The history of Reiki has recently gone through a radical revision as North American Reiki Masters have re-established contact with Reiki Masters in Japan. Although both the North Americans and Japanese come to Reiki via the Mikao Usui lineage, their understanding of Reiki history has been quite different. In particular, North Americans and Europeans of the Hawayo Takata lineage were taught a mythology about Reiki and Mikao Usui designed to make Reiki more palatable to Americans following World War II, a time when many Americans were rabidly anti-Japanese.

Unfortunately most of this Takata originated mythology about Usui and the origins of Reiki is simply not true.

Rather than repeat the information, I refer you to:
The Reiki Threshold Richard (Rick) Rivard's web site
Traditional Japanese Reiki Association site maintained by Dave King and Melissa Riggall.
The International Center for Reiki Training, Discovering the Roots of Reiki by William Lee Rand and Laura Ellen Gifford

I strongly encourage every Reiki practitioner, particularly Reiki Masters of the Hawayo Takata lineage to review these sites for more current information about Usui and the origins of Reiki.

If you believe Mikao Usui taught the Reiki symbols should be kept secret and could not or should not be written down, please review these sites. You are in for quite a surprise.