Hawayo Takata

Hawayo Takata

Hawayo Hiromi Takata (December 24, 1900 - December 11, 1980), a Japanese-American born in Hanamaulu, Territory of Hawaii, helped introduce the spiritual practice of Reiki to the Western World. As a Nisei fluent in the language and culture of both Japan and the United States, she was well-suited for this task, and her contributions in this area are widely acknowledged. Takata, however, remains a source of controversy in the Reiki community for her efforts to maintain the practice as a sort of pay-for-access franchise under her leadership.