When we talk about the origins of Reiki, we often speak about Mikao Usui’s 21-day meditation on Mount Kurama or the healing system he later developed. But Reiki didn’t arise in a vacuum but instead emerged during one of the most dramatic cultural shifts in Japanese history. Understanding this backdrop helps us appreciate Usui’s teachings on a deeper, more human level.
Emperor Meiji (1852–1912) was the 122nd emperor of Japan and one of the most influential figures in Japanese history. His reign, often referred to as the Meiji era, 1868–1912 marked the transformation of Japan from a closed, feudal society into a modern nation-state.
Mikao Usui was born in 1865, just three years before Japan entered the Meiji Restoration, a period where the country rapidly modernised and reshaped its spiritual identity.
During this time, the government elevated State Shinto to support national unity and loyalty to the emperor. Shinto is Japan’s indigenous spiritual tradition, which focuses on harmony with nature, ancestor reverence, and the veneration of kami (sacred spirits found in mountains, rivers, trees) and everyday life.
Shrines were reorganised, Buddhism’s influence was reduced, and Japanese identity was reframed around Shinto mythology and imperial lineage. The emperor was no longer a symbolic figure, he was at the centre of national life.
Usui lived entirely within this atmosphere. Temples and shrines were not only places of worship but were instruments of cultural education and moral formation. This affected how people understood spirituality and the purpose of life.
And yet, alongside all this, Usui chose a different spiritual path.
Despite the dominance of State Shinto, Mikao Usui immersed himself in Tendai Buddhism, a tradition known for its:
- meditation practices
- chanting and mantra
- ethical living
- focus on achieving Buddhahood through daily life
- integration of many teachings and philosophies
Tendai is rooted in the belief that enlightenment is accessible to all, and this idea later shines clearly through Usui’s Reiki principles and teachings. His time on Mount Kurama, a sacred mountain rich with Shinto, Shugendo, and Buddhist history, reflects the blending of spiritual paths that shaped his worldview.
While the nation leaned toward Shinto ideology, Usui’s path was about inner cultivation, discipline, and awakening.
State Shinto focused on national identity, purity, and devotion to the emperor.
Tendai Buddhism focused on compassion, awakening, and the realisation of true nature.
Usui lived where these two streams met, and he transformed their tensions into a healing system centred on peace, balance, and personal responsibility.
The practice of fasting, meditating, and seeking spiritual clarity on a mountain is distinctly Tendai. Usui’s own 21-day retreat follows this tradition closely.
His awakening, the moment he experienced Reiki, came through Buddhist-style contemplation, not State Shinto doctrines.
Usui lived in a Japan shaped by the emperor, national identity, and Shinto revivalism. But his personal search for truth drew him into the depths of Tendai Buddhism and ancient mountain practice.
The Reiki that emerged from his life wasn’t tied to politics or nationalism.
It was tied to inner awakening, ethical living, universal compassion and direct spiritual experience.
Reiki carries the imprint of Usui’s era, but its heart comes from his personal spiritual practice, a path shaped far more by Buddhist insight and mountain asceticism than by the State Shinto ideology around him.
Article by Charmaine Murray
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Charmaine Murray is a Usui and Karuna Reiki® Master Teacher, Animal Energy Healer and the founder of Spica Healing. She offers Reiki and intuitive energy healing sessions, along with personalized guidance for both humans and their animal companions, online and in person in Surrey, UK. Charmaine is dedicated to helping clients and students reconnect with their inner light, restore balance, and deepen their connection with themselves and the animals in their lives through her healing sessions and her training courses. Learn more at www.spicahealing.co.uk or follow Spica Healing on Instagram @spicahealing
Very interesting to read about the history of Reiki and Usui in Japan . I have been practicing Reki for self healing and those of my kin interested for sevaral years now. I welcome more inputs and interactions with other followers and Reiki masters .