Chujiro Hayashi

, a disciple of Mikao Usui, played a major role in the transmission of Reiki out of Japan and for turning it into a less mystical practice.
Hayashi was a naval physician and employed Reiki to treat his patients. He began studying with Usui in 1925. He made his branch, Hayashi Reiki Kenkyu-kai in Tokyo, Shinano-machi while his master Usui was still alive, and has kept the way of Usui's teaching.
Hayashi initiated and trained Hawayo Takata and helped her bring Reiki to Hawaii. As some of the popular history of Reiki consists of Takata's alleged lies, Hayashi is often considered to be Usui's chief disciple and the second Grand Master of Reiki history.
In 1940, Hayashi committed "seppuku", a Japanese form of ritual suicide.