What is Jikiden Reiki?

Introduction

Reiki is a simple form of energy healing which originates in Japan. The original name in Japanese is “Shinshin Kaizen Usui Reiki Ryoho”. Meaning “Usui treatment method for improvement of body and mind”. Jikiden Reiki is original Usui Reiki presented with credibility and clarity.

• Completely unique - Japanese Reiki with no western influences
• Much more than a relaxing therapy - it has a history of success with chronic illness
• A clear history that has proven it over many years to be safe and effective
•  A very simple, non-religious therapeutic treatment that works if you believe or not.
• Includes all ideas and methods not previously taught in the west

Jikiden means “directly taught” in Japanese. Jikiden Reiki is free of Western influence. With roots that go back almost to the discovery of Reiki itself. It differs to "Western" style Reiki in approach, attitude and ideas. Some people notice a real difference in the "feel" of the Reiki energy. Experienced Reiki Masters often report a stronger experience than others they have before.
In recent years Western Reiki Master Frank Arjava Petter published credible research into Japanese Reiki. Eventually he met Chiyoko Yamaguchi and her son Tadao and the truth about Reiki finally emerged. Mrs. Yamaguchi had learnt Reiki directly from Dr. Chujiro Hayashi at the age of 17. She also completed her teacher level training with the blessing of Hayashi with her Uncle Wasaburo Sugano. Mr. Sugano himself was another direct student of Dr Hayashi.

This is very significant because Dr Hayashi was one of the original Reiki teachers created by the founder of Reiki Mikao Usui. He was also a faithful follower of the Usui Reiki system. Many people believe that Hayashi had created his own system of Reiki. But in fact he followed his teacher’s methods faithfully. Mrs. Yamaguchi remembered what she had learned very clearly. She had also practiced Reiki every day since. And had been teaching for many years too. But without the more formal structure and that exists today.

A brief history of Reiki

Before World War II there were over a million users Reiki in Japan. Just after the war Reiki type treatments were outlawed. So the popularity of Reiki declined rapidly. It began to die out and get pushed underground.

Some people changed the way it was practiced in order to be able to carry on without being arrested (and this did happen)! To do this, they had to either turn Reiki into a non-touch healing system or a religious practice. Some examples of this survive today in Japan. For a long time there were no known successors of the original Reiki – even in Japan!

Japanese Reiki had spread to the U.S.A. through Hawayo Takata. A Japanese American that learned Reiki from Dr. Chujiro Hayashi after he had cured her of chronic illness in Japan. Dr. Hayashi was one of the first Usui Reiki Masters.

The Hayashi Reiki Institute was founded with the blessing of Mikao Usui. His status as a medical doctor allowed him to practice Reiki without fear of arrest. He also travelled to Hawaii. There he became the first person to teach the original Usui style Reiki outside of Japan.

But, changes were made to the original Usui style passed to Hawayo Takata by Dr Hayashi. This was probably necessary to make it acceptable to the west. I was a politically sensitive time when Mrs. Takata started teaching western Reiki after World War 2. It cannot have been easy for a Japanese American living in America at that time. Especially being a country with strong Christian ideals. The original Reiki story would not have been accepted easily.

What Hawayo Takata did to Reiki is often seen as a bad thing by authentic Reiki practitioners. But if this had not happened then the original Japanese form may never have been rediscovered. But at the same time important ideas and methods were missing. Further changes then happened as more people developed their own styles. Over the next thirty years the Western forms gave birth to over a hundred different styles that exist today, many of these also contain a lot of additional ideas and methods that were not part of the original system.

About Jikiden Reiki

By the end of the 1990s Western Reiki had spread round the world, eventually returning to Japan. Where, oddly enough this style has become the norm. In fact Western Reiki styles still make up around 99% of all Reiki in the world!

Chiyoko Yamaguchi and her Son Tadao were eventually discovered and their existence became public knowledge. The fact that Chiyoko Yamaguchi was a direct student of One of the original Reiki masters was of great significance and lots of people visited Japan to try to meet them.

They came to realize that that Reiki had become increasingly accepted and very popular in the West. It had also become quite different to the Reiki they practiced that came directly from Dr Hayashi, even though he had taught the founder of Western Reiki Hawayo Takata.

So together, Chiyoko and Tadao Yamaguchi set up the Jikiden Reiki Institute with the purpose of keeping the original teachings of Mikao Usui and Chujiro Hayashi alive. There are also other objectives which you can read more about by clicking here.

The Institute is also lucky to have lots of original documents and photographs documenting the history of Japanese Reiki as practiced by Usui and Hayashi. Some of these had not been seen before in public until their publishing in Tadao Yamaguchi Sensei’s book “Jikiden Reiki” which is now available in the UK under the title “Light on the Origins of Reiki”. Copies of others are made available to Jikiden Reiki teachers as learning aids for their training.

The first Jikiden Reiki training outside of Japan took place in 2003. Sadly in August of the same year Mrs. Yamaguchi passed away. Her Son Tadao is currently head of the organization and he continues to teach Jikiden Reiki all over the world. Jikiden Reiki brings clarity to Reiki in a way that must be experienced to be appreciated. Discover the magic of Reiki for yourself!