Honoring Hawayo Takata: The Woman Who Brought Reiki to the West

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Reiki history has always fascinated me. Over the years, I’ve purchased and borrowed countless books, scoured the internet, and sought every scrap of information I could find. When I first began learning Reiki, I was taught that Madam Hawayo Takata was a disciple of the Usui Reiki system and that her teachings were exactly as Dr. Chujiro Hayashi, her teacher, had been taught by Mikao Usui himself.

However, as I dove deeper into Reiki’s history, I came to an unfortunate conclusion: I believed that Takata was a fraud.

Today, I am ashamed of that thought. It couldn’t be further from the truth.

Let me be clear: without Takata, Reiki would not exist in the Western world today. It would have remained a closed, deeply traditional practice solely within Japan.

With that understanding, let’s dive into the history that changed my mind and my heart.

The Story of Hawayo Takata

Hawayo Hiromi Takata was born on December 24, 1900, in Kauai, Hawaii. Her name "Hawayo" reflected the Japanese pronunciation of "Hawaii," honoring her birthplace. Her parents were immigrants from Hiroshima, Japan, working on a sugarcane plantation, part of Hawaii’s large and often struggling Japanese community. Records from this period are sparse, but we know Takata had at least two siblings.

In the early 1930s, Takata’s life changed dramatically. Her husband, Saichi Takata, passed away around 1930–1932, leaving her a widow with two young children. The grief and stress contributed to serious emotional and physical health issues that plagued her for years.

In 1935, after the death of her sister, Takata traveled to Japan to inform her parents personally. While there, she became seriously ill and was admitted to a hospital in Tokyo. This is where fate intervened: Takata encountered Dr. Chujiro Hayashi, a Reiki practitioner and student of Mikao Usui, the founder of modern Reiki.

After receiving Reiki treatments from Hayashi, Takata’s health improved significantly. Inspired by her healing experience, she asked Hayashi to teach her Reiki. Initially, he hesitated as Reiki was a closed practice in Japan, traditionally taught only to Japanese nationals. Eventually, however, Hayashi agreed, and Takata trained intensively with him for about a year.

In 1937, Takata returned to Hawaii and established her own Reiki practice in Hilo. In 1938, Dr. Hayashi traveled to Hawaii, and before his return to Japan, he formally initiated Takata as a Reiki Master, a rare honor.

Adapting Reiki for Survival

Soon after, the world changed.

As tensions escalated between the United States and Japan, Japanese Americans and immigrants came under suspicion. Hawaii, still a U.S. territory at the time, became a critical naval hub, and the military kept a watchful eye on anyone with ties to Japan.

Takata understood the risks. To protect herself and her practice, she adapted her story. She began teaching that Reiki had Christian roots; that Mikao Usui had been a Christian dean at a university; and that she herself was Christian. She changed the name of her healing center and carefully distanced Reiki from its Japanese spiritual origins.

Her actions were not about deception; they were about survival. Had she insisted on presenting Reiki as a Japanese spiritual practice, she risked internment, surveillance, or worse.

Even after World War II ended, anti-Japanese sentiment persisted. Takata continued framing Reiki as a Christian practice of laying on hands, a necessary measure to ensure Reiki could continue in the West.

Teaching and Preserving Reiki

Takata offered Reiki healing and began training others, but for many years, she restricted access to the Master level of Reiki training.

The price for Reiki Master training was high, $10,000 USD for a weekend session. While this seems shocking today, it aligned with the spiritual and healing world of that time. Demand for Reiki was low, and like many rare skills, the cost reflected its scarcity.

Takata also adhered to the traditional Japanese belief that Reiki was an oral tradition. Students were discouraged from taking notes or writing down the sacred Reiki symbols. These teachings were meant to be transmitted person-to-person, heart-to-heart.

Later in life, she did allow some limited written materials, but her emphasis remained on personal transmission of the teachings.

During the 1970s, she expanded her training to include Reiki Master initiations, eventually training 22 Reiki Masters before her death on December 11, 1980.

Reconciling the Myths

After Takata’s passing, her students began researching Reiki’s origins. The discovery of discrepancies between Takata’s version and historical records led some to accuse her of fraud.

I, too, once fell into that trap.

But context matters.

