Clarification on Lineages

In order to clear up any confusion, an Eastern lineage is a Reiki lineage that does not include Chujiro Hayashi or Hawayo Takata. It will only contain the names of Usui's other Shinpiden students, those that were neither associated with nor teaching with Chujiro Hayashi.

Just prior to the devastating earthquake in Japan on 1st September 1923 Usui had begun teaching a simplified form of Reiki to the public in order to meet increasing demand. Usui saw that his method of healing had tremendous potential for all people, so out of a desire to help  he devised a non-religious Reiki form to suit everyone. This form was the foundation of what is now known as Western Reiki.

Chujiro Hayashi  studied with Usui in 1925 for 10 months before Usui's death. Hayashi was one of the first of Usui's non-Buddhist students. He was a Methodist Christian who had a very strong belief and was not open to the esoteric nature and deity practices that Usui was teaching so was taught the simplified form of Reiki. Of course it is well known that Hayashi broke away from the Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai in 1931, changed and modified that system creating Hayashi-no-Kenkyu Kai. (see Usui or Hayashi Reiki page)

Any lineage of  Reiki that has Chujiro Hayashi in the lineage is a Western Reiki lineage.

A number of Reiki styles have their origin in Japan. This does not qualify them as Eastern Reiki. Those with Hayashi in their Lineages are Western Reiki with a number of  Japanese techniques.