I want to get across a few things in this post.

First, although I’ve spent the last two and a half years working on this Blogging Anecdotes of Oyasama series, I still feel that I have only scratched the surface at best when it comes to understanding the many stories that appear in this text.

At the recent Tenrikyo Hawaii Convention (THC), I came away with an overpowering sense that I still have much to learn from Anecdotes of Oyasama. To elaborate, there was a portion in the THC program where we were asked to discuss Anecdotes 135 (“With Round Minds”).

I, being the pretentious translator that I am, was quick to point out the limitations of the phrase “round minds” and that its Japanese equivalent “marui kokoro” hinted at meanings that may not be immediately apparent in English.

Two other people from my group then shared what they got from the story. The first person spoke of how the grapes symbolized that everyone in the world are somehow all connected. It also demonstrated the ideal for all members of humanity to live harmoniously, occupying the same relative space with one another.

The second person perceptively contrasted the behavior of the child and his parents. While the boy’s parents prostrated themselves in front of Oyasama, the boy, who was free and uncommitted to conforming to such social niceties, looked about in wonder and stared at the grapes sitting in front of him. She suggested that there was something in the boy’s behavior that we could learn from as there is a tendency for us as members of a faith group to place excessive focus on formalities and outward appearances.

I doubt I have given enough justice to the insight these two people happened to share then. But the point that I wish to make is that I came away with a sense that I was not giving Anecdotes (as flawed as it may be in some places as a translated text) the credit it is due. Even though there are portions that can certainly be improved to better reflect the Japanese original, the translation as it is now still has great potential to inspire those who seek insight from it.

I began to wonder if my ability to read Anecdotes in its original language and my tendency to critique the way it was translated into English actually confines me to merely have a superficial understanding of it. I might also like to add that I obviously have a historicist bent/bias that may end up muddling things up even more than necessary.

With this in mind, I hope that I have not made anyone feel compelled to accept anything I may have happened to write about a certain selection from Anecdotes to be authoritative or final in any way. Besides, I honestly don’t remember most of what I have written, so the probability that I have internalized anything that I wrote about must be quite low. This goes for everything else I have done on this website.

What I failed to fulfill

I realize that since I dived into this project, I sort of diverged somewhat from what I initially set out to do. I recently reread the Intro to this series to remind myself of some of the things I originally planned to accomplish.

One was to “compare the current translation with the original Japanese and point out any portions that I feel require [sic] updating or improving.” This really became less and less important as the project went along, I really didn’t feel I had enough time to invest toward this initial objective all the time. I think this was all for the better, actually.

I also wrote, “since I do not really have the resources to check the ‘veracity’ of each story, I’ll just presume that they represent our best understanding of what occurred and what Oyasama said in certain situations unless I have a good reason to believe otherwise.” Obviously, I utterly failed at this. As I limped forward the last months I just could not help but add in words/phrases such as “allegedly,” “as described in,” and “portray.” Would you call this a creeping agnosticism? I wouldn’t know. I make a bad psychoanalyst.

I also promised to do my best “to pick up on the essential points” of the teachings conveyed in each selection. I admittedly can’t claim that I did this on a consistent basis.

Finally, as the most glaring failure of all, I originally promised to “include the full text of anecdotes that I feel are short enough while summarizing the longer ones” (emphasis added). I fully revised the post where I originally wrote this. It now simply reads, “Since I would like all potential visitors to Tenrikyology.com to know what I’m blogging about, I’ll include full texts of each selection.”

I ultimately proved to be too lazy to do any such summarizing on my part. I am glad I did not try to fulfill this promise.

What’s next?

The quick answer to the question, “What’s next?” honestly, is: Nothing. Nada. Zippo. I do not expect to begin any major project here on Tenrikyology.com for the rest of 2011 at least, maybe even for the foreseeable future. I may occasionally post an article if I feel inspired enough, but for the most part, I plan to take an extended break from working on this website.

