Dentō Reiki Kyōkai

Our purpose is to preserve the teachings of Usui Sensei through historical research, sincere practice, and faithful transmission.

At the Dentō Reiki Kyōkai, we study, practice, preserve, and transmit Shinshin Kaizen Usui Reiki Ryōhō (心身改善臼井靈氣療法), seeking to understand and present the tradition established by Usui Sensei as faithfully as the available historical evidence permits.

We believe that the opportunity to study this tradition should be open to all who sincerely wish to learn. Continue below to discover the philosophy, research, and historical foundations that guide our practice.

THE TRADITION WE TEACH

Shinshin Kaizen Usui Reiki Ryōhō

At the Dentō Reiki Kyōkai, we are dedicated to the study, preservation, practice, and transmission of Shinshin Kaizen Usui Reiki Ryōhō (心身改善臼井靈氣療法), the system of Reiki established by Mikao Usui (Usui Sensei). Historical research forms an important part of this work, helping us to understand and preserve the tradition as faithfully as the available historical evidence permits. Our purpose is not to create a new style of Reiki, but to preserve the teachings established by Usui Sensei and pass them on with integrity to future generations.

Our understanding of Usui Reiki Ryōhō has been shaped through many years of historical research and practical experience. Rather than relying upon a single modern teacher or surviving tradition, we seek to understand the earliest forms of practice by carefully comparing the traditions that have preserved different aspects of Usui Sensei's teachings, together with historical documents, contemporary accounts, and ongoing research into the history, language, culture, and spiritual traditions of Japan during Usui Sensei's lifetime. Among the most significant of these traditions are Gendai Reiki-hō (現代霊気法), Kōmyō Reiki-dō (光明靈氣道), and Jikiden Reiki (直傳靈氣).

No single surviving tradition preserves every aspect of Usui Sensei's teachings exactly as they were originally practiced. Each has safeguarded different elements of the historical system while naturally reflecting its own development over time. By studying these traditions alongside historical documents and contemporary accounts, it becomes possible to recognize both the common foundations they share and the distinctive elements each has preserved. This comparative approach allows us to appreciate the tradition more completely while remaining focused on the practice established by Usui Sensei.

Our immediate foundation comes through the work of Mary Jackobson, who devoted many years to studying the historical development of Usui Reiki Ryōhō. Through the careful comparison of surviving Japanese traditions and historical sources, she sought to better understand and preserve the traditional methods of practice. She described this preservation-oriented approach as Dentō Usui Reiki Ryōhō (傳統臼井靈氣療法), emphasizing the faithful transmission of the tradition as it developed in Japan.

In 2007, after authorizing Jotaro as a Shihan, Mary recognized that he had independently devoted many years to researching the history and practice of Usui Reiki Ryōhō. She invited him to combine his research with her own. From that point forward, they collaborated as research partners, examining historical documents, comparing the teachings preserved within several Japanese traditions, and refining their understanding whenever reliable historical evidence provided greater clarity.

While Mary's practical experience was rooted primarily in Gendai Reiki-hō and Kōmyō Reiki-dō, Jotaro brought perspectives gained through Jikiden Reiki, together with another independent tradition rooted in the teachings of Hiroshi Doi. Together, these complementary experiences enriched their historical research by providing broader perspectives from which to compare the traditions, identify their common foundations, and recognize the distinctive methods each had preserved.

Although the tradition taught through the Dentō Reiki Kyōkai has been significantly informed by the teachings preserved within Gendai Reiki-hō, Kōmyō Reiki-dō, and Jikiden Reiki, these are not the traditions we teach. Rather, we teach Shinshin Kaizen Usui Reiki Ryōhō through a preservation-oriented approach informed by historical research, surviving traditions, and ongoing study. In this way, the surviving Japanese traditions serve not as models to be duplicated, but as invaluable historical witnesses that help illuminate the original practice established by Usui Sensei.

Although our work has been informed by historical materials and teachings preserved within Japan, the Dentō Reiki Kyōkai operates independently. We do not claim any affiliation with the Usui Reiki Ryōhō Gakkai (臼井靈氣療法學會), and we do not represent or speak on its behalf. Our commitment is to preserving the practice established by Usui Sensei rather than reconstructing or representing any historical institution.

We believe that preserving this tradition requires more than faithfully transmitting what has been inherited. It also requires the humility to continually deepen our understanding through careful historical study and sincere practice. As new information becomes available, our curriculum and methods of instruction may be refined whenever doing so provides a clearer understanding of the way Usui Reiki Ryōhō was taught and practiced during its earliest years. In this way, preservation is not a static process but an ongoing responsibility.

At the same time, we believe that the opportunity to study traditional Usui Reiki Ryōhō should be available to all who sincerely wish to learn. Advancement within this tradition is based not upon exclusivity or personal affiliation, but upon sincere practice, demonstrated understanding, ethical conduct, and the ability to faithfully transmit what has been learned.

The term Dentō Usui Reiki Ryōhō continues to be used because it has become familiar to many practitioners and reflects the preservation-oriented nature of this work. At the same time, we identify the tradition by its original name, Shinshin Kaizen Usui Reiki Ryōhō, the name given by Usui Sensei to the system he established. We do so because we believe it most accurately reflects the tradition we seek to preserve and transmit.

Every generation receives the tradition through those who came before it. We have inherited the dedication of teachers, practitioners, and historians who have preserved Usui Sensei's teachings through more than a century of practice. Our responsibility is to honor that legacy by studying carefully, practicing sincerely, teaching faithfully, and preserving Shinshin Kaizen Usui Reiki Ryōhō so that future generations may inherit it with the same integrity in which it was entrusted to our care.

THE DENTŌ REIKI KYŌKAI

Views of Linage and Transmission

The teaching lineage of Dentō Usui Reiki Ryōhō

Usui Mikao

Taketomi Kan'Ichi

Koyama Kimiko

Doi Hiroshi

Jackobson Mary

The lines of transmission presented on this website are not intended to establish authority based upon the reputation of any particular style or tradition of Reiki practice. Rather, they are shared simply to acknowledge the sources that contributed to the historical research and development of our understanding of Shinshin Kaizen Usui Reiki Ryōhō (心身改善臼井靈氣療法). We do not teach Gendai Reiki-hō, Kōmyō Reiki-dō, Jikiden Reiki, or any other modern Reiki tradition. These lineages are included solely in the interest of transparency.

The Dentō Reiki Kyōkai View on Lineage

Our perspective is closely aligned with that traditionally held within the Usui Reiki Ryōhō Gakkai (臼井靈氣療法學會), the original learning society established by Usui Sensei in 1922. Within the Gakkai, the emphasis has never been on lineage charts (系統図, keitō-zu) or tracing one's place within a succession of teachers. Instead, the focus has always been on the sincere practice, preservation, and transmission of the art established by Usui Sensei.

Much of the emphasis placed on lineage within the modern Reiki community developed outside Japan and has become a characteristic of many Western Reiki traditions or styles that are attempting to strictly control their teaching. While we remain deeply grateful to those teachers who guided us and preserved elements of the tradition, our primary concern is not the prominence of a lineage, but the faithful preservation and transmission of the teachings established by Usui Sensei.

For us, Reiki Ryōhō is ultimately Usui Sensei's gift. Our responsibility is to preserve, practice, and pass forward Shinshin Kaizen Usui Reiki Ryōhō (心身改善臼井靈氣療法) with sincerity, integrity, and respect for its origins. For us, lineage is not a succession of modern teachers but the teachings established by Usui Sensei. It is his tradition that we seek to preserve and transmit. It is upon him and his teachings that we place our emphasis.

Have any questions?

If you have any questions about the practice of traditional Reiki Ryōhō, our training seminars, or an upcoming Reiki event, feel free to contact us.

Contact Us

info@dentoreiki.com
Dentō Reiki Kyōkai on Facebook 507.517.2080

Dentō Reiki Kyōkai

傳統靈氣協會

Dentō Reiki Kyōkai 

Traditional Japanese Reiki Ryōhō training and treatment sessions in Rochester, Minnesota.

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