A man stands on a mountain. 21 days without food. Meditation, contemplation, ascetic practice. On the final night, he feels a force above the crown of his head that changes everything — a spiritual light so intense it pierces him from within.
This is how the story of Reiki begins. Not in a wellness studio. Not on a weekend retreat. On a mountain in Japan, in the solitude of a practice that demands everything.
Who was this man?
Samurai Without a Sword 侍
Mikao Usui (1865–1926) was a Japanese spiritual master and the founder of Reiki. He was born on August 15, 1865, in the village of Taniai in Gifu Prefecture. He came from the Chiba clan — a samurai lineage that traces back to the 12th century and to Chiba Tsunetane, one of the most influential warriors of the Kamakura period.
Born into a samurai family, Usui received a classical warrior's training: unarmed defence, swordsmanship, staff, halberd, spear, archery on foot and on horseback. He practised with a persistence that stayed with him for the rest of his life. He studied his opponents' tactics, worked on his skills, and never gave up — even when the odds stood against him.
Then 1876 changed everything. The Meiji Restoration abolished the samurai class. Overnight, Mikao Usui lost his social standing, his economic foundation, and his professional identity. Thousands of samurai stood before the void. Many broke. Usui did not.
Practitioner and Scholar 行者
Samurai received not only a military education but also a remarkable spiritual one. Already as a boy, Usui came into contact with Buddhism through the local temple. That is where the spiritual path began that never let him go again.
From the inscription on his memorial stone, we know that his Buddhist name was Gyōhan 行伴. It means: "Sail hoisted at daybreak." A name that says: he endures the darkness of night, never hesitates, overcomes every obstacle, and keeps going until the sun reaches him.
That name was no accident. It describes precisely the man who worked his way through every setback.
Which Buddhist school did Usui belong to? The question has been debated for decades. Some say Tendai, because Kurama temple is connected to the Tendai school. Others say Zen, because he meditated. But the Reiki symbols, the initiations, and the Buddhist meditations point clearly to Shingon — the esoteric Buddhism that holds all these elements together. In Japan, this question barely arises among practitioners themselves, because all schools ultimately go back to the same Buddha and complement each other. The roots of Reiki reach beyond Buddhism alone, into Shugendō, Shinto, and shamanic Daoism.
Usui was a highly educated man. He studied medical literature, Buddhist sutras, and sacred texts. He engaged with philosophy, psychology, and religion. He travelled all over Japan and visited shrines and temples to deepen his knowledge. He was at home with symbols, talismans, and rituals. He was familiar with qigong, Daoist practices, and the art of oracles.
Professionally, his path moved through many stations: from carrying bags for influential politicians to serving as secretary to Shinpei Gotō, who became mayor of Tōkyō in 1920. These positions gave him the opportunity to travel to China and Europe. But what his heart truly burned for was something else.
The Night on the Mountain 鞍馬山
At some point, Mikao Usui climbed a peak in the Kurama mountains to devote himself fully to his practice. He gave up food. He meditated. He carried out ascetic practices that pushed body and mind to the edge.
On the night of the twentieth or twenty-first day, it happened: he felt an immense spiritual power above the crown of his head. A spiritual light flooded through him. That was the moment he became a channel for the Reiki force.
As he came down from the mountain after that experience, he stumbled and injured himself. He tried the new force on himself — and felt its effect at once. At the foot of the mountain, he went to an inn and ordered everything the menu had to offer.
The innkeeper hesitated. After 21 days of fasting — a full meal? Usui would not get that. The body would rebel. But Usui insisted. If it made him ill, the food itself would teach him better. The innkeeper brought everything. And Usui ate — without the slightest discomfort. Quite the opposite: he felt completely clear and strengthened.
That impressed the innkeeper so deeply that he brought Usui his daughter, who was suffering from severe toothache. Usui placed his hands on her — and the swelling went down. Even in that first moment he recognised it: the nature and intensity of this energy was something entirely new. The method — laying on of hands, transmitting energy — was already familiar to him. What was new was the force now flowing through him.