That being said, I also feel some housekeeping is long overdue on Tenrikyology.com. This includes edits here and there, updating/adding links, and so on. I may eventually get to doing this in the months ahead, but I am not making any promises.

In the meantime, I plan to post periodically on Tenrikyo Resource (mostly translation work) and devote attention to adding pages to the Tenrikyo Resource Wiki.

Thanks for reading, as always.

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

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On January 11, 1887, Kyuhei Kontani and some members of his confraternity set out for Jiba, carrying on their backs Her red garments and two large red cushions which all the confraternity members had made with sincerity. At Jiba, they stayed at Koyemon Murata’s house. Accompanied by Risaburo Yamamoto, they were granted an audience with Oyasama on January 13th. She was then resting in the raised chamber of the Resting House and Her eldest daughter, Omasa, was with Her.

Risaburo Yamamoto presented the garments before Her and said, “This is an offering that Kyuhei Kontani, a confraternity head from Shikama of Banshu Province, has brought for you to wear.” Oyasama accepted it and it was received in the raised chamber. Then, presenting the two cushions before Her, Yamamoto said, “They have also brought these for Your daily use.” Oyasama accepted these, too, with joy.

Then She told them to close the paper sliding-doors separating the raised chamber from the other room, and to step back. Yamamoto stepped back from the sliding-doors in the eight-matted room. Kontani waited in the room with the others, sitting respectfully. After a while, Omasa opened the sliding-doors and called Yamamoto. When he stepped up into the raised chamber close to Oyasama, She handed him a red garment and said:

“Give this to him.”

She continued:

“Never handle this carelessly. Cherish it. Treasure it.”

Yamamoto then said, “I will certainly tell him so.” Stepping down into the eight matted room, Yamamoto repeated to Kontani in detail what Oyasama had just said. This was how Kyuhei Kontani received the red garment.

Anecdotes of Oyasama, pp. 158–159

My take / research

I had assumed that Anecdotes 200 was describing Kontani Kyuhei’s first meeting with Oyasama, only to be reminded that he had previously appeared in Anecdotes 140 after doing some research and conducting a search within this website.

I don’t really find Anecdotes 200 to be of any particular interest of in itself except for the fact that it is highly possible that Kontani Kyuhei was the last person to have ever received a set/portion of Oyasama’s red clothes. Anecdotes 200 dates the bestowal happening on January 13. According to The Life of Oyasama, she happened to be ill previously but “From January 13, there was some relief in Oyasama’s condition” (p. 233). A little over a month later, on February 18, 1887 (or 1/26 lunar), Oyasama withdrew from physical life.

It also may prove insightful to compare Anecdotes 200 with other portrayals of Oyasama bestowing her red clothes to one of her followers, but I am not in any rush to do anything of the sort anytime soon. (Still, anyone who is curious may turn to Anecdotes 43, 51, 91, 121, 126, 127, 136, 149, and 186, which all contain descriptions of such a bestowal.)

As for my “research,” I simply looked at the entry for Shikito Daikyokai. I’d like to present a little of what I came across via translation/paraphrase:

Kontani Kyuhei was a dyer by trade. (In fact, the “Kon” character from his last name means “navy blue/dark blue.”) In 1876, he caught an unspecified eye disease and became practically blind four or five years later. He was then visited by Masaki Kunizo, who was a wholesaler of indigo balls from Awa (Tokushima). He told Kontani of a “Splendid faith in Yamato that will cure any illness if you pour your heart into believing.”

At first, Kontani paid no interest. When some time passed, his head and eyes hurt until it became unbearable. He sent a messenger to call Masaki over from the inn where he was staying. Masaki came and explained the central belief that the body as “a thing lent, a thing borrowed” together with the eight dusts and causality.

Kontani then had a straw mat laid in his yard that was used to dry laundry. He had a votive candle set up and some water placed as an offering. He then sat facing in the direction he reckoned Yamato was and repented for the dust he had accumulated as result of conducting his business. He declared that he had acknowledged his negative causality and pledged to close his business and dedicate his life toward the “path of single-hearted salvation” in order to cancel out his negative causality. He then asked God to either cure his eyes or take his life in three days if his offer to serve God was not enough.

