24. I Am Glad You Have Come Home

Hikotaro Matoba of Nigo Village, Yamato Province, had a fine voice and was good at leading a chorus. During the bon festival season, he sang on festival towers in Nagataki, Chishawara, Kasa and other neighboring villages.

In 1871, when he was nineteen years old, Hikotaro was told that he needed to expand the volume of his voice in order to produce truly wonderful sounds. So he practiced by a waterfall in Yokkawa, singing, “Ko-o-rya! korya! korya!” at the top of his lungs.

As it was after the day’s hard work in the fields, he invigorated himself by licking a paste made of charred vipers, soybeans and dried sesame. On the third night of the practice, he suddenly lost his sight. He had developed an eye disease, probably amaurosis.

Guided by his mother, Hikotaro went to Hase, barefoot, to pray for the aid of the goddess Kannon. But his prayers were not answered at all. His mother, Shika, grieved at seeing his condition, said, “You cannot see even the white chicken at your feet, can you?” His condition remained unchanged for over three months. Then, he was told, “There is a new god in Shoyashiki who is able to cure any illness. That god will save you in an instant.”

Before long, he returned to Jiba. When he was received by Oyasama, She gave him three packets of the sacred powder of roasted grain and said:

“I am glad you have come home. This world remains in complete darkness as long as you are blind. But you shall certainly be saved if you do as God tells you.”

Hikotaro answered, “I cannot go on living like this. I will do anything if God will save me.” Whereupon, Oyasama said:

“So, if that is your wish, do no worldly work. Go with God, and devote yourself to the salvation of man for the rest of your life.”

No sooner had he replied, “I will do so,” than his sight was slightly restored. Within a few days, he had completely recovered. From then on, with great joy he devoted himself day and night to spreading the fragrance of the words of God and saving others. He was so wondrously saved that even at the age of eighty-seven he needed no glasses for close reading.

Anecdotes of Oyasama, pp. 17–18

Translation of “Sawa’s note”

“Hikotaro Matoba: a follower belonging to the church lineage of Kaminogo (Shikinori?)

“[Above story is based on] the oral account of Tome Matoba , the wife of Hikotaro’s eldest son Naosaburo, when she was age 77 in 1974.” 

My take / research

The 1974 date that “Sawa” gives struck me as a little strange so I did the math. If Hikotaro Matoba was 19 in 1871, that would make his birth year 1853. Tome’s birth year would be 1897 or 1898. This would mean there was a 44 or 45 year difference between Hikotaro and his daughter-in-law. That’s a fairly big gap for a single generation… but I guess it’s still well within the realm of possibility. (While being an extreme case, there was a 53 year difference between Oyasama’s age and that of her daughter-in-law Matsue.)

I wasn’t able to find a source that helps confirm Sawa’s claims that Hikotaro Matoba would later become a follower of the Shikinori/Kaminogo church lineage.

I’m trying out a new format this time around… Although it may seem a little redundant, I will pick up and present sections I’d like to add commentary on (key names/terms/phrases in bold).

Hikotaro Matoba of Nigo Village, Yamato Province, had a fine voice and was good at leading a chorus…. In 1871, when he was nineteen years old, Hikotaro was told that he needed to expand the volume of his voice in order to produce truly wonderful sounds. So he practiced by a waterfall in Yokkawa….

Nigo is currently a section of Tenri City, roughly five kilometers southeast from Shoyashiki or where Tenrikyo Church Headquarters is located. Tenri Dam Park is located in the northwest corner of Nigo-cho. I wasn’t able to discover where this “Yokkawa” (the name suggests a small stream or river) could have been located.

As it was after the day’s hard work in the fields, he invigorated himself by licking a paste made of charred vipers, soybeans and dried sesame. On the third night of the practice, he suddenly lost his sight. He had developed an eye disease, probably amaurosis.¹

Guided by his mother, Hikotaro went to Hase, barefoot, to pray for the aid of the goddess Kannon. But his prayers were not answered at all. His mother, Shika, grieved at seeing his condition, said, “You cannot see even the white chicken at your feet, can you?”

Charred vipers (mamushi) are apparently still eaten today as a part of Traditional Chinese Medicine as it is practiced in Japan (kanpo). It is claimed that partaking charred vipers is supposed to improve stamina and blood circulation. (Link to a kanpo site, in Japanese, selling vipers)

It looks like Mr. Matoba added a little too much charred vipers in his paste there! (As long I’m being silly, I must say that, while there is nothing, nothing funny at all about losing one’s eyesight, “You cannot see even the white chicken at your feet, can you?” is probably my all-time favorite line in Anecdotes of Oyasama. I just find it intensely amusing. Sorry, back to a more serious tone here….)

“Hase” here is Hase-dera, most likely considered the closest major temple in the area even today.

When he was received by Oyasama, She gave him three packets of the sacred powder of roasted grain and said:

“I am glad you have come home…. you shall certainly be saved if you do as God tells you.”

Hikotaro answered, “I cannot go on living like this. I will do anything if God will save me.” Whereupon, Oyasama said:

“So, if that is your wish, do no worldly work. Go with God, and devote yourself to the salvation of man for the rest of your life.”

The “sacred powder of roasted grain” that is mentioned here is otherwise known as hattaiko, a form of goku (“sacred gift“) that would later come in the form of konpeito candies. Goku mainly comes in the form of cleansed rice today.

Regarding Oyasama’s words “I am glad you have come home,” I have previously written on the implications of similar words attributed to her in my discussion of Anecdotes 8. This same post includes a discussion of the theological theme of “divine guidance,” which I also feel is being implicitly alluded to in this story.

Also implied here in Oyasama’s encouragement to Hikotaro to do what God tells him — to dedicate himself to the salvation of others for the rest of his life — is the concept of “kokoro-sadame,” a resolution or promise one makes to God as a condition for being saved from an illness or other misfortune. As soon as Hikotaro promises to follow Oyasama’s words, he regains his vision somewhat, motivating him to engage in the task of spreading the teachings and saving others.

I have not been able to discover anything further about Hikotaro Matoba, which suggests to me that he was not a missionary who had a level of success comparable to others appearing in subsequent pages of Anecdotes of Oyasama.

Nevertheless, I feel that this example of Hikotaro’s in turn allows followers in this day and age to take to heart that one need not become a trailblazing success at spreading the teachings such as Genjiro Fukaya or Narazo Hirano to fulfill one’s promise to God and be wondrously blessed for one’s entire life.

• Next installment in this series: 25. Seventy-Five Days of Fasting

*Note: This post has been revised since its original publication.

Bibliography

• Kōjien, fourth printing of fourth edition. 1994. Tokyo: Iwanami Shōten.
• Tenrikyo Church Headquarters. 1976. Anecdotes of Oyasama, the Foundress of Tenrikyo. Tenri: Tenrikyo Church Headquarters.

Note