Takata lived in a time when anything foreign, especially Japanese, was feared and despised. If she had presented Reiki as a Japanese spiritual practice, she likely would have been arrested, detained, or worse. Reiki would have died with her.

Instead, she adapted. And because she did, Reiki survived and eventually thrived.

Now, let me ask you this: If Takata had not made those changes to Reiki's story, would you have ever studied Reiki? Would you have even heard about it?

I believe the answer is no.

Without her adaptations, she almost certainly would have been detained in a Japanese internment camp. Teaching or practicing a Japanese spiritual tradition would have been seen as dangerous during that era. Reiki would have remained a closed tradition in Japan, and until the 1990s, was largely inaccessible to outsiders.

Because of Takata’s choices, Reiki found its way to millions around the world.

Challenging the Narrative: The Critics of Takata’s Legacy

While Takata’s decisions helped Reiki flourish in the Western world, her legacy has been the subject of much debate. Over the years, influential figures such as William Lee Rand, Walter Lubeck, and Frank Arjava Petter have been instrumental in bringing forth the "true history" of Reiki, a history that often paints Takata in a negative light.

Each of these individuals has been crucial in shedding light on the origins of Reiki in Japan, as well as the contributions of Mikao Usui and his direct disciples. Their work has been invaluable in helping the world understand the roots of Reiki and its transmission. However, while their intentions may have been to preserve the tradition and correct misconceptions, their portrayals of Takata have, at times, demonized her for the very changes she made in Reiki’s journey to the West.

William Lee Rand, the founder of the International Center for Reiki Training, has written extensively about Reiki’s history and its evolution. He has spoken openly about how Takata's teachings were altered for Western consumption, especially regarding the way she introduced the symbols and attunements. However, while his work has helped broaden Reiki’s reach, it also perpetuates the view that Takata distorted Reiki for selfish reasons or out of ignorance.

Similarly, Walter Lubeck and Frank Arjava Petter, both authors and well-known Reiki teachers, have contributed to the ongoing conversation about Reiki’s past. They, too, have pointed out discrepancies in Takata’s story and emphasized the changes she made to the system. While their writings have undeniably expanded the global Reiki community’s understanding of the practice’s true origins, there’s a clear undertone of judgment toward Takata, suggesting that her actions were somehow wrong or dishonorable.

This critical stance overlooks a crucial aspect of Takata’s role in Reiki’s survival and growth. Without Takata’s adaptations, none of these critics would have had the opportunity to learn Reiki in the first place. Takata’s actions paved the way for Reiki’s introduction to the Western world, and without her, the doors to Reiki would have remained closed. The changes she made allowed for Reiki to reach people who would have otherwise never encountered the practice.

While these critics might believe they are offering a more authentic portrayal of Reiki’s history, their judgments may be tainting the very history they seek to preserve. This judgmental lens not only undermines Takata’s contributions but also perpetuates divisions within the Reiki community. It creates a narrative where Takata’s necessary changes are viewed as wrong or deceitful, even though they were made with the intent to protect and preserve the practice.

The story of Reiki, as passed down by Takata, is not a story of betrayal, but of survival. And by demonizing her decisions, these critics inadvertently perpetuate the same issues of judgment and exclusion that Reiki was meant to transcend.

Final Thoughts

Looking back, it’s clear to me that Hawayo Takata was not a fraud, she was a protector. She made difficult decisions during a time when survival often meant adapting your identity to fit the world around you.

Passing judgment on someone for actions taken in a different time and culture does not right a wrong, nor does erasing their history because we don’t fully understand the context. The choices Takata made were not about deceit, they were about ensuring the survival of Reiki. Without her courage and creativity, Reiki might have remained a hidden practice in Japan, lost to the Western world for decades longer or perhaps forever.

The history we are taught, and even the history we are not taught, shapes our beliefs. It’s important to question, to dig deeper, and to view the past with understanding rather than judgment. Judgment does not change the past, but understanding can shape a better future.

Takata’s changes were not betrayals; they were acts of preservation. Thanks to her, Reiki has touched millions of lives, offering healing, hope, and connection across the globe.

As Reiki practitioners, it is our responsibility to teach the full story, honoring not only the origins of Reiki in Japan but also the journey it took to reach us. We must approach history with a sense of compassion, rather than condemnation.

Takata’s legacy deserves our gratitude, respect, and understanding.

Because of her, Reiki lives.

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