From the Words of Mrs. Takata
“Mrs. Takata and Reiki Power” published in the Honolulu Advertiser, 25 Feb 1974
Her picture hangs on my walls with those of Dr. Mikao Usui, Dr. Chujiro Hayashi and Mr. John Harvey Gray. A petite, Japanese-American woman from Hawaii, she was born to Japanese immigrants on December 24, 1900 in Kauai. In an article published in the Honolulu Advertiser in 1974, Takata perfectly describes how Reiki supports the body: “‘Reiki, which is applied by hand, goes to the cause and effect. When the cause is removed there will be no effect,’” (Matsura B-2).
So, who is this woman, Mrs. Takata? Why is her picture on my wall? What does she mean when she says “‘when the cause is removed, there will be no effect’”?
Mrs. Takata, the third Reiki Master in our lineage, is responsible for bringing Reiki to the West. After her husband passed in 1930, Takata (as she liked to be called) had to work constantly to support her two daughters and developed a series of health conditions, including a lung condition and a large tumor in her abdomen. Her health continued to deteriorate, and she eventually traveled to Japan, where she could seek medical treatment for less cost than in Hawaii or the mainland. It was in Tokyo, while about to undergo surgery for her condition, that Mrs. Takata discovered the hands-on healing method at Dr. Chujiro Hayashi’s Reiki clinic.
Instead of surgery, Mrs. Takata began to visit Hayashi’s clinic and received daily Reiki treatments. Her lung condition (emotional asthma from the grief of losing her husband), as well as the tumor in her abdomen, eventually healed. In time, Takata learned Reiki herself and began practicing on Japanese women in their homes in Tokyo. When she was well enough, she returned to Hawaii and began offering sessions to her community.
In 1937, Hayashi and his daughter traveled to Hawaii, where he stayed several months and made Takata a Reiki Master in 1938. Before World War II and Hayashi’s passing, he asked Mrs. Takata to carry on the lineage, which is why we have Reiki as we know it today - and why you see her photo on my wall. In the Usui Shiki Ryoho tradition, we honor the masters of our lineage because Reiki is an oral tradition that is passed from teacher to student. Those masters who have passed - Dr. Mikao Usui, Dr. Chujiro Hayashi, Hawayo Takata and John Harvey Gray - hold a special place for us and we honor them as our teachers.
And what did Mrs. Takata mean in the Honolulu Advertiser when she said “‘when the cause is removed, there will be no effect’”? In my experience, many times, when we don’t feel “well,” we are experiencing symptoms- or effects - of something deeper happening in the mind and body. Reiki, when received regularly, activates the body’s natural self-healing ability and therefore, as Mrs. Takata explained, removes the cause. The root is removed, harmony is restored and therefore the “effects” disappear.
Curious about what exactly Reiki is? Follow along for more musings or call us at 610-903-2206 to have all of your Reiki questions answered.
