Mikao Usui
Mikao Usui, the founder of Reiki, was born in Japan on 15th August 1865. He entered a Tendai Buddhist monastery as a child and from the age of twelve trained in the art of Samurai swordsmanship.
He married and had two children and followed a number of professions including that of private secretary to Shimpei Goto. He travelled widely and studied extensively including traditional Chinese medicine, numerology, astrology, psychic and clairvoyant development, and Zen Buddhism.
The name Reiki was not used until after Usui’s death in 1926. He referred to his system as a “Method to achieve Personal Perfection” and his students referred to it as “Usui Do” or “Usui Teate” (Usui hand-application).