About Reiki
Reiki is a Japanese hands on relaxation and healing technic. It is currently being used at many hospitals as a complimentary form of treament along side modern medical practices.
Reiki can be translated as Rei=universal and Ki=energy or life force much the same as "Chi" in China or "Prana" in Yoga. Litterally meaning universal energy, or the energy that runs through all things. It's merely a matter of being attuned and directing this energy through the practioner to the recipeient.
Reiki can be administered in person or over distances as we have found that we are all connected and our energy being everywhere is always available.
History of Chujiro Hayashi
1879 – Chujiro Hayashi was born.
1925 – June, received his Shinpiden training with Usui Sensei. He was 47 years old at the time and an ex-naval commander in the Imperial Japanese Navy. He also had medical training, which included Eastern teachings (Chinese Medicine). It is believed that 2 other navel officers Jusaburo Ushida (Gyuda), and Kanichi Taketomi were the last Shinpiden students that Usui trained (receiving their training in September). It is believed that Hayashi-Sensei did not do Reiju the same way as the Gakkai does today; perhaps Usui Sensei gave his students several methods of empowerment. Hayashi called the method of empowerment he chose to utilize ‘transformations’ according to Dave King. Today we call it an attunement or initiation thanks to Mrs. Takata.
1926 – In April, after Usui Sensei made his transition, three of the naval officers he taught, took over his clinic at Nakano, near Tokyo. One account says that for about 8 years they operated what we refer to as a hospice for the terminally ill, giving treatments and continuing to teach the original Usui methods.
1928 – March, a Japanese Magazine (Sunday Mainichi) did an article on Reiki. It states that Hayashi Sensei had trained Mr. Matsui in Reiki. Mr. Matsui stated that the Reiki Clinic was open every morning for client treatments, and that Mr. Hayashi only taught classes several days a month, the rest of his time was spent doing healing work. He also said that Mr. Hayashi did not advertise and was a very strict man who was dedicated to Reiki. Matsui was persuaded by someone with influence to try Reiki, but not for any spiritual reason. So he and his wife attended a very expensive, five-day training course on Reiki, classes lasting 1-1 1/2 hours each session. Afterwards they both did healing on people. One of his accounts is working on a man who was close to death; after giving Reiki for 6.5 hours – the man recovered. Mr. Matsui stated he was not interested in the spiritual side of Reiki, he was more interested in the practical approach. When doing healing work, Mr. Matsui puts his hands on the body and feels for imbalances, then treats the area until cleared. He had not been convinced about Reiki until he actually tried it out and got results. “At that time in Japan, a lot of people were doing different forms of healing and most not affiliated to Reiki,” claims Matsui. In an earlier issue, the magazine had reviewed a book by Mr. Matsui. Many people wrote in asking for more information on Reiki; this article was the response.
1931 - It is believed that Hayashi Sensei left the Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai over a disagreement with the chairperson of the society Taketomi Sensei. Ushida and Taketomi Sensei's continued Usui's teaching society, while Hayashi Sensei kept Usui Sensei's clinic originally called Usui Memorial Clinic. He renamed it 'Hayashi Reiki Kenkyukai' or Hayashi Reiki Research Society. It is believed that Mr. Tatsumi and several others left Dr. Hayashi's school because of this and changes he made to the original teaching style. Hayashi Sensei's school offered a 5-day Shoden workshop available for a very high price or the students could work with him in his clinic in exchange for the fee (8 hours per week for 3 months for Shoden and 8 hours per week for 9 months for Okuden). Hayashi had his own manual called 'Ryoho Shishin' (Healing Method Guideline) which was the same name Usui Sensei used for the 'guideline section' of his Hikkei. The look and feel of both manuals are very similar they give recommended positions for treating various illnesses and diseases and were given to Shoden students. Written in old style Japanese kanji, Hayashi's manual is about 40 pages long. In the higher level training he also allowed his students to copy his personal notes and may have written several other documents on Reiki. At some point, Hayashi Sensei may have added or been experimenting with material based in Chinese Medicine. This is based on the knowledge that Tatsumi-San received information from Hayashi Sensei referencing Chinese Medicine, including a series of 7 hand positions that worked with the meridians. This information is different from what is contained in Hayashi’s Ryoho Shishin and it appears that Takata Sensei did not receive this information. Note to the Reiki Student: Both Usui and Hayashi gave manuals, and allowed their students to copy their personal notes. Reiki was not an oral tradition until Takata.
1935 – Jusaburo Ushida made his transition.
December 10, Hawayo Takata was attending Hayashi’s Shoden level Reiki (Leiki) class. Mrs. Takata and her 2 daughters stayed with the Hayashi family in Japan a little over 1 year.
1936 – May; an excerpt from Takata’s diary: “Mr. Hayashi has granted to bestow upon me the secret of Shinpi Den – Kokiyou-ho and Leiji-ho (Reiji) – the utmost secret in the energy science.
1937 – Before Takata left for Hawaii, she attended Hayashi’s Okuden level class. There is a poor copy of a photo of a class or a meeting with the title Reiki Ryho ho Kai 1937. At the bottom of the photo in Japanese Kanji are the words 'Reiki Ryoho Koushu Kai', which tranlates 'Reiki Ryoho Training Meeting 1937). (see photo in History of Hawayo Takata). The name Usui Shiki Ryoho means 'Usui Style Healing Method'; I believe Hayashi might have casually referred to the method he taught as Usui Shiki Ryoho. However he called the system 'Usui Reiki Ryoho' as Usui Sensei did. Note to the Reiki student: It is interesting to note that of all the people in the photo close to ½ of them are women. So the story about Mrs. Takata being the only woman or that women were not given the Reiki teaching in Japan is not true. In fact Hayashi Sensei also made his wife and Mrs. Yamaguchi Reiki Teachers and Usui Sensei initiated 5 Buddhist nuns into the Shinpiden level. We just heard that one of the nuns Usui Sensei taught may still be alive in Japan today.
