Hawayo Takata is credited with bringing reiki healing system to the West. Takata was suffering from major ailments and traditional allopathic doctors advised surgery. But Hawayo Takata's intuition led her to search for a non surgical method and she came to contact with Chujiro Hayashi who ran a small healing clinic in Tokyo. It is here that Takata recovered fully from her ailments.

Afer recovery she devoted her time to learn reiki from Hayashi. In 1937 she returned to Hawaii and set up her own reiki practice. In 1947 Takata was called back by Hayashi to Tokyo. Second world war was approaching and Hayashi, a naval officer did not want to be recalled to war. Hayashi initiated Takata to reiki mastership and then ended his own life through a ritual.

Takata returned once again to Hawaii and for the next 30 years taught reiki to people from many parts of the world. She also set up a clinic for healing sessions.

In 1970, aware of her advancing years, Takata began teaching reiki mastership to select students. She had taught about 22 reiki masters personally before her death in 1980. Below is given the list of reiki masters initiated by Takata:
Barbara Brown
Barbara McCullough
Barbara Weber Ray
Beth Gray
Bethel Phaigh (deceased
Dorothy Baba (deceased)
Ethel Lombardi
Fran Brown
George Araki
Harry Kuboi
Iris Ishikura (deceased)
John Gray
Kay Yamashita
Mary McFadyen
Patricia Ewing
Paul Mitchell
Phyllis Lei Furumoto
Rick Bockner
Shinobu Saito
Ursula Baylow
Virginia Samdahl
Wanja Twan