Born on August 15, 1865, Dr Mikao Usui grew up during the reign of Emperor Mutsuhito, the Meiji Emperor, during whose reign (1868-1912) Japan became more industrialised and started flourishing. He began his study of Buddhism at the age of four and later learnt martial arts from the age of twelve, being awarded the Menkyo Kaiden, a certificate of full proficiency, by his mid-twenties. He also learnt ancient Japanese energy systems like Ki- Ko, similar to Chinese Qi-Gong, and other healing and meditation techniques. He worked in many establishments, was a journalist and a businessman for a certain period of time, and served as secretary to the mayor of Tokyo.
In his quest to discover a healing method, Usui Sensei travelled widely before reaching a monastery where an abbot suggested him to undergo shyu guo, a severe spiritual discipline involving twenty-one days intense meditation with fasting. He proceeded to Mount Kurama- Yama and started the shyu gyo near a waterfall.
On the twenty-first day, while under the waterfall, he was struck by a powerful light, like lightning, that entered through the top of his head causing him to fall unconscious.
He awoke several hours later and was full of bliss, a state that he had never experienced before. It was truly a miracle that all the weaknesses and tiredness of the twenty-one days fasting simply disappeared and he was full of energy. As per the legend of Reiki, Usui Sensei successively encountered five miracles after the ‘Satori’ or ‘awakening’ under the waterfall of Kurama, and this was the first miracle.
Initially, Usui Sensei used his healing gift on himself and his family, but in due course, he started healing others. Based on his experience in Mount Kurama and on the insight he gained in several years of research, he developed a healing system and called it Shin-Shin Kai-Zen Usui Reiki Ryo-Ho (the Usui Reiki treatment method for improvement of body and mind), known in its short form as, ‘Usui Reiki Ryoho’ (Usui Reiki Healing method).
In April 1922, he opened his first healing centre in the Harajuku district of Tokyo and slowly, many people started coming to him. In order to systematically train practitioners in this wondrous art of natural healing, he created three levels called: Shoden or first teaching, Okuden or inner teaching and Shinpiden or teachings of the mystery. These are now known as Reiki Level 1/Level 2/Level 3 or Reiki First/Second/Third Degree.
Dr Mikao Usui died on 9 Mar 1926.