Historical/Social background of Japan and of “hands-on healers” or “Reijutsu-ka” in the times of Usui Sensei Usui Mikao Sensei（臼井甕男 先生）born on August 15th in the first year of Keio（慶応）(1865 C.E.), died on March 9th in the 15th year of Taisho（大正）(1926 C.E.) Japanese Era Name, Gengo (元号): Keio (慶応) < 1865 – 1868 > Meiji (明治) < 1868 – 1912 > Taisho (大正) < 1912 – 1926 > Showa (昭和) < 1926 – 1989 > Heisei (平成) < 1989 - > Usui Sensei was born at the end of Edo Period (1600 – 1868), the age of feudalism, when Tokugawa Shogunate ( the government of * a Shogun 将軍) was ruling Japan. * Shogun: The hereditary commander of the army of “Samurai” warriors who until 1867 exercised the absolute rule (dominion) under the nominal leadership of the emperor. 光明レイキ会 Komyo Reiki Kai 徳川家康(将軍) Tokugawa Ieyasu (Shogun) (1542 – 1616), the founder of Tokugawa Shogunate 明治天皇 Emperor Meiji (1867 – 1912), the 122nd Emperor of Japan ↓ 神武天皇 Emperor Jinmu, the very first Emperor of Japan 光明レイキ会 Komyo Reiki Kai What was happening in Japan and in the world? 1865 C.E. Usui Mikao Sensei was born on August 15. British minister plenipotentiary Sir Harry Smith Parkes arrives in Japan. Ernest Mason Satow and William George Aston, who later become renowned as Japanologists, serve him as interpreters. * The American Civil War is over. * President Lincoln fatally shot. * Gregor Mendel discovers “Law of Heredity”. 1866 C.E. Satsuma-Choshu Alliance is formed against the Tokugawa shogunate. The army of the shogun engages the enemy forces of the Choshu domain in the second Choshu Military Expeditions; Shogunate’s army suffers a defeat, which severely damages its prestige. * North America and Europe are connected by a 2,500 mile (4,023 km) long telegraph cable. * Seven Week’s War; Austria defeated by Prussia and Italy. 光明レイキ会 Komyo Reiki Kai 1867 C.E. 大 政 奉 還 TAISEI HOKAN (Return of Political Dominion to the Emperor):Formal return of political dominion (rule) to the emperor by the last shogun,Tokugawa Yoshinobu. Japan ends 270-year Tokugawa Shogunate and 675-year shogun rule. Taisei Hokan was performed at Nijo Castle in Kyoto. 大政奉還 Taisei Hokan at Nijo Castle in Kyoto 光明レイキ会 Komyo Reiki Kai 坂 本 龍 馬 Sakamoto Ryoma (1836-1867), a lordless samurai, played a prominent role in the negotiations that led to the voluntary resignation of Shogun, Toyotomi Yoshinobu, in 1867. Ryoma was assassinated at the age of 31 on the night of December 10, 1867 in Kyoto. just before the Meiji Restoration took place. ↑ 坂本龍馬 Sakamoto Ryoma * 1867: Alfred Nobel patents dynamite in Great Britain. : Karl Marx publishes the first volume of “Das Kapital” in Berlin. : Austria-Hungary Duel Monarchy established. : U.S. buys Alaska from Russia for $7,200,000 光明レイキ会 Komyo Reiki Kai 1868 C.E. Usui Sensei was 3 years old. 明治維新 Restoration of Imperial Dominion (January 3, 1868); Meiji Restoration is initiated. The city of Edo is renamed “Tokyo” (eastern capital).Tokyo becomes the official seat of Japanese government the following year.. The emperor adopts the era name (Gengo) “Meiji” (Enlightened Rule). Meiji Period begins. * 1868 : Revolution in Spain; Queen Isabella deposed,flees to France. * 1869 : Transcontinental railroad completed in the United States. * 1870 : Franco-Russian War(1870-71) begins. 