On the third day, he conveyed his last wishes to his wife Take and confided to her the request he had made to God. She replied, “Why didn’t you discuss this with me?”

That night, Kontani dreamed of dozens of writhing snakes. When he chased them away over the fence into his neighbor’s garden, other snakes would appear from elsewhere. Then, a white snake markedly larger than the others opened its mouth and sprang to attack. Kontani shouted out and awoke to find that he could dimly see the light of dawn shining on the frame of his sliding door. The day was December 27, 1883. On the dawn of New Year’s Day, 1884, Kontani was able to see clearly for the first time in almost eight years.

Kontani devoted himself to spreading the faith thereafter and made his first visit to Jiba on January 18. He stayed at the house of Murata Koemon and met Oyasama for the first time, who said: “You surely have come from a distant place. I commend you for coming all the way here.”

On a later visit he made, Oyasama handed him a gohei and said, “Take this as a symbol of worship and lead a confraternity.” Later, when Kontani’s “spiritual parent” Masaki was no longer able to visit anymore because of business matters, Masaki introduced him to Shimizu Yonosuke. In 1886, Kontani formed Hyogo Shinmei-ko No. 8, Shikama Shinmei-ko. This confraternity would later become the foundation for Shikito Shikyokai, founded on May 2, 1890. The red clothes Kontani received on January 13, 1887 now serves as the symbol of worship (medo) for Oyasama’s altar at Shikito Daikyokai.

Bibliography

Tenri Daigaku Oyasato Kenkyūsho, ed. 1989. Tenrikyō jiten, kyōkaishi hen. Tenri: Tenrikyō Dōyūsha.

*This is the final installment of my Blogging Anecdotes of Oyasama series! Many thanks to everyone who have been following it over the last two and a half years!

This post has been revised since its original publication.

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Sei Honda, an official of the Heishin Shinmei-ko Confraternity, returned to Jiba in 1882 for the second time. She had chronic abdominal edema and her stomach was beginning to swell. Oyasama told her when She saw her condition:

“Osei, Osei, it must be very trying to carry that stomach. But this is not the dust accumulated in your present life. It has been carried over from your previous lives. God will surely save you. You must not change your heart. You must not let go of this string at any cost. Since you know nothing about your previous lives, just ask God for forgiveness and just thank God.”

From that day on, Sei could not stay still when she thought of all the dust that she had accumulated during her past three lives. Despite her swollen stomach, she went forth every day to do missionary work.

Sei poured water over herself even on the coldest days in winter before going out. As people gradually began to come to her in increasing numbers, she would offer water in the sake offering-bottle at the altar and then give it to them. By this means marvelous healings took place one after another. For several years, she went forth with zeal to do missionary work. But in the autumn of 1886, when she was forty-nine years of age, her abdominal edema became worse until she was in critical condition. She suffered so much that she alternately said, “Please let me sit up,” and, “Please let me lie down.” Hisakichi Hashida, who was the head of the confraternity, returned to Jiba. Through the arrangement of Gisaburo Nakata he was granted an audience with Oyasama, who said:

“Let me lie down. Let me sit up. You must have heard her wrong. What she meant was to enflame the confraternity with zeal. She will not die. Go back quickly and perform the service sincerely.”

So Hashida hurried back to Kobe. For three days and three nights, day and night, six times in twenty-four hours, he performed a special prayer service for her recovery.* The third day came but there was no sign of improvement. Another series of the special prayer service was performed for three days and three nights, but her condition became worse. From the sixth day on, she clenched her teeth and slept for twenty-eight days as if she had been dead. During this period she was given sacred water daily, and three sacred sugar candies were cooked and given to her through a bamboo tube three times a day.

