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Usui Sensei's training hall (dojo) was
of medium size. His dojo in the
Aoyama district of
Tokyo
was a 12 mat dojo. Tatami
mats are roughly 3 feet by 6 feet so the size of the room would
have
been something like 12 feet by 18 feet. The room was either
attached to Sensei's dwelling or was a space he rented in another
building.
Like most dojos of it's time, before entering the room
there was a simple place for the Shinto misogi
practice of temizu - the cleansing of the hands and mouth using a
dipper
and water from a container. It is a smaller and simpler
version of the greater waterfall misogi cleansing ritual.
The dipper was
picked up
in the right hand (at the end of the handle) and filled
with water from
the fountain or bowl; one quarter of the water was poured over the left
hand for ritual cleansing - this was done away from the fountain or
bowl;
then the now cleansed left hand held the dipper in an area not touched
by the right hand as this was "unclean"; another quarter of the
water
was poured over the right hand to cleanse it; the right hand now held
the
dipper in the middle of the handle and poured another quarter of the
water
into the left hand from which the mouth was rinsed; The final
quarter
of water was upended so that it flowed down the handle of the dipper,
thus
cleansing the complete handle for the next person. The dipper was then
placed over the bowl, cup facing downwards.
In 1925, Dr. Hayashi is reported to have introduced
the process called Kenyoku-ho
into the dojo. It was another form of cleansing that could be
done
inside the dojo in order to disconnect oneself from a previous exercise
or act. The 3 part inner brushing and the 3 part outer brushing
were
intended to represent a form of temizu, cleansing the inner and outer
you.
Once inside the dojo, the doka (student) would give a shin bow towards the tokonoma and then the same to Usui Sensei. If there were other doka present then a gyo bow would be exchanged with the group. Those already present would move off their zabuton (floor mat or cushion) and give a gyo bow as well, before returning to their cushion.
The tokonoma is a small alcove in the wall, or a raised section at the front of the dojo, that faces opposite the entry way of the room (see image at top of this article.) It holds a kakejiku (hanging scroll). In the case of the Usui dojo, this was the original Gainen. In a typical Reiki dojo tokonoma after the passing of Sensei, you might also find a picture of Sensei. This might be a copy of the large portrait photo that Dr. Hayashi had taken before Sensei's passing.
Doka were seated in seiza
style on their zabuton. They were in pairs of rows running from the
front
of the dojo to the back. There were up to 4 doka in a row and
each
pair of rows faced each other. The doka opposite you would be your
partner
for any exercises. In the smaller dojo there were sometimes 2
sets
of rows (thus 4 lines of doka). The senior doka would sit closest to
the
front of the dojo. Sensei would sit at the front of the class and
teach from there. At the end of class he would also sit quietly
as
all students filed out.
In 1923 Sensei moved the
dojo to a larger premise in the Nakano district which at the time was
outside
the city. The dojo was now about twice the size as before and there was
an additional room where Sensei would often sleep. It would have
been a long walk back to his Aoyama home, assuming his family still
lived
in this location. Note that the Aoyama district is adjacent to
the
Shinano Machi district where Dr. Hayashi lived.
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