光明レイキ会 Komyo Reiki Kai 明治時代 “ MEIJI” PERIOD (1868 – 1912) The Meiji Restoration of direct imperial dominion commenced the Meiji Period and began Japan’s transformation into a modern industrial society. Restoration leaders reformed former feudal domains into a modern nation-state, established a centralized bureaucracy, enacted a new land tax system, and created a modern conscript army. Abolition of feudal classes and the establishment of universal education helped create a unified national polity. The 1889 Constitution of the Empire of Japan established the first parliamentary government in Asia. During the latter part of period Japan emerged as a major imperialist power through victories in the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895 and the Russo-Japanes War (1904-05) and the annexation of Korea in 1910. 光明レイキ会 Komyo Reiki Kai 大正時代 TAISHO PERIOD ( 1912 – 1926) The Taisho period was marked by the advent of true party government, increased popular involvement in politics, the growth of organized labor and left-wing movement and a domestic economic boom fueled by World WarⅠ. The democratic tendencies of the period, often referred to as Taisho Democracy, were supported by the emergence of an educated urban middle class and the rise of new forms of mass media such as radio, large-circulation newspapers, magazines and paperback books. Eventually, however, an economic downturn and authoritarian measures such as the enactment of the Peace Preservation Law of 1925 and the expansion of the Special Higher Police began to erode the gains made by Japan’s first experiment with democracy. 光明レイキ会 Komyo Reiki Kai 1912 C.E. USUI Sensei was 47 year old. Death of Emperor Meiji ; accession of Emperor Taisho. Japan sends two athletes to the 5th Summer Olympic Games at Stockholm. Yuai-kai (Friendship Association) formed; begins the organization of Japanese labor. * 1912: Republic of Chine established with Sun Yat-sen (Son Issen) as president; Emperor Puyi abdicates. : Titanic sinks on maiden voyage; over 1,500 drown. : New Mexico and Arizona admitted as states. * 1913: Niels Bohr clarifies the structure of the atom. : Woodrow Wilson becomes 28th U.S. president. 光明レイキ会 Komyo Reiki Kai 1914 C.E. USUI sensei was 49 years old. Japan enters World WarⅠon the side of Great Britain and its allies. * 1914: Archduke Francis Ferdinand assassinated at Sarajevo; World WarⅠbegins. : Panama Canal officially opened. * 1915: Albert Einstein presents General Theory of Relativity. ************************* 靈術 (Rei-jutsu) and 靈術家 (Rei-jutsu-ka) 靈 (Rei = spirit, psyche or mind) 術 (Jutsu = the art or skill) Rei-jutsu lieterally means: the art of spirit (human psyche or mind) or the art of a mental-healing. 光明レイキ会 Komyo Reiki Kai A viewpoint of Rei-jutsu is that the diseases can be healed by the power of human mind. 靈術家 Rei-jutsu-ka means: a person who practices Rei-jutsu. *** Rei-jutsu was a folk remedy or alternative medicine, and it was widely accepted and recognized by Japanese people during the period of mid-Taisho (1918 -1926) and the beginning of Showa (1926 – 1930). Rei-jutsu was known as the art of “the mind-cure or mental healing” and considered the mind as the key to physical health and saw that the mind could overcome any illness which originated in the mind. There was keen interest in alternatives to Western medicine which had made inroads into Japanese medical setting since Meiji Restoration(1868). 