When Izo Iburi gave up his house in Ichinomoto and moved to the Residence on March 26, 1882, Oyasama gave him these words:
“I had you live in here, deciding that from now on you are the members of the one household and one family. Do not move for eternity. Do not be moved.”
Anecdotes of Oyasama, p. 81
Once Oyasama said to Kozaburo Murakami of Izumi Province:
“I will show you a vision.”
She showed him the inside of the sleeve of the red garment She was wearing. Kozaburo looked into the sleeve as instructed. There he saw a scene of deep green tobacco leaves growing luxuriantly in his tobacco field. When he came back home from the Residence, he went straight to his tobacco field. There he saw the tobacco growing just as luxuriantly as he had seen it inside Oyasama’s sleeve. Feelings of relief, joy and gratitude welled up within him and before he knew it, he was bowing deeply toward the Residence.
This incident took place when Kozaburo returned to Jiba during the time he had been directing his efforts solely toward saving others and had entrusted the farming entirely to his hired hands. The hired hands worked diligently at growing the tobacco plants and wanted Kozaburo to see the luxuriant field at least once. However, as Kozaburo was devoting all his time to the salvation of others he did not have any spare time to go and see the field. Naturally he was concerned; the thought of the tobacco field was always in the back of his mind. Kozaburo was all the more deeply moved by the omnipotent workings of God the Parent and by God’s parental love in taking care of God’s children.
Anecdotes of Oyasama, pp. 80–81 Continue reading Blogging Anecdotes of Oyasama 97
Oyasama spoke these words to Tamezo Yamazawa in 1881 or 1882:
“God brings people of an innen and protects them. God says ‘Among the people brought here together, those whose hearts ring in harmony are to be united and live in this Residence.'”
Anecdotes of Oyasama, p. 80
“Tamezo Yamazawa’s father Ryojiro Yamazawa embraced the faith in Ganji 1 (1864) upon witnessing the miraculous cure of his elder sister Sono, wife of Chushichi Yamanaka. Tamezo married Oyasama’s granddaughter Hisa Kajimoto in April 1887. In 1905, he is appointed as the second minister of Asahi Shikyokai. He served as the chief officiant at the funeral of the first Shinbashira in 1915. He was acting superintendent of Tenrikyo Church Headquarters during the second Shinbashira’s youth and became the first president of the Tenrikyo Young Men’s Association when it was founded in 1918. He passed away on July 20, 1936 at the age of 80.”
Kazuhiro Hatakama briefly touches on Anecdotes 96 in the conclusion of his article covering Anecdotes 90. In this article, he suggests there be a third category of innen or causality — causality of (divine) guidance — in addition to the two established categories of the “original causality” and each individual’s “personal causality.” Hatakama sensei writes it is possible to consider the instructions from Anecdotes 90 as applicable to individuals (plus their families) who were guided and drawn to serve and/or live at the Residence and went on to contribute to the nascent period of Tenrikyo Church Headquarters. He then suggests this process shows an example of causality of (divine) guidance at work. Regarding Oyasama’s instruction in Anecdotes 96, although it was specifically given to Tamezo Yamazawa, it is similarly applicable to all the people who came to serve at the Residence despite the wide disparity of their respective backgrounds. The instruction “Among the people brought here together, those whose hearts ring in harmony are to be united and live in this Residence” must have been one that sought to have these people who found themselves in the same situation to recognize that it was innen/causality that brought them all together. The following verse also pretty much teaches the same notion,
People come to Me from whatever places. It is because they all are of the original1 causality.
Hatakama sensei discusses a lot more, but I’ll refrain from divulging any more. (Admittedly, his writing has a complexity that makes it a task to summarize accurately with much confidence on my part.)
Given the abysmal spiritual state I happen to be in at the moment, the notion that my heart should ring in harmony with the people around me admittedly rings a little hollow. The longer I’m here, the less I feel I have in common with anyone. Someone get me out of here! (In due time, hopefully….)
Chuzaburo Koda of Kawahigashi Village in Yamato Province was employed at the Agricultural Experiment Station in Niigata Prefecture. When he went home on vacation late in 1881, he found that the condition of his second daughter, Riki, who had been suffering from an eye disease for two or three years, had become worse. Although medical attention was given, it was said that it was only a matter of time before she would lose her sight.
The new year, 1882, arrived with the whole family being deeply concerned. Early in the year, they were about to decide that they should offer prayers at one of the most famous temples of the country, the Kanzeon at Mount Otowa in Yamato Province. Yosaburo Miyamori of the same village heard of their plan and visited the Koda family. Miyamori had already been a follower in the faith for several years. The family had him offer prayers for Riki at once. The next morning she was able dimly to see her fingers and cookies as well.
As a result, they gave up the idea of going to Mount Otowa, and instead, the parents and Riki returned to the Residence on March 5th. They stayed there for seven days. On the third day, Chuzaburo’s wife, Saki, offered this prayer: “I will offer one of my eyes as a sacrifice, so please save at least one of the eyes of my daughter.” From that night on, Saki gradually lost the sight of one eye. In exchange, Riki gradually regained the sight in one of her own eyes, until it was fully recovered. Chuzaburo was so moved by this wondrous blessing that for the first time he made a firm resolution to have faith in God.
He submitted his resignation to the prefecture because he wished to serve God at the Residence, and because travel between Niigata and the Residence took sixteen days. However, the prefecture refused his resignation and ordered his return. At a complete loss, Chuzaburo asked Oyasama, “What should I do?” She told him:
“There is a bridge of the path which is eight hundred kilometers long, and there is no one but you to cross that bridge.”
Koda was filled with emotion by these words. He made a firm resolution from the depths of his heart to spread the fragrance of the teachings and to save others. He departed on March 17th. Thus, he took the first step of mission work in Niigata Prefecture.
Anecdotes of Oyasama, pp. 79–80.
“Roughly in the area west of JR Yanagimoto Station in Higaki-cho, Tenri.”
In a pithy article of just six and a half pages, Yomei Mori sensei from the Oyasato Institute for the Study of Religion offers much insight regarding this particular selection from Anecdotes, which I will try my best to paraphrase at length here. The main focus is on three key expressions:
In discussing the expression 200 ri, while the wondrous blessings his daughter received for her eye condition motivated Chuzaburo Koda to make a “firm resolution to have faith.” The government must have placed great trust in Chuzaburo and his technical expertise to have refused his resignation and demanded for his return.
Chuzaburo, who wished to devote himself exclusively for the path, was caught between carrying out this wish and meeting his worldly responsibilities. Torn, he approached Oyasama for advice and she told him, “There is a bridge of the path which is 200 ri long, and there is no one but you to cross that bridge.”
Mori sensei then speculates that Oyasama’s words here are suggesting that exclusive devotion to the path is not at all incompatible with working in society if one’s heart is in the right place. He then goes on to explain that such a sentiment is embodied in the expression “sato no sennin” or “hermit/sage of the village.” Although hermit/sage is usually associated with a person who secludes oneself from society to free oneself from distractions and practice physical austerities, the phrase “sato no sennin” embodies the ideal in Tenrikyo for adherents to remain in a community and do their best not to be swept away by prevailing social currents.
Mori sensei also suggests that the expression 200 ri symbolically refers to Tenrikyo’s overseas mission of today. There are a variety of ways in which adherents are building bridges in overseas communities, beginning with cultural activities such as judo and instruction of Japanese language to providing medical or financial assistance.
On to the theme of “bridge.” In Niigata Daikyokai monogatari, Oyasama is quoted as saying to Chuzaburo Koda: “I have put in front of you a bridge spanning 200 ri. I put it there with the hope that you would cross it. If you do not cross it, it would mean I placed the bridge for nothing.”
Mori sensei goes on to write that the bridge Oyasama is referring to is obviously not a real bridge but a metaphor for the connection between Jiba and another place (Niigata in Chuzaburo’s specific case). To be connected with Jiba means to be constantly mindful of the original intention that led God to create human beings and the creation process itself. An adherent can outwardly express this connection to Jiba and show one’s appreciation for God’s daily blessings with a “return” or pilgrimage to Jiba.
He then goes on to note:
Even today, when many people return from all over the globe to make a pilgrimage to Jiba, it is a fact that some cannot return even they wish to. There are differing reasons for this. One must enter Japan, one of the world’s biggest economic powerhouses in order to return to Jiba. Financial factors especially loom large for followers from developing countries. It is downright ironic that the homeland of humanity is located in a country with one of the highest standards of living in the world.1
The notion that a person cannot return to Jiba without God’s blessing has been expressed in Scripture.2
Further, there are Timely Talks that warn adherents of the rotting of the spirit, becoming swept away by social currents, and losing sight of the original Parent, which will cause one’s bridge to rot or be swept away.3
Mori sensei then mentions that although Chuzaburo never steps foot in Niigata again after he returned to Jiba to serve at the Residence4, the people who he led to have faith in the path continued to support the “bridge” that had been put into place and made efforts to establish Niigata Daikyokai.
The word “shinjin” (faith) makes several other appearances in instructions attributed to Oyasama in Anecdotes. Some representative selections in addition to selection 95 include:
Mori sensei writes that these instructions describe a faith that anyone can practice at anytime on a daily basis in any day and age. Such a faith has much in common with the notion of the “hermit/sage in the village” alluded above.
Finally, Mori sensei offers his commentary on a number of verses from The Songs for the Service that include the word “shinjin” (rendered in the official translation as “believe(d)”). He suggests the sequence of its appearances represent different stages of how faith should develop.
My intuition leads to me to assume that “Kanzeon at Mount Otowa” refers to Kannon-ji, but I can’t be completely sure.
Oyasama is also described using the metaphor of a bridge in Anecdotes 33, saying to Risaburo Yamamoto as follows: “You shall be saved for sure if you decide to dedicate your whole life to serve this Residence. The bridge between countries; a rough log bridge. Without a bridge, a river cannot be crossed. Will you dedicate your life or not? Arakitoryo, arakitoryo!”
The word “arakitoryo” or “(rough) wood master” implies that Risaburo was asked to become the master to find and hone the rough pieces of timber (i.e., missionaries) that can be fashioned into bridges. While Risaburo made some missionary efforts himself (as described in this story), it appears that he devoted most of his time at the Residence as an “intermediary,” and instructed Oyasama’s teachings to returning followers. In this sense, his role was not different from that of Chuzaburo Koda’s.
If I were to compare my own faith with that of a bridge, it would admittedly be short and rotten, not unlike the one in the picture below:
This Residence is the Four-fronted Mirror Residence. Even if you wish to come here, you may not be able to come. I shall not tell those who have come here to go away, nor shall I tell those who do not wish to come here to come.
Although a bridge may appear strong, it will be swept away in a flood. There have been times when they have been swept away. It will surely happen again.
March 23, 1896
Even if you have a bridge, can you cross that bridge if it has rotted?
October 31, 1900 ↩
One day Zenkichi Tachibana returned to Jiba from Osaka on foot, as was the custom in those days. Crossing plains and fields, he arrived in Nikaido Village after having covered a distance of about forty kilometers. Knowing it was only a little further to the Residence, Zenkichi’s spirits were lifted as he sang one of his favorite joruri ballads. As he approached the Residence, he stopped singing. When he was received by Oyasama, as soon as She saw him, She said:
“Zenkichi, you were singing in good voice, weren’t you? Tea is ready for you, as I knew that you were returning.”
Hearing these words Tachibana was so astonished and so deeply moved with gratitude that he was unable to speak even a word.
Anecdotes of Oyasama, pp. 78–79.
One day Oyasama was gazing out of the south window of Her room in the Nakaminami-Gatehouse and looking at the vast expanse of bamboo thickets and rice fields. Suddenly She said to the attendants:
“Someday this neighborhood will be filled with houses. Houses will line the street for seven ri** between Nara and Hase. One ri square will be filled with inns. The divine Residence will become eight cho square.”
* Eight cho equals 872 meters.
** One ri equals about four kilometers.
Note: It is taught in the Osashizu:
“It will not do to think of small things. You do not understand that when the years accumulate step by step, this place will become eight cho square.”
November 17, 1894
“I have said, ‘It is necessary to go through many years, many years.’ I said, ‘One ri square must become inns.’ I also said, ‘One ri square is still too narrow.'”
Timely Direction: February 6, 1893.
Anecdotes of Oyasama, pp. 78–79.
Shirobei Umetani was received by Oyasama one day soon after his conversion to the faith. Oyasama told him:
“Husband and wife together, have faith in God.”
As soon as he got home, he said to his wife, Tane, “Since I have just been taught that it is not good if only one of us follows this path, you and I must both follow the path together.” Whereupon Tane obediently agreed. So just as he was taught by the seniors, Shirobei and Tane filled a rice bowl with water, faced the Jiba, chanted, “Namu, Tenri-Ō-no-Mikoto,” three times, and each drank half of the water as a token of their vow that as husband and wife they would always be together in their faith.
Anecdotes of Oyasama, pp. 77–78
In 1881, when Shina Okamoto was staying at the Residence, Oyasama said to her:
“Shina, let’s take a bath together, shall we?”
They took a bath together and Shina felt very honored and almost unworthy of it. It was, for her, an unforgettable and moving experience.
Several days later, Shina returned to the Residence. Oyasama said to her:
“Well! Welcome home! Quickly untie your sash and take off your kimono.”
Wondering what would happen, Shina, timid with respect, took the kimono off. Oyasama also disrobed Herself. Oyasama clothed her from behind with the red garment still warm from Her own body.
Shina felt extreme honor and delight which was absolutely inexpressible. When Shina took the kimono-undergarment off, folded it nicely, and put it before Oyasama, Oyasama said:
“Wear it when you go home. On your way home through Tambaichi town, wear it over your kimono and dance all the way.”
Shina was surprised by Her words. Her delight faded away, taken over by anxiety. She thought that by doing so she would only make a laughing stock of herself among the people in the town. She also feared that she would not be able to get home on that day because in those days worshipers at the Jiba were often taken to the police. However, she soon made up her mind and said to herself that she would not care whatever happened nor would she mind it even if she were not able to get home that day. She put on the red kimono-undergarment over her kimono and set out. On her way home through Tambaichi she danced the teodori with all her heart and soul.
Before she was aware of it, she was at the edge of town. At that time she realized that nothing bad had happened, thanks to divine protection. She felt relieved and her joy was doubled by the fact that she had been given the red garment by Oyasama and she had fulfilled her given mission. Deeply moved, Shina thanked Oyasama from the bottom of her heart and hugged the red garment tightly against her bosom.
Anecdotes of Oyasama, pp. 76–77.
When Tamezo Yamazawa began to serve Oyasama in 1881, Oyasama instructed him in the following manner:
“God says, ‘Showing innen to parents, God waits for children to appear.’ Do you understand? Therefore, virtue is more deeply planted in the second generation than in the first one, and deeper still in the third than in the second. By becoming ever deeper, it will become virtue which lasts forever. It depends on the mind of a man whether it lasts for one generation only, or for two or three generations, or forever. By the continuation of this virtue even a bad innen becomes a good one.”
Anecdotes of Oyasama, p. 76.
It happened that Oyasama’s hand would not bring Her chopsticks up to Her mouth, although She tried hard, if someone had secretly tasted the food She was served.
A vendor of sweet sake from Tambaichi usually came around at the time when people were waking up from their midday naps. One day, in 1881, the vendor was passing by the Residence. Tamae, then five years old, found the vendor and said to Iye Murata who was with her, “Let’s buy some for my grandma.” Iye then bought some and served it to Oyasama. Oyasama was very delighted with Her granddaughter’s affectionate thought, and took the cup of sweet sake into Her hands.
Astonishingly, however, when Oyasama lifted the cup to Her mouth, it continued upward, and She could not drink the sweet sake after all. Seeing this, Iye said to Tamae, “Dear, we should not have served it to Oyasama,” and humbly withdrew the cup.
This happened because on that day the vendor had been to various places and by the time he came around to the Residence the sweet sake had become like leftovers.
Anecdotes of Oyasama, p. 75