The doctor refused to come, saying, “She will die this time.” However, during those twenty-eight days she urinated so frequently that it must have been over twenty times a day. On the morning of the twenty-eighth day, her younger sister, Sue Nadatani, was changing Sei’s clothes. Sue noticed that her sister’s swollen stomach had shrunk to its normal size. She was so astonished that she shouted out. Hearing Sue’s voice, Sei opened her eyes for the first time and looked around. Sue asked, “Can you hear?” Sei spoke for the first time, “How thankful I am! How thankful I am!”

A thin rice gruel was cooked and given to her. She ate two mouthfuls and said, “It is delicious. How thankful I am!” She then ate two bowls of the gruel with some pickled plums. She ate grated yam next. Day by day Sei regained her strength. But she was just like a baby, wetting the bed, and her memory was very short.

About a month later, Kichigoro Kataoka, another official of the [confraternity], returned to Jiba in her place to report it. He was granted an audience with Oyasama, who said:

“It is natural. It is natural. She is just one year old. She was reborn without having to die. She is still young. She is only one. She does not know anything yet. She will not know until she becomes two or three.”

Sei had lost her memory completely. When sewing a kimono, she would make mistakes in the measurement. She could no longer play the shamisen, she was that bad. But within two or three years she gradually began to understand things, and from the fourth year she was so blessed as to lead a normal life.

Thus, Sei was given a second life at the age of forty-nine, and she lived on for thirty years to the age of seventy-nine, devoting herself to saving others with yet greater zeal.

* This service consisted of the seated service and the entire teodori, and was performed three times during the day and three times during the night. As it was performed in this way for three days and nights consecutively, the performers went without sleep or rest.

Anecdotes of Oyasama, pp. 156–158

Anecdotes 199 is quite an amazing story. Since I risk undermining its raw power by discussing it in too much detail, I’ll try to keep this post short.

Historical details

The “Heishin Shinmei-ko Confraternity” mentioned above refers to the group otherwise known as the Hyogo Shinmei-gumi, which has been mentioned in passing in previous posts. It may be noted that the Hyogo Shinmei-gumi later became Heishin Bunkyokai (now daikyokai).

It is said that the efforts of Tachibana Zenkichi (mentioned in Anecdotes 94 and 115) led to the beginning of the Hyogo Shinmei-gumi. It has been said that members of this confraternity also participated in quarrying stone for the Kanrodai in 1881 (mentioned in Anecdotes 82). Other individuals who belonged to this confraternity were Masuno Shobei (Anecdotes 145), Tomita Denjiro (Anecdotes 104), and Shimizu Yonosuke (Anecdotes 198).

Further, when Honda Sei was cured of her abdominal edema, this prompted her younger brother Kitano Kumajiro to embrace the faith. The mission in the Wadasaki section of Hyogo Ward, Kobe City was said to be “enflamed with zeal,” just as Oyasama implied it would.

An analysis of Oyasama’s words

Upon reading the first set of instructions attributed to Oyasama in Anecdotes 199—”This is not the dust accumulated in your present life. It has been carried over from your previous lives. God will surely save you. You must not change your heart. You must not let go of this string at any cost. Since you know nothing about your previous lives, just ask God for forgiveness and just thank God”—I am reminded of Anecdotes 172. Here, Oyasama is portrayed telling a couple whose daughter had a habit of stealing: “That is the result of a previous life. Your daughter is not at fault. She only does what her parents did in a previous life.”

Regarding the instruction “Since you know nothing about your previous lives, just ask God for forgiveness and just thank God,” the publication Ikuri kotoba explains:

An illness does not suggest a person is guilty of some wrongdoing. Oyasama said that all one needs to do to be saved is to offer a small apology, fully entrust oneself to God, and be constantly thankful of being kept alive (p. 12).

After Sei received these first set of instructions from Oyasama, she made efforts to spread the teachings and save others despite of her physical condition. It may be notable that it is briefly mentioned that Sei’s illness was due to “the dust that she accumulated during her past three lives.” Sei’s apparent belief in this prompted her to action. Although Oyasama is said to have dissuaded others from practicing such physical austerities (Anecdotes 64), it is described that Sei did cold water ablutions before going out to spread the faith. Yet such was her way of repenting for the possible wrongdoings from her previous lives.

