in order to give access to the original teachings of Reiki. 

Jikiden means “directly passed down” or “directly taught”. Thus, Jikiden Reiki is the original Reiki passed down from the teachings of Chuijiro Hayashi and Usui Sensei, without changes or additions. Since 1999, the Institute has continued growing, offering Jikiden Reiki seminars in Japan as well as abroad and teaching the original, simple, yet powerful Japanese Reiki method.

I have learned Jikiden Reiki from four teachers who were taught directly by Tadao Yamaguchi. I am very thankful to my teachers Mari Okazaki, Sanae Okada, Sharon Richlark and Sue Yasuko — who are very dedicated, inspiring, and supportive Reiki practitioners and teachers. They have taught me the true path of Jikiden Reiki. Mari Okazaki has been practising Jikiden Reiki since 2006. For more information on her practice, please see her website at www.jikidenreikiwithmari.com

During the Jikiden Reiki North American Congress in October, 2019, I met Tadao Yamaguchi for the first time.