The Transmission Spreads 伝承
Back in Tōkyō, Usui first tried the force on members of his family. He observed immediate results. That is when he knew: this could not stay within his family alone. In April 1922, he moved to Aoyama in the Harajuku district and opened a practice hall, where he gave initiations and held Reiki sessions.
People came from near and far. Outside, the shoes piled up — in Japan, an unmistakable sign of an important visitor inside. His reputation spread fast.
The Great Earthquake 関東大震災
On September 1, 1923, the Great Kantō Earthquake shook Tōkyō and Yokohama. Magnitude 7.9. An estimated 140,000 dead. Firestorms that raged for days. Entire districts reduced to ash.
And Mikao Usui? At daybreak, he set out. He walked through the destroyed city and turned to those who were suffering — without knowing if he would ever receive anything in return. The inscription on his memorial stone describes it like this: "To rescue people from such grief in the worst of circumstances — that act is so great it has no equal."
That moment shows the core of Usui's character. No holding back. No weighing up. Simply go and help.
What Usui Actually Meant 本意
Most people know Reiki as something that has to do with the body. Laying on of hands. Relaxation. Wellbeing. But when you read what Usui himself said about his method, a completely different picture emerges.
The memorial stone states it clearly: the method primarily serves the development of "innate supernatural gifts" and personal unfolding. It is meant to guide the practitioner toward perfecting the soul, sustaining physical wellbeing, and living a life of fullness. Working with physical complaints? More of a side matter — intended for supporting those in need.
First, the development of supernatural abilities. Then, spiritual unfolding. And only then — as a side effect — support for physical complaints. Reiki was a master path from the very beginning. Not a wellness tool.
The Life Principles 五戒
Usui formulated five life principles — the Gokai — as a daily practice. To be recited morning and evening, hands in front of the chest, attention resting in the spiritual heart. Not as affirmation, not as mantra, but as contemplation: a quiet attunement to what truly matters.
The principles sound simple: Today — no anger. Today — no worry. Today — gratitude. Today — diligent practice. Today — kindness to every being. But their simplicity is deceptive. Anyone who practises them daily quickly notices how deeply they reach.
Usui saw in the Gokai more than ethical guidelines. He compared them to a "spiritual remedy for countless ailments, which invites happiness in." The life principles — practised properly — are energy work. They change the way the mind moves through the day.
The Final Years 晩年
Usui spent his final years travelling. His reputation went ahead of him. He was invited — to Kure, Hiroshima, Saga. Everywhere he gave initiations, and everywhere people came who wanted to experience his force first hand.
On March 9, 1926, he died at the age of 62 in Fukuyama. He had already been weakened by strokes. The exact cause of death was never established. But by that point, his legacy was already in the world.
What Remains of Him 遺産
The inscription on the memorial stone compares Usui to the great masters of old. And it names clearly what defined him: not success, but endurance. Before Reiki, Usui was a man known for his devotion, yet with little tangible success to show. He failed, he was overlooked — and he kept going. His samurai spirit held him upright.
Then, when he found access to the Reiki force, everything changed. His presence grew. People came from everywhere. What had been effort became flow.
Mikao Usui left behind no organisation bearing his name. He left a practice. Symbols that carry force. Initiations that open a channel. Meditations that clear the mind. And five plain principles that — taken seriously — can change a whole life.
His wish was to share this method openly. Not as secret knowledge for a few, but as a path for everyone willing to step onto it. That is still the heart of Shingon Reiki today: direct transmission, lived practice, a path that keeps moving.
Discover Shingon Reiki
Shingon Reiki stands in the lineage of esoteric Buddhism that Mikao Usui himself drew from. Initiation, meditation, practice — the way Usui intended it.
What is Shingon Reiki? What is Reiki?