Kanji Hand Positions

Hi I havent heard of these hand positions so ive just googled it and found lots but not the origin of them hopefully someone will know or use them. It seems to me like an added extra I cant see you would need them though. 🙂

Hmm, these look like various mudras to me being given a "western" re-naming.

I'd suggest getting hold of a copy of "The Big Book of Reiki Symbols" which goes in depth into the historic origins of the Reiki symbols, the "light beings" and the various mudras etc. It's quite a detailed book but definitely a good read if you're interesting in understanding more about the background behind Reiki style healing before Usui sensei and how the symbols have their origins in ancient techniques and teachings.

(as I said... big book, nearly 700 pages... good bit of bedtime reading 😉 )

All Love and Reiki Hugs

Thank you both! Giles, I believe I have that book lurking somewhere on my bookshelves so I'll dig it out and take a look. 😀

I wasn't taught about these when I learnt Reiki, but I came across it the other day - the Reiki Kanji Hand Positions. Anyone know their origin or any details? Thank you! 😀

According to this [url]Reiki website[/url]: ".....the exact origin of the hand positions is not known, it seems that they were part of the mystical practice of the Japanese Ninja."

I think further potency and power could be harness from the [url]Kanji Hand Positions[/url] by the addition of some [url]Finger Puppets[/url] ~ don't ask me why...... I'm just following my intuition...sighhh..

Clients maybe initially startled, but if you keep a straight face - I'm sure everything will be fine!

....possibly Ninja Finger Puppets for when you really need to feel The Force 🙂

hehee

Those hand positions - especially position 4 reminds me of a game we played as kids. Does anyone remember - 'here is the church and here is the steeple, look inside and see all the people' at this point you turn your hands upside down and there are all your fingers wiggling about inside!

Just me then??

Yes I remember that game too Lamora! 😀

Hi yes lamora, thats exactly what I thought 😀 if somebody started doing that to me I would think it was very odd, as most people know or read about what a session would entail.

I've just looked this up - not having heard of it before. It reminded me strongly of the so-called 'trance positions' popular in shamanism a few years ago - a sort of 'this is getting boring. Let's liven it up' thing.

Why 'kanji'? Isn't kanji the Chinese characters that are used in Japanese writing?

Why 'kanji'? Isn't kanji the Chinese characters that are used in Japanese writing?

Japanese has three alphabets: Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji. Hiragana is very circular and what we might call cursive and is used for pronunciation (its characters will appear next to complex Kanji), Katakana is made of very direct lines (with only minor curves that could still pass for being linear) and is traditionally used when writing foreign words, and Kanji as you have alluded to is based on the Chinese characters. While there is little difference in classical Kanji and Chinese, in modern times differences in the characters are emerging.

The traditional "Rei-Ki" image is Kanji, and so is HonShaZeShoNen and DaiKoMyo (the non-Westernized versions, that is).

The traditional "Rei-Ki" image is Kanji, and so is HonShaZeShoNen and DaiKoMyo (the non-Westernized versions, that is).

Thanks:).

As far as I am aware, Kanji hand positions are used in other Japanese arts and are part of Japanese culture. I have seen Karate practitioners using Kanji number 1 to give them greater power for their strikes. I think the Kanji hand positions are a focus point, with each position having a different focus point and hence a different purpose. They are used to focus the mind for a specific purpose through intent and meditation. I suppose the closest thing we have in the West is putting the hands in prayer position when praying - this sets the intention that we are praying and helps to focus our minds on what we are doing.

Thank you everyone! 🙂