About Jikiden Reiki

Lineage & History

A brief overview of how Jikiden Reiki has been preserved and passed down in Japan.

Reiki was founded in Japan in 1922 by Mikao Usui as Shin Shin Kaizen Usui Reiki Ryōhō — the Usui Reiki Treatment Method for the Improvement of Body and Mind.

Following three years of Zen training, Usui Sensei undertook a period of fasting on Mount Kurama as a final and serious preparation. During this time, he experienced a profound turning point. After losing consciousness, he awoke with a direct experience of awakening, through which he recognised an ability to support healing. Until his passing in 1926, he devoted himself to helping people through Reiki and teaching the method to many students.

One of his most prominent teacher-level students was Chujiro Hayashi, a former naval surgeon. Hayashi Sensei devoted himself to the continued practice of Reiki, carefully observing its effects through extensive hands-on treatment. He focused on applying Reiki faithfully and studying its effectiveness through experience, without altering the method passed down by his teacher. He also played an important role in introducing Reiki beyond Japan, contributing to its spread to the West.

Among those who learned directly from Hayashi Sensei was Chiyoko Yamaguchi, who began studying Reiki in 1938 at the age of seventeen. She was from Ishikawa Prefecture, a rural area on the west coast of Japan, and continued to practise Reiki throughout her life.

Within her family and close community, Reiki was passed down quietly and with care. Although Reiki largely disappeared from public awareness in Japan after the Second World War, this traditional practice was preserved in the background, even as it became little known to the wider Japanese public.

Together with her son, Tadao Yamaguchi, these teachings were brought into the public sphere in 1999 with the establishment of the Jikiden Reiki Institute. The intention was not to modernise Reiki, but to preserve and share the system as it had been practised in Japan, without dilution or personal alteration.

Today, Jikiden Reiki is taught internationally, while remaining firmly rooted in its Japanese lineage.

What Makes Jikiden Reiki Different

Jikiden Reiki places emphasis on:

• Hands-on practice and direct experience

• A clear, practical approach without unnecessary additions

• A direct Japanese lineage passed down without alteration

• Simplicity and clarity of method

• Respect for the original curriculum

• Registration of certified practitioners with the Jikiden Reiki Institute in Japan

• Ongoing support as part of practice, such as Reijukai (Reiju meetings) and community associations, including the Jikiden Reiki UK Association

There are no fixed hand positions or added techniques. Practitioners learn to respond through Byōsen — sensations felt through the hands — and to work attentively with what is present.

Learning Jikiden Reiki with Rika

My intention is not only to teach technique, but to pass on the care, attention, and respect through which Jikiden Reiki has been practised in Japan.

As a Japanese practitioner teaching Jikiden Reiki in London, my role is to pass on these teachings with care, accuracy, and responsibility, in line with the standards of the Institute.

Students who train with me follow the same curriculum used internationally, with official textbooks provided by the Institute, and are registered with the Jikiden Reiki Institute in Kyoto upon completion of training.

Alongside practical instruction, I also introduce elements of Japanese history, philosophy, and cultural context that shaped the original Reiki practice, helping students understand not only how to practise Reiki, but also where it comes from.

Rika’s Reiki Lineage

Mikao Usui (1865-1926)