On Oyasama’s instructions “Let me lie down. Let me sit up. You must have heard her wrong. What she meant was to enflame the confraternity with zeal”: This can be viewed as an example of taking words uttered during what appears to be a dire situation and interpreting them in a positive way. This is a skill that certain Tenrikyo followers today are quite proficient at displaying.

Finally, on Oyasama’s words “She was reborn without having to die”: This is a theme that makes a few appearances in Tenrikyo literature. One occasionally sees it being referred as a “spiritual rebirth” or as being “reborn while still alive.”

A couple of examples come from 1998, such as the current Shinbashira’s Instruction One (“When people hear the voice of the Parent, awaken to the Truth of Heaven, and replace their minds, they can be reborn while still alive”) or his Autumn Grand Service that year (“What [Oyasama] taught was the means to be reborn while still alive.”).

However, the phrases “spiritual rebirth” or “reborn while still alive” most often appear in the context of becoming a Yoboku, or when a person is bestowed the Sazuke. Consider the following passage from The Doctrine of Tenrikyo:

As one progresses through the [Besseki lectures], one gradually sweeps away the dusts by virtue of the truth of the teachings, corrects one’s conduct and, finally, the mind becomes clear. The desire to be saved becomes a desire for the salvation of others. This is when the truth of the Sazuke is bestowed and the mind is reborn (p. 67).

Bibliography

Takano Tomoji. 1983. Shimizu Yonosuke denkō. Tenri: Tenrikyō Dōyūsha.

Tenri Daigaku Oyasato Kenkyūsho, ed. 1989. Tenrikyō jiten, kyōkaishi hen. Tenri: Tenrikyō Dōyūsha.

Tenrikyō Dōyūsha, ed. 1995. Ikiru kotoba: Tenrikyō kyōso no oshie. Tenri: Tenrikyō Dōyūsha.

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Once Yonosuke Shimizu, Shirobei Umetani, and Tora Hirano had gathered before Oyasama and were talking with each other about how their [confraternities] were not advancing as they had hoped. Oyasama said:

“With any flower, there are years when it blooms and there are years when it does not bloom. Even if it does not bloom one year, when the year changes it will bloom again.”

It is said that Oyasama comforted them in this way.

Anecdotes of Oyasama, pp. 155–156

Information / insight from Sato Koji

Yonosuke Shimizu makes his only appearance in Anecdotes here, so it may be useful to mention he was the procurement officer of the Hyogo Shinmei-gumi Confraternity.

Umetani Shirobei has already made several appearances in Anecdotes. I have most recently discussed him in Anecdotes 184. He was the director of the Meishin-gumi Confraternity.

Hirano Tora also appeared earlier in Anecdotes 189. It is said that Anecdotes 198 must have happened some time after the spring of 1886, after her husband Narazo embraced the faith. Narazo led a confraternity, initially named “神清組” (I assume it would have been read “Shinsei-gumi”), which was renamed “Tenryu-ko” 天龍講 by the first Shinbashira Nakayama Shinnosuke in the 8th lunar month of 1886 (Sato, p. 92).

Sato Koji has revealed that between February and December 1886, Hirano Narazo and Tora were able to gain 500 member households as converts. Nevertheless, it is mentioned above that she discussed with Shimizu and Umetani how their confraternities “were not advancing as they hoped.” Sato Koji suggests that even though the membership of Tenryu-ko was growing quite rapidly, the Hiranos may still have had trouble managing their confraternity because they were in dire financial straits (p. 93).

He next mentions that Umetani Shirobei would have likely been thinking about how he failed to gain legal recognition for his Meishin-gumi Confraternity (p. 94). Therefore, he may not have been necessarily worried about its growth per se.

