Understanding the Differences
If you’ve been practicing or exploring Reiki for a while, you may have come across discussions about Japanese Reiki and Western Reiki and wondered—what’s the difference?
In this article, I will do my best to clarify the distinction, providing insight into how Reiki evolved after leaving Japan and why certain aspects of the original teachings were lost or altered along the way.
Where It All Began: Tracing Reiki’s Lineage
Every Reiki system that exists today, apart from the closed Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai in Japan, traces its roots back to Chujiro Hayashi, Usui Sensei’s last Shihan/Teacher. Some say that Hayashi modified Usui's teachings, others say he did not.
Some of the most popular and well-known systems of Reiki, including Jikiden Reiki, Komyo ReikiDo, and Traditional Usui Reiki Ryoho (Western Reiki)—all share this Hayashi lineage.
While in the West, many consider Traditional Usui Reiki Ryoho to be the most authentic form of Reiki, in reality, it is a modified version of Hayashi’s teachings, as is Komyo ReikiDo.
WHAT HAYASHI TAUGHT
Hayashi’s approach to Reiki consisted of two key aspects:
Spiritual Practice – Specific mindfulness practices designed by Usui Sensei in order to attain enlightenment and daily techniques to cultivate energy, healing and promote spiritual connection.
Hands-On Healing – Techniques for treating others and oneself, incorporating intuitive hand placements and energy sensitivity. Aside from hands-on healing and distance Reiki, it also included advanced techniques for circulating blood, detoxifying, healing fresh injuries, eliminating unwanted habits and for balancing energy.
These two elements worked hand in hand, creating a holistic practice that extended beyond simple energy healing.
Western Reiki: How It Changed & Why
The Shift in Focus
When Hawayo Takata, a Japanese-American woman, brought Reiki to the West, she referred to it as Traditional Usui Reiki Ryoho. Any systems that have sprouted from her lineage are therefore considered 'Western Reiki'.
Initially, Takata did teach the spiritual aspects of Reiki alongside healing, but during World War II, she had to make difficult choices.
Due to strong anti-Japanese sentiment, she Westernized Reiki’s story and removed the more overtly Japanese spiritual practices to make it more palatable and accepted in the West. Over time, as Reiki was passed down through her students, the spiritual depth gradually faded, and the emphasis became almost entirely on hands-on healing.
As she was also travelling all around to teach and practice Reiki, and wasn't in one place for a long time, she wasn't able to mentor her students through weekly or bi-weekly practice gatherings (as Usui and Hayashi did), to help them develop their sensitivity to the energy and work intuitively. As a result, her Teachings became more like weekend workshops and she simplified the practices away from intuitive practices. This is where timed hand placements came into existence. She did teach her students 'to let the Reiki guide you' but the emphasis of her teaching was on set, timed hand positions to ensure practitioners covered the whole body rather than targeting problem areas (as they did in Japan where Practitioners were trained to develop their sensitivity to the energy).
She also removed teachings of the advanced healing techniques such as for circulating blood, detoxifying, healing fresh injuries, eliminating unwanted habits and balancing energy.
In summary, Western Reiki was a stripped back version of the original Japanese practice, leaving predominantly hands-on healing as the sole or main practice.
What Was Lost
Some of the key elements that were either removed or significantly reduced in Western Reiki include:
Daily spiritual practices that helped cultivate /energy from within and the Reiki way of being/spiritual growth.
Intuitive hand placements, replaced by structured, systematic hand positions (treating every person the same way regardless of mental/physical ailment).
Advanced Healing techniques, which allowed Practitioners to target specific ailments and issues for more specialised healing.
Ongoing Reiju (attunements), which were originally given in Japan repeatedly to strengthen connection to Reiki beyond the initial attunements given in the workshops.
Japanese concepts and cultural philosophies that provided deeper context to Reiki practice.
The system Takata taught remains highly effective (and there are variations of how practitioners practice), but it is distinctly different from the more intuitive, spiritually immersive Japanese approach.
Japanese Reiki: A Return to the Roots
Jikiden Reiki & Komyo ReikiDo
While Reiki changed in the West, some Japanese practitioners continued to teach the original methods. Two of the most well-known Japanese Reiki systems today are:
Jikiden Reiki – Founded by Chiyoko Yamaguchi and her son Tadao Yamaguchi, Jikiden Reiki seeks to preserve the direct teachings of Hayashi without Western influence. It maintains the traditional Reiju attunement process, intuitive healing techniques, and spiritual elements that were removed in Western Reiki. Moreover, it teaches all the practices taught by Hayashi, including sacred symbols and advanced healing, unchanged. Jikiden can be said to teach the complete set of traditional Japanese Reiki healing and spiritual practices.
