The history of Reiki is unfortunately not complete, so much of the information propagated is incorrect or theoretical at best. The primary source of documentation about Mikao Usui - the founder of Reiki, can be found carved on his memorial stone at his grave site in Tokyo, which was placed there by his students in 1927, one year following his death. Much of the information and documentation handed down over the years has been confined within the Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai (lit. Usui Spiritual Healing Method Society), which was established by Mikao Usui in 1922. Hopefully this knowledge will eventually be shared with the rest of the world.

Mikao Usui was born in 1865 on the 15th August in Taniai village in the Yamagata district of the Gifu Prefecture in Japan. He was born and raised as a Tendai Buddhist and also followed the Japanese religion of Shintoism. Mikao Usui's family were Hatamoto Samurai, the highest level within the Samurai ranks. After sweeping social change initiated by the Meiji emperor the Samurai class lost their powerful and privileged military status. Mikao Usui continued the family tradition of learning martial arts and was also known to be very studious. His memorial stone reads

He surpassed his peers in hard work and endeavour. When he grew up he visited Europe and America, and studied in China. Despite his will to succeed in life, he was stalemated and fell into great difficulties. However, in the face of adversity he strove to train himself even more with the courage never to yield. 

Mikao Usui loved to read about Christianity, Buddhism, Taoism, medicine, psychology, mysticism, and the psychic and spiritual arts. He also practiced a Japanese form of Qigong, a healing discipline that trains the practitioner to develop their own Ki (life force energy) for self-development and healing purposes. Although this can be used to heal others, the practitioner depletes their internal Ki when giving healing to others.

As part of his spiritual journey and quest for self-development, Mikao Usui embarked upon a twenty-one day retreat on Mount Kurama (Japanese - Kurama Yama) - a mountain to the north-west of the city of Kyoto. During this retreat called Kushu-Shinren (lit. Painful discipline or difficult training) Mikao Usui experienced a satori (lit. Enlightenment) and the knowledge of the spiritual healing method that later came to be known as Reiki. His memorial stone states that

One day, he climbed kurama yama and after 21 days of a severe discipline without eating, he suddenly felt One Great Reiki over his head and attained enlightenment and he obtained Reiki Ryoho. Then, he tried it on himself and experimented on his family members. The efficacy was immediate.

Over subsequent years Mikao Usui used Reiki to help his friends and family, treated the poor of Kyoto, opened a Reiki society and built a larger dojo in Nakano, Tokyo. His reputation spread throughout Japan and people travelled from all over the country to receive his healing and teachings. Mikao Usui taught more than 2000 students, who continued to spread Mikao Usui's teachings after his death in 1926. Following Mikao Usui's death the Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai adopted a secretive approach and only allowed those who had been specifically invited to join the society. Some teachers left the Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai and developed their own Reiki schools and systems of healing. The first form of Usui Reiki Ryoho was brought over to the West from the lineage of Dr Chujiro Hayashi, one of the 16 students who had reached the top of of Mikao Usui's teachings in order to become a master teacher. 

You can find more information about the history of Reiki in our book The Essence of Reiki