Usui's photo

I was wondering where you got the photo of Usui on the banner from?

Come to that, how do we know it's Mikao Usui on the photo?

This was inspired by the "new Shakespeare" portrait unveiled here today.

James kindly made the banner for us.

Re: the photo. Off-hand i can't say. You might wanna compare with :- http://www.aetw.org/reiki_pics.htm . Ask James, he's bound to know exactly when/where the photo appeared.

take care
Wayne

I have actually been meaning to ask that..

Dr.Usui looks different everytime...

At one picture (*this one*) he looks different from all other pictures. However, if you look really close, you can see some similarities. I've discussed it once with someone who's trained to notice people's characteristics and I believe he's right.

And... Mikao Usui never really was a "Dr"
It might be because there were some translation difficulties with the Japanese "sensei" that we are used to say "Dr. Usui". But it's not correct.
Therefore I always say "Usui-sensei".

Gasshō,
Frank

I hear what you say, Frank, about the honorific "Dr". But I was taught that "Sensei" was given by a student to a master who had taught them personally, and as Usui died when my father was 4 (!) and he never taught me, then I use the Western honorific.

If the explanation I was given is wrong then I'll be happy to call him "Sensei"!

My understanding was that
he was not a certified DR
but was given the nick name
DR because of the healings
within his Reiki clinic.

Lineage comes into play, for me persoanlly, when i use 'sensei' for the first three in my lineage, .

Frank, there's more evidence to show Usui sensei was a 'Dr', than he wasn't , . A 'Dr' can mean many things firstly. In any event, the translation 'error' isn't accurate bro. Usui sensei's student, Hayashi sensei, signed Takata sensei's teaching certificate, in which, it is 'Dr. Usui's Reiki system of healing'. This is quite clear. .

Source: http://www.aetw.org/reiki_takata_cert.html

Take care
Wayne

Pandora wrote:.. I was taught that "Sensei" was given by a student to a master who had taught them personally

Indeed, you can refer to your immediate teacher as 'sensei' - however the same goes for your teacher's teacher, and their teacher and so on.

This is the nature of lineage traditions.

the term Sensei ('born before' or 'lived before') has the connotation of someone who has 'lived the life' - someone who has deep first-hand experience of the particular discipline.

Thus Mikao Usui is most certainly worthy of the respectful title: 'sensei'.

Sensei is a term of respect which can be used for anyone who has mastered their art (though the term does not literally mean 'master')



BTW, from time to time you might encounter Reiki folk (and martial artists, etc) introducing themself (or promoting themself) as, for example, "Sensei Joe Smith" (or "Smith Sensei")

It is considered most impolite and presumptive for a person to refer to themself in this way


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Thanks for the clarification, James. Isn't it amazing just how much we get taught is not right! (I hesitate to say "wrong" because I'm sure it's not done with malice or intention to mislead)

Frank wrote:
And... Mikao Usui never really was a "Dr"

Hi Frank,

as Wayne has mentioned, the term 'Dr' can mean many things.

Why do people always assume it refers to a Doctor of Medicine?

A Doctor is anyone who has been awarded a Doctorate in their chosen field

There are also:
Doctors of Philosophy
Doctors of Commercial Science
Doctors of Divinity
Doctors of Agriculture
Doctors of Engineering
Doctors of Law
Doctors of Literature...

the list goes on.

Originally, the title Doctor referred to anyone who was so well-versed in their discipline that they were qualified to teach it.

Also, it is possible that Usui-sensei was a kanpoui:

a Doctor of Herbalism

Frank wrote:
It might be because there were some translation difficulties with the Japanese "sensei" that we are used to say "Dr. Usui". But it's not correct.
Therefore I always say "Usui-sensei".

Interestingly, in Japan a doctor (Medical Doctor) is often addressed as 'Sensei' - partly out of simple respect, yet also as a sign, I feel, of trust - a sign of the patient's faith in the doctor's knowledge, skill, and ability to cure their complaint.


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And, interestingly...

Doctor is Latin for teacher!

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_ancient_latin_word_for_teacher

Ai to Hikari
Colin

Pandora wrote:I was wondering where you got the photo of Usui on the banner from?

Photoshop!

Oh, you mean the pre-makeover, monochrome version?


Well, a number of people seem to have accepted credit for 'discovering' it.

We know Hiroshi Doi provided a copy of the image to several of his students.

However the first known version in circulation comes to us courtesy of Takata-sensei.

Come to that, how do we know it's Mikao Usui on the photo?

This was inspired by the "new Shakespeare" portrait unveiled here today.

Same question could be asked about any photo of any individual you have not met personally.






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It's possible that folks who
were opposed to natural healing
have tried to discredit Dr Usui
by starting a rumor that he's not
a DR. As James pointed out he may
have been a DR. in another field
outside that of an M.D.

I'm no expert, but the pic on the far left, when compared to the far right one, the far right one looks to have completely different bone structure in the jaw.

chi_solas wrote:It's possible that folks who
were opposed to natural healing
have tried to discredit Dr Usui
by starting a rumor that he's not
a DR. As James pointed out he may
have been a DR. in another field
outside that of an M.D.

Personally, I feel it has more to do with people who are attempting to discredit Takata-sensei...
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