In her book, 'Reiki - Hawayo Takata's Story' (ISBN. 0-944135-06-4), Helen Haberly writes: "Before she left Tokyo she asked Dr. Hayashi one question which had been bothering her. In all those months at the clinic she had never encountered one poor person - no shabby patients, no laborers - so she asked if he refused to treat such people. He laughed replying, that since this was a very good question, he would answer it. He told her that all those who entered his door were upper class, even titled, people of wealth, education, and intelligence. When they were ill, they could afford the best doctors and the best hospitals, but they sought more than surgery and drugs. They had Reiki consciousness, so they came to him. The others did not have this understanding, and when illness occurred, they thought the need was for hospitals and doctors and nurses. If called, he would go, no matter how poor they were, but their beliefs were different, so they did not accept him and this drugless treatment. He also assured her when she became an experienced practitioner, she, too, would find this to be so."
A few weeks after Takata went back to Hawaii; Dr. Hayashi and his daughter arrived and stayed until February 1938.
1938 – February 21st, Hayashi officially conferred the title of Reiki Master to Takata. She became a Reiki Teacher or Shinpiden. On the certificate it states the name of the system several times including: 'Usui system of Reiki healing', 'Usui Reiki system of drugless healing' and 'Dr. Usui's Reiki system of healing'. The first one would be 'Usui Shiki Reiki Ryoho', second 'Usui Reiki Ryoho' and third 'Dr. Usui's Reiki Ryoho'; this coming from my limited understanding of Japanese. Here is a translation of words: 'Usui' = 'mortar + well', 'Reiki' = 'spiritual energy', 'Ryoho' = 'healing method or healing system, therapy, remedy, cure', and 'Shiki' = 'style, ceremony, rite, method, system, form'. It does not refer to Hayashi Shiki Ryoho (Hayashi style healing method) or only the words Usui Shiki Ryoho (Usui Style Healing Method); the word Reiki was used in all cases.
Ms. Chiyoko Yamaguchi a teacher and founder of 'Jikkiden Reiki', learned what she refers to as Hayashi-Shiki Reiki Ryoho (Hayashi style Reiki Healing Method) from Dr. Hayashi. She claims that she teaches exactly what she learned from Hayashi Sensei; - Shoden and Okuden are taught during a 5 day workshop and Teacher level one month later. She does not refer to the teacher level as Shinpiden because she does not think Hayashi Sensei called it by that name. The certificate Hayashi Sensei issued to her had the name Hayashi Reiki Ryoho Kenkyu-kai (Research Center) on it. In the book 'The Reiki Healing' by Fuminori Aoki (master of Reido Reiki) Ms. Yamaguchi is quoted as saying, "I am not sure but it can be possible that Hayashi's teaching method was different between teaching in his clinic in Tokyo and going out of Tokyo to teach". Ms. Yamaguchi's brother invited Hayashi to their town where about 20 students attended a 5 day Shoden and Okuden class. The cost was approximately $5,000 US per student in currrent dollars. It is believed that Ms. Yamaguchi's brother paid her tuition, she was 17 at the time. Hayashi returned to give advanced training and gave permission to teach Reiki, although he did not designate the title of "Shinpiden" to them. She also said that she was not taught any formal hand positions. Note to the Student of Reiki: The information in the 1928 article seems to coincide with the information above from Ms. Yamaguchi, however it appears that the information in the article is talking only about Shoden. 5 days at 1 1/2 hours per day is only 7 1/2 hours, long enough to learn Shoden (IMHO) but not long enough to learn Okuden also. Takata Sensei is known to have been attending a Shoden (Leiki) class December 10, 1935 according to her diary and attended an Okuden class in 1937 before she left for Hawaii. Perhaps Hayashi Sensei changed his methods by the time Yamaguchi Sensei took her training with him in 1938 or perhaps he would teach each student according to their ability to perceive subtle energy as it seems they do in the Gakkai. Also consider that in the 1936 diary entry, Mrs. Takata stated that she was going to receive Shinpi Den (Master level) from Hayashi Sensei, so he did call Master level by that name when Takata Sensei took her training. On Mrs. Takata's certificate, Hayashi Sensei called the system he taught in February 1938, the Usui Reiki system, he did not call it Hayashi Shiki (system) Reiki or Ryoho. Others who took training with Hayashi Sensei however, may have referred to the system as Hayashi Shiki Ryoho (Hayashi Style Healing Method).
1940 – May 10th, Chujiro Hayashi took his own life. Hayashi Sensei had attuned at least 14 Reiki Masters. Tatsumi-San (b. ? – d. 1996) one of Hayashi’s last Shinpiden students, never taught Reiki publicly. Mrs. Hayashi continued to teach Reiki in Japan following the passing of her husband, Mrs. Takata (13th Shinpiden student) spread Reiki in the West and Mrs. Yamaguchi continues to teach Reiki Ryoho in Japan today.
Yogidharma Home Pages