Komyo ReikiDo – Developed by Hyakuten Inamoto, a Pureland Buddhist monk, Komyo ReikiDo places strong emphasis on Reiki as a spiritual path, rather than just a healing practice. It views healing as a natural outcome of spiritual growth, rather than the primary focus. However, unlike Jikiden Reiki, Komyo ReikiDo does not teach the traditional Reiki practices, as they are modified, adapted versions of what Hayashi taught, including modified symbols, techniques and modified Reiju. In this way, we cannot call it a traditional system of Reiki, although the practices, whilst modified versions, are certainly very closely aligned with the original ones.
Both systems prioritise intuition, spiritual discipline, as well as healing, providing a more holistic and complete approach than the streamlined Western model.
My Journey & Why This Matters
Before practicing Jikiden Reiki and Komyo ReikiDo, I spent three years practicing Usui Reiki Shiki Ryoho (Western Reiki) and I experiences some incredible self-healing in that time as well at witnessing extraordinary healing of others. It was undoubtedly effective.
But after a few years, I felt like I hit a wall, so to speak, and had a yearning to go deeper. It wasn’t until I encountered Japanese Reiki that I realised how much had been lost in the practice. How rich and deep the original spiritual and healing practices were.
Speaking from my own experience—while acknowledging that others may feel differently—I noticed a distinct increase in the intensity and effectiveness of the Reiki I channeled over time once I began practicing Japanese Reiki. I noticed a deeper healing and growth within myself and also in my practice with my clients.
For me, it wasn’t about choosing one over the other—it was about reclaiming what had been forgotten and integrating it into my practice. Refining and deepening what I was already taught and practicing.
That’s why my approach today is about bringing back those lost spiritual and healing elements without requiring practitioners of Western Reiki to change their entire system. The practices that got lost along the way are in no way contradictory to any other system of Western Reiki. Instead, I encourage enhancing your practice by incorporating:
Techniques to cultivate energy within, heal and strengthen their Reiki connection.
Intuitive healing methods that go beyond fixed hand positions to increase effectiveness and efficiency of healing.
A deeper understanding of Reiki as a way of life, through the Reiki principals for a happy and healthy life, not just a healing tool.
Advanced traditional healing techniques for detoxifying, healing fresh injuries, balancing energy, eliminating unwanted habits and for circulating blood.
These aspects don’t replace Western Reiki—they complement it, allowing practitioners to experience Reiki in a way that feels more aligned with its original purpose.
Summary of the key Differences Between Japanese & Western Reiki
Aspect | Japanese Reiki (Jikiden/Komyo ReikiDo) | Western Reiki (Takata Lineage) |
Spiritual Practice | Strong emphasis on daily meditation, mindfulness, and personal growth. | Minimal spiritual training; focus on hands-on healing. |
Self-Healing | Essential daily practice, deeply integrated into Reiki training. | Diluted over time; inconsistent emphasis. Some systems promote it, while others overlook it entirely. |
Healing Approach | Intuitive hand placements and focusing on troubled areas. | Standardised hand positions used systematically. |
Specialised Traditional Healing Techniques (for detoxifying, healing fresh injuries, balancing energy, eliminating unwanted habits, and circulating blood) | Yes – Includes techniques for specific healing. | No – Primarily focused on general hands-on healing. |
Attunements (Reiju) | Given repeatedly over time to deepen practice. | One-time attunements, often only during training. |
Teaching Method | Encourages development of intuition, energy sensitivity, and experience-based learning. | Structured, step-by-step teaching approach. |
Cultural Context | Rooted in Japanese cultural and spiritual philosophy and traditions. | Adapted to Western perspectives and teaching styles. |
Final Thoughts: Reiki Is Reiki
At its core, Reiki is not about division or Japanese vs Western—it is about what resonates for each person. What remains true is that Reiki, as an energy itself does not change, Reiki is Reiki both in Western and Japanese systems. The difference is how Reiki it is taught and practiced.
Western Reiki has helped Reiki spread globally, making it accessible to millions. Takata Sensei has provided an incredible service to humanity by changing the practices the way she did to allow Reiki to continue to spread during and after the War. You can read more about that here.
Japanese Reiki, emerged post-war, after some Westerners sought out some of Hayashi's students, namely Chiyoko Yamaguchi (who created Jikiden Reiki as a result). In doing so, they have revived and preserved the original spiritual and healing practice, maintaining the traditions of a holistic system.
For those practicing Western Reiki, these lost practices are entirely complimentary to your practice and should you feel called to it, there is always the opportunity to add to your current practice—whether by integrating lost elements into your current system or by exploring Japanese Reiki in its pure form.
If this article has resonated with you and you're looking to start or deepen your Reiki journey, I invite you to contact me and we can arrange a time to chat. Otherwise, if you are ready to start your Reiki journey, you can book an appointment here or sign up for a Reiki course here. I look forward to connecting with you!
Warmest,
Fiona x
Fiona Phillips
Certified Reiki Shihan (Teacher) and Practitioner
Within The Space | Melbourne
Japanese Reiki
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