Masaru Emoto, a Japanese businessman and author, proposed that human consciousness could affect the molecular structure of water. His work, particularly his 2004 book "The Hidden Messages in Water," gained attention for its pseudoscientific claims that water could react to thoughts and words. Emoto's early ideas suggested that polluted water could be purified through prayer and positive visualization. He began publishing collections of photographs of ice crystals, accompanied by experiments, starting in 1999.

Emoto asserted that water acts as a 'blueprint for our reality,' and that emotional energies and vibrations could alter its physical form. His experiments involved exposing water to different words, images, or music, then freezing it to observe the resulting ice crystals under a microscope. He claimed that water exposed to positive influences formed aesthetically pleasing crystals, while negative influences resulted in distorted formations. He also posited that water from natural sources like mountain streams formed more beautiful crystals than water from polluted sources. Emoto suggested these changes could be reversed by exposure to ultraviolet light or specific electromagnetic waves.

Born in Yokohama, Masaru Emoto studied International Relations at Yokohama Municipal University. He worked for the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper before establishing his own company, International Health Medical, in 1986. In 1989, he acquired exclusive rights to market a device called the Magnetic Resonance Analyzer, which he renamed the 'Vibration-o-Meter.' Emoto also became involved with the International Water For Life Foundation, a non-profit organization. He received a Doctor of Alternative Medicine degree in 1992 from the Open International University for Alternative Medicine in India, an institution later identified as fraudulent.

Emoto's central thesis was that water possesses a 'blueprint' quality for reality and is susceptible to emotional energies and vibrations, which can alter its physical structure. His primary method involved exposing water samples to various stimuli, such as spoken words, written messages, or music, before freezing them. He then photographed the resulting ice crystals, claiming that positive stimuli produced harmonious and aesthetically pleasing geometric patterns, while negative stimuli resulted in fragmented and unattractive formations. Emoto also differentiated between water sources, suggesting that pristine water, like that from mountain streams, yielded superior crystal structures compared to water from polluted environments. He proposed that these effects could be mitigated or reversed through exposure to specific energies like ultraviolet light.

Emoto's work faced significant criticism from the scientific community. His findings were published in the Journal of Scientific Exploration, a publication noted for featuring fringe science. Critics pointed to insufficient experimental controls, a lack of detailed methodology for replication, and potential for manipulation or human error in his experiments. Biochemist William Reville expressed doubt about the reality of Emoto's claims, noting the absence of mainstream scientific validation and the potential for fame and wealth if such phenomena were proven. Physician Harriet A. Hall described his work as not resembling science, and magician James Randi famously offered a million-dollar challenge for Emoto to reproduce his results under controlled conditions, which went unanswered. His book "The Hidden Messages in Water" became a bestseller, though it was described as 'spectacularly eccentric' by The New York Times.