Usui

Usui is a Japanese surname and place name. The surname is written 臼井, a combination of the characters for "mortar" and "well," and it is associated with various geographic localities in Japan. As a toponym, it has given rise to multiple place names, and the name is borne by numerous families across the country and among Japanese communities abroad.

Notable person: Mikao Usui (1865–1926) was a Japanese Buddhist teacher who developed the Reiki system of energy healing in the early 20th century. After extensive study and a retreat on Mount Kurama, he is credited with founding Reiki Ryoho, a practice that emphasizes channeling universal life energy for healing. His work led to the global spread of Reiki through multiple lineages and organizations, beginning in the 1920s and 1930s.

In contemporary usage, Usui commonly appears as a surname and, less often, as a placename. Outside Japan, individuals with the surname can be found in various countries through migration and diaspora communities. The name is typically romanized as Usui and is pronounced roughly oo-sue-ee in Japanese.