Who was Iris Ishikuro?   She was not only one of Takata’s  twenty-two Master students but a very important person in the history of Reiki and it’s spread in the United States.

Iris was a relative of Mrs. Hawyo Takata, the woman responsible for bringing Reiki to the west through Hawaii.  When Mrs. Takata died in 1980, Iris decided not to abide by the oath she took when Mrs. Takata mastered her: the oath of charging ten thousand dollars to Master someone.  Iris Ishikuro mastered only two people, her daughter Ruby and Arthur Robinson who lived in the states.

Iris Ishikuro and Arthur Robertson

Both Iris Ishikuro and Ruby were involved with another healing modality through  the Johrei Fellowship, a religious fellowship that includes healing with energy projected from the hands.  Ruby continued with the Johrei Fellowship and never taught Reiki, Iris had also learned another kind of healing from her sister, who worked in a Tibetan temple in Hawaii.

However, Arthur Robinson did and began teaching in the mid-1980s.  There were many people including one of our current day, well-known figures who could not afford ten thousand dollars.  They became Masters only after Arthur started teaching .  Those that Robertson taught trained others and the number of  Reiki Masters quickly increased.

Arthur Robertson had also been a teacher of Tibetan shamanism and had learned a healing method that made use of several symbols and an attunement-like technique called an empowerment. This method had similarities to Usui Reiki. After becoming a Reiki Master, he developed an alternative method of Reiki that was a combination of the Tibetan style of healing and Usui Reiki.

Iris and Arthur’s evolution of Reiki

Ii s believed that Iris Ihhikuro  and Arthur Robinson continued Reiki’s evolution.  They came up with a system called Raku Kei.  Raku Kei is somtimes referred to as ” The Way of the Drgagon”. Raku is described a a vertical flow of energy and Kei as the horitontal flow of enregy in the body.

How you might be connected to Iris and Arthur

If you have taken Reiki training in the United States, you should have been given a paper showing your Reiki Lineage.  If you look up your lineage, you are certain to see Arthur Robinson and Iris Ishikuro.   Dr. Usui wanted Reiki to be readily shared by all.  His wish continues today thanks to Iris  Ishiruko.