There were occasions when someone was not granted the truth of the Sazuke at their scheduled Hakobi. A particular person was told by God the Parent through the Honseki,
“Go and start all over again, as there is no [harmony] settled with [your family].”
As mentioned previously, the Honseki changed all his clothes, down to his undergarments, before the Hakobi (the act of bestowing the truth of the Sazuke and granting sanctions regarding church matters). Among the garments he would wear were:
A black crested formal coat (montsuki) made from habutae silk, a brown or pale yellow kakuobi with a design in the middle, a haori coat decorated with the Iburi family crest in five places, and white tabi (foot size: ten mon or 24 centimeters). The Honseki would not wear a hakama or carry a folding fan with him.1
Continue reading Anecdotes of the Honseki Izo Iburi 54
The implication of his action of changing before the Hakobi suggests that the Honseki was making a clear distinction between his own affairs and the Hakobi, which, in effect, were “God’s affairs” or “business.” As one of the tasks of the Shinbashira at present includes the Hakobi (beginning from the second Shinbashira onward), the present Shinbashira too changes his clothing before bestowing the truth of the Sazuke to prospective Yoboku. The clothing he changes into are more formal than what the Honseki wore; the Shinbashira wears a hakama. In fact, he wears a kimono in a style not unlike what he wears in his New Year’s greeting picture.
Here is a site (unfortunately, only in Turkish, I believe) that has a nice illustration of how such a male formal attire would like. The same page also has an illustration of how a man would wear a kimono without a hakama ala the Honseki during the Hakobi (with the significant difference being the man in the illustration is not wearing a haori coat like the Honseki did). Unfortunately, I am not quite sure of the significance of the Honseki not wearing a hakama during the Hakobi.
Actual pictures of the Honseki and Shinbashira in such attire would of course get the point across better, but no dice (at least for now). Will have to do with the above link for now. ↩
The Honseki was often afflicted physically before the delivery of a Timely Talk. It did not matter whether it was day or night. Yet this more frequently occurred at night. Rin Masui or one of the seinens (male attendants) on duty would massage him at such times, either stroking his chest or rubbing his back. Continue reading Anecdotes of the Honseki Izo Iburi 53
The following is a translation of an excerpt from the writings of Eitaro Imamura (1894–1969), who held several positions throughout his career as a Honbu-jun’in (Tenrikyo Church Headquarters senior official), such as superintendent of Akita, Aomori, Iwate, and Wakayama dioceses, president of Tenrikyo Doyusha Publishing Co., head of Publications Approval Office, and first head minister of Jibun Branch Church.
Night fell quietly upon the Residence. There were no longer any signs of worshipers as the night wore on, wrapping the Residence in a veil of peaceful silence.
After the passing of Izo’s beloved wife Sato on March 18, 1893, the need for find someone to wait on the Honseki arose. A request for Divine Directions was already posed on March 24, asking, “Is the personal attendant of the Honseki to be a man or a woman?” Yet God the Parent gave no clear answer, only encouraging everyone to put their minds together and come to a collective agreement on the matter.
Oyasama once told Izo not to worry over the future, that there would come a time when he could not endure hardships even if he wished to. This truly was the case when Izo became the Honseki. This was possibly because God the Parent accepted the sincerity he dedicated to the path. However, it is also possible to say that this was so because followers who did not have the opportunity to meet Oyasama firsthand when She was physically present made sincere efforts to serve and please the Honseki in Her stead.
Followers who returned afar from all parts of the country would often bring local specialties and rare items as gifts to the Honseki. When something was presented to him, he would bring it near him, close his eyes, and bow in sincere appreciation.
The Honseki never wore silk on a day-to-day basis. His kimono and pajamas were all made from cotton. When he bestowed the truth of the Sazuke, he would change all his clothes down to his undergarments. Continue reading Anecdotes of the Honseki Izo Iburi 48
There were several times when followers would come from afar to inquire for Divine Directions concerning an illness or another problem. The Honseki would not allow his personal matters take precedence over his official role as God’s representative.
One of the main aspects of the Honseki’s faith was that he always expressed his appreciation for the blessings he received. He adhered to a strong wish to convey this gratitude to Oyasama to others throughout his life. One of the things he always said was, “Oyasama saved Sato’s life when it all seemed hopeless.”