光明レイキ会 Komyo Reiki Kai People were not happy with too much of Westernization and modernization nor with Western medicine, because medical practice was crude and frightening and lacking effectiveness. (Western medicine was not so advanced as the present day.) Rei-jutsu was booming during Taisho period (1912 – 1926) and the Beginning of Showa period(1926 – 1930). It was like “A Great Awakening” movement among Japanese people. The period nurtured a proliferation of Rei-jutsu and Rei-jutsu-ka. There were about 30,000 Rei-jutsu healers all over Japan (as of 1927). Rei-jutsu healers mostly used “the laying on of hands” method. USUI Mikao Sensei(臼井甕男), the founder of Usui Reiki Roho (臼井靈氣療法), was one of Rei-jutsu healers. KAWAKAMI Mataji (川上又次) published a book titled “Reiki Ryoho and its efficacy” in the 8th year of Taisho (1919). He used the word “Reiki Ryoho” 靈氣療法 before Usui Sensei. 光明レイキ会 Komyo Reiki Kai Some of the well-known Rei-jutsu-ka: 鈴木美山（清次郎） Dr. SUZUKI Bizan (Seijiro) (1879 - ?) The founder of Teikoku Kenzen Testugaku Kan (House of Imperial Philosophy of Soundness) He created “Tetsuri Ryoho” (philosophical therapy) after having Studied Christian Science in the United States. He published a book “Kenzen no Genri” (the Principle of Soundness) in the 3rd year of Taisho (1914), a part of which became the source of Usui Reiki Ryoho Principles (Gokai). The phrase titled 健全の道 Kenzen no Michi “ A Path to Soundness” reads: 今日だけは(kyo dake wa) TODAY ONLY 怒らず (ikarazu) BE NOT ANGRY 恐れず (osore zu) BE NOT FEARFUL 正直に (shojiki ni) WITH HONESTY 職務を励み (shokumu wo hagemi) PERFORM DILIGENTLY YOUR DUTY 人に親切に (hitoni shinsetsu ni) BE KIND TO OTHERS 光明レイキ会 Komyo Reiki Kai 岡田茂吉 OKADA Mokichi (1882-1955), the founder of Sekai Kyusei Kyo, a new religion , was one of Suzuki’s students. He founded this new belief system with “hand-healing” called JOREI in the 10th year of Showa (1935). 谷口雅春 TANIGUCHI Masaharu, the founder of Seicho-no-Ie”, the largest New Thought-oriented religion, was also one of Suzuki’s students. He launched “ Komyo( enlightenment) Movement” in the 6th year of Showa (1931). 桑原天然（俊郎）KUWAHARA Tennen (Toshiro) (1873-1906), the father of Rei-jutsu. He inspired TANAKA Morihei to found Tai-Rei-Do (太靈道靈子 術), SHIMIZU Choshu (清水長州) to be the founder of Shurei Kyoka Dan (修靈教化団), EMA Koho (江間高峰), to set up Ema Shiki Rei Jutsu (江間式靈術), and KUWATA Kinji to found Teikoku Shinrei Kenkyu Kai (帝国心霊研究会) (Imperial Study Society of Spiritualism). 光明レイキ会 Komyo Reiki Kai It was the golden age of Rei-jutsu during the period of mid-Taisho (1918 -1926) and the beginning of Showa (1926 – 1930). Rei-jutsu-ka appeared one after another. Osteopathy and Chiropractic were introduced from America, and “Shiatsu” therapy was developed. Usui Sensei lived in this golden age of Rei-jutsu when he was at the age of between 53 years old and 61 year old. * 村上辰午郎 MURAKAMI Tatsugoro – 村上式注意術 Mrakami-shiki Chui Jutsu。 * 大山靈泉 OYAMA Reisen – 靈掌術 Rei-Sho-Jutsu * 清水長州（英範）SHIMIZU Choshu – 精神統一法 Seishin-Toitsu-Ho * 桑田欣児 KUWATA Kinji – 心霊自動療法 Shinrei Jido Ryoho * 溝田象堂 MIZOTA Shodo – 修靈道診断法 Shurei-do Shindan Ho 光明レイキ会 Komyo Reiki Kai * 高木秀輔 TAKAGI Shusuke – 断食法及靈氣術 Danjiki Ho/Reiki Jutsu * 中村天風 NAKAMURA Tenpu – 統一哲医学会 Toitsu Tetsui Gakkai * 松原皎月 MATSUBARA Kogetsu – 洗心流靈氣療法 Senshin-ryu Reiki Ryoho * 富田魁二 TONIDA Kaiji – 富田流手あて療法 Tomida-ryu Teate Ryoho * 江口俊博 EGUCHI Toshihiro – 手のひら療治 Tenohira Ryochi Most of Rei-jutsu-ka published their books and encouraged people to purchase the books and learn their own healing modalities.