1886-1960

 

Jiro Murai was born in Japan in 1886, into a family of medical doctors​.  As the third born son, he was not bound to follow his father's career path, and was free to follow his heart.  In his youth he enjoyed participating in eating contests.

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When he became terminally ill in 1912, ​he asked his family to take him to the family cabin in the mountains and leave him there to die, returning 7 days later to collect his body.  During that time he began practicing Zen meditation, breathing, and Buddhist Mudras.  For the first 6 days his body continually became cooler, and he believed this was a sign that his spirit was preparing to leave his physical body.  On the 7th day, he became overwhelmed by an intense heat.  When the heat subsided and his body temperature returned to normal, he realized the illness had passed and he was healed.  When his family arrived, he walked out to great them, much to their surprise!

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He dedicated the rest of his life to understanding what had happened during his time in the mountains, studying the Kojiki Record of Ancient Things.  As a thank you for treating a member of the Imperial family, he was given access to the Imperial library.  He would frequently go to the parks to practice what he was learning on the homeless population.  He rediscovered an ancient healing art which had been forgotten, eventually naming this practice "Jin Shin Jyutsu."

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After World War II, he was granted access to begin teaching this practice to others.  One of his students was Mary Burmeister.