Reiki history in change

The Reiki history as such is not changing but the information we have about Reiki and it's founder Dr Mikao Usui is constantly moving forward. Thanks to the work of Reiki Masters like Frank Arjava Petter, William L. Rand and many others we today get a more complete and factual information about Reiki. The facts and new information about Reiki in Japan is also helping the understanding of Reiki, it's history and methods.

"Reiki" with many origins
 Hands on healing has been around for many centuries and has been known in many cultures. When you read about Reiki in books or on the Internet you will find several different theories about where Reiki came from: the stars, Lemuria, Atlantis, Egypt, India, Tibet etc. What we do know for a fact is that Reiki was "rediscovered" in Japan by Dr Mikao Usui during the beginning of the 20th century. For us westerners there are 3 persons that play a vital role in the history of Reiki: Dr Makao Usui, Dr Hayashi, and Mrs Hawayo Takata.

Reiki history in the western world
A couple of years ago we only had Mrs Takata's version of the Reiki story. This version is still widely taught although there seems to be many points in her story that cannot be verified. When Mrs Takata brought Reiki to the western world after Word War II I feel that it might have been possible that she had to modify and westernize the Reiki history to better suit the times. I will not relate Mrs Takata's version here but you can find many sites under "Resources" above with her version.

Reiki in Japan
It was for many years believed that the practice of Reiki had died out in Japan but now new information about Reiki in Japan is coming to light. The Japanese Reiki system is slightly different from the Reiki that is used in the west. Written and oral information is translated from Japanese as it becomes available, including Dr Usui's manual. There are now a few books available covering these new findings.

Dr Usui, Dr Hyashi, Mrs Takata
As mentioned above these 3 persons play a very vital role in the spreading of Reiki in the western world. You can read the history about Dr Usui, Dr Hayashi and Mrs Takata by clicking the respective links.

Foot note: It is not very easy to write about the history of Reiki since there seem to be a lot of different versions and translations of available information. One reason being that the Japanese written language leaves itself open for a subjective interpretation from the reader. What is true and what is not I have no way of confirming as I must rely on the accuracy of information and translations from others. After extensive research I am satisfied that this information is fairly accurate. If you have any suggestions please let me know!