Finally, Sato Koji suggests that Shimizu Yonosuke’s problem might have stemmed from a lack of unity in his confraternity since there may have been too many people with leadership positions at Hyogo Shinmei-gumi. A man by the name of Hashida Hisakichi 端田久吉 held the director’s position (komoto 講元). There were three others who were called “guardians” (koken 後見) and Shimizu was merely one of 19 procurement officers (shusenkata 周旋方).

To add some background info, Shimizu embraced the faith in 1883 after Hashida’s efforts helped his elder brother recover from an illness. Shimizu was later tapped by the first Shinbashira to help with the effort of establishing legal recognition that would have allowed Oyasama’s followers to freely practice their faith. Thus, it is imagined he was a constant presence at the Residence in 1886 and 1887.

When these three individuals talked about their respective difficulties, Oyasama is said to have instructed: “With any flower, there are years when it blooms and there are years when it does not bloom. Even if it does not bloom one year, when the year changes it will bloom again.”

Sato Koji paraphrases the above instruction as, “Even if we may encounter circumstances that run against our expectations, we are bound to get good results someday if we unfailingly exert our efforts” (p. 90).

Epilogue 

The effort to gain legal permission to freely practice Oyasama’s teachings finally bore fruit in 1888, the year after Oyasama “withdrew from physical life.” Civil authorization to establish “Shinto Tenri Kyokai” headquarters in Tokyo (as a “church” under the Shinto Honkyoku) was granted on April 10. After the successful application to relocate the headquarters to Jiba was granted on July 22, the many confraternities that had existed as illegal entities until that point began their own application processes with local prefectural governments to establish branch churches of the Tenri Kyokai.

Why am I writing this, you may ask? I just thought it would be worthy to note that the three people mentioned in Anecdotes 198 all played an important role in the founding of three of the first five Tenrikyo branch churches. Here is the list of the first five branch churches that were established:

1. Yamana Bunkyokai (permission to establish this church was granted through the Osashizu on December 5, 1888)
2. Koriyama Bunkyokai (permission granted December 11, 1888)
3. Ashitsu Bunkyokai (permission granted January 15, 1889)
4. Heishin Bunkyokai (permission granted January 15, 1889)
5. Senba Bunkyokai (permission granted January 15, 1889)

The first minister of Koriyama (#2) was Hirano Narazo, Hirano Tora’s husband. The first minister of Heishin (#4) was Shimizu Yonosuke. The first minister of Senba (#5) was Umetani Shirobei.

The current grand church numerical system designates Koriyama as #1, Heishin as #2, and Senba as #4.

Bibliography

Satō Kōji. 2009. “Jinsei: 198 ‘donna hana demo na’.” In Itsuwa-hen ni manabu iki-kata 3. Tenri: Tenri Daigaku Oyasato Kenkyūsho, pp. 89–99.

Tenri Daigaku Oyasato Kenkyūsho, ed. 1981. Tenrikyō gaisetsu. Tenri: Tenri Daigaku Shuppanbu.

Tenrikyō Kyōgi oyobi Shiryō Shūseibu, ed. 1963. Nakayama Shinnosuke den. Tenri: Tenrikyō Dōyūsha.

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Oyasama always taught us:

“If all the people of the world help one another, there will be no worry or danger for the future. There are families with plenty of work to be done but with no one to do the work, and there are families with plenty of people to do the work but with no work to be done.

When apprenticed, think of all the work as your own instead of as your master’s, and work faithfully whether being watched or not. For example, in the fall, if you notice that it is a cloudy day, take care of the straw mats and any other things as though they were your own and be sure to put them away.

Because you work faithfully and help others in various ways, in the fall people will make new kimono to give to you and do other good things for you. When it reaches this stage it will be advantageous for both. If you are going to do work, do it as faithfully as you would do your own, whether being watched or not. Then people will say, ‘That person is considerate, so I will hire him.’ When you become such a person, there will be plenty of work for you.

The people living in this Residence work as though all the work here were their own; therefore, night and day each of them is thinking, ‘What is there to be done? What can I do next?’ They do the work thinking that it is their own work; therefore, it becomes their own. If you work with the thought, ‘This is my work; this is my home,’ then it will become your home. If you work only when you are being watched and become idle when not being watched, then soon you will not be able to stay here as if it were your home.

This Residence needs as many hands as possible that work and none at all that do not work.”

Also, one time She taught us:

“Work (hataraku) makes those close to you comfortable; for that, it is called hataraku (hata: those nearby, raku: comfortable).”

Anecdotes of Oyasama, pp. 154–155

My take

This set of instructions regarding an ideal work ethic has portions that feel dated (i.e., the notion of apprenticeship itself and the descriptions of putting away straw mats when it rains or receiving a kimono as a sign of appreciation of hard work). Nevertheless, it is possible to cull sensible advice from Anecdotes 197 that would be applicable in any age (i.e., “If you are going to do work, do it as faithfully as you would do your own, whether being watched or not”).

Some of this advice reads as like a Neo-Confucian or Shingaku treatise, tempting me to possibly start a project I have long considered pursuing: a comparison of the tenets Oyasama taught with the various strains of these two traditions. It may be worthy to note that many of Oyasama’s adherents were active in Shingaku groups.

Nevertheless, some of these instructions do appear to have a distinctive “Tenrikyo” flavor to them. The notion that “If you work only when you are being watched and become idle when not being watched, then soon you will not be able to stay here as if it were your home” is consistent with some of Oyasama’s instructions found in Anecdotes 78.

Commentary from “Living words”

The publication Ikuri kotoba (Living words), which I have often turned to in previous posts in this series, provides five sets of commentary to selected statements from Anecdotes 197, which I present here in lieu of a conclusion:

“If all the people of the world help one another, there will be no worry or danger for the future.”

Some households may have many unfinished things to do but not enough people to do them. Other household may have many members but do not have enough things to do. By breaking the barriers of the “household” through mutual help, any concern about the future disappears. These words are applicable to households, groups, ethnicities, and entire nations alike (p. 153).

“Work faithfully whether being watched or not.”

Oyasama further said: “For example, in the fall, if you notice that it is a cloudy day, take care of the straw mats and any other things as though they were your own and be sure to put them away.” If one can stop distinguishing, “This is her responsibility; that is his responsibility” and instead consider everything as one’s business, one can carry out one’s tasks willingly and spiritedly (p. 173). 

“[The people living in this Residence] do the work thinking that it is their own work; therefore, it becomes their own.”

As long as we consider something as someone else’s business, it will remain something that we are not a part of. If we do something while regarding it as our own business, the fonder we become of it and the better it stirs our motivation. “When I think of it / As my snow, how light it is / On my bamboo hat” (Yosa Buson, 1716–1783). It would be ideal if we could consider social ordeals and global hardships as our own (p. 150).

“This Residence needs as many hands as possible that work and none at all that do not work.”

The Parent once expressed Her basic attitude as follows, “I cannot allow anyone who comes to My home to leave without being filled with joy” (The Life of Oyasama, Chapter Three). To assure that everyone who comes can leave satisfied, there can never be enough people to help on the receiving end. Acts of work or hataraku—efforts to make those close to you (hata) comfortable (raku)—must spread widely and endlessly (p. 43).

“Work (hataraku) makes those close to you comfortable; for that, it is called hataraku (hata: those nearby, raku: comfortable).”

Oyasama taught that human beings were born into this world to work. Work does not only refer to our efforts and labor devoted toward making a living. Work can refer to our efforts toward making the work of the people around us easier and creating a conducive work environment (p. 147).

Bibliography

Tenrikyō Dōyūsha, ed. 1995. Ikiru kotoba: Tenrikyō kyōso no oshie. Tenri: Tenrikyō Dōyūsha.

Further reading

Sato Koji’s Omichi no joshiki: Work

Blogging Anecdotes of Oyasama 29 37 111 120

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• Blogging Anecdotes of Oyasama 111
• Blogging Anecdotes of Oyasama 37
• Blogging Anecdotes of Oyasama 29
• Work (Hataraki)
• Rising Early, Honesty, and Hard Work

Oyasama taught us again and again:

“It is not that the incorrigible child does not understand. It is that the teachings of the Parent have not reached him. If the teachings of the Parent reach every nook and corner, the maturing of the child can then be seen.”

Through the grace of Oyasama, the path was made in which those who could not understand would be able to understand, those who could not be saved would be saved, and those who were to suffer would not suffer.

Anecdotes of Oyasama, p. 154

My research

I was lucky enough to discover that the quote attributed to Oyasama in Anecdotes 196 was first published no later than 1937 in a collection entitled Seibun iin. Interestingly enough, author Moroi Masaichi (1877–1903) places this quote much further back in time (1864 or 1865) than what its position in Anecdotes suggests (1886 or 1887). It is possible that the editors of the Itsuwa-hen (the original, Japanese edition of Anecdotes) concluded that Oyasama repeated these words often, perhaps from as early as 1864 and over the next 20 years or so. Yet, it is also probable Itsuwa-hen editors may have had felt it was more accurate to date this particular instruction toward the latter years of Oyasama’s physical life.

I present here a translation of the passage in question from Moroi Masaichi’s posthumous publication:

In 1864, the Honseki, Mr. Yamanaka, and Mr. Masui embraced the faith and, in the year after, Mr. Tsuji, Mr. Matsuo, Mr. Nishida, and others who embraced the faith gradually began to increase. As they all exerted their sincerity, Oyasama’s difficulties began to fade.

In 1865, the construction Oyasama instructed to be six foot square[1] was completed. Oyasama then had a partition put in the middle of the raised six-mat room. The three-mat space on the east side of the room was reserved for the altar while the three-mat space in the west was reserved for Her. She expressed no discomfort in this narrow space and actually slept there.

When She was not attending to Her duties, Oyasama always sat in a formal manner without attempting to ease Her legs nor did She fidget. From the moment She awoke each day until She went to sleep, She sat with Her hands on Her lap. Many people would be amazed and be filled with admiration that She conducted Herself in this way, and no one ever came away with the impression She felt any discomfort.

Although the people who gathered around Her grew fewer after the construction began the previous year,[2] Oyasama was not at all concerned, saying: “It is not that the incorrigible child does not understand. It is that the teachings of the Parent have not reached him. If the teachings of the Parent reach to the tips of the child’s fingers and toes, the maturing of the child can then be seen.” She would then kindly instruct those who gathered before Her. Whether She had to repeat something ten or twenty times or even a hundred and a thousand times, She remained patient and explained in a kind manner. Thus, even those who initially did not understand came to understand the truth, those who were considered beyond help were saved, and the numbers of new followers gradually grew.

Among the people who embraced the faith in 1865 were Nishida Isaburo of Ichieda Village and Matsuo Ichibei of Wakai Village. These families have served the faith diligently to this day. The wives and sons of these individuals are presently working for Church Headquarters. If we were to lose our patience and fail to kindly instruct people over and over after dismissing them as incorrigible or difficult to reason with, it will be impossible to pave the path. People cannot be saved.

Those of us who serve the path must take this resolution as an exemplary model to follow. In our effort help to save others and nurture follower households, we must keep in mind the thoughts Oyasama expressed accordingly: “It is not that the incorrigible child does not understand. It is that the teachings of the Parent have not reached him” (Moroi, pp. 55–57).

When the same quote from Anecdotes 196 is presented in this context, it somehow comes across as an instruction specifically targeted to ministers and other church leaders. I almost have to begin to wonder how many Tenrikyo ministers and leaders today actually embody this attitude in their day-to-day interactions. It certainly gives me reason to pause and reflect.

Bibliography

Ihashi Yukie. 1996. “Denshō shiryō no kakunin to kaishaku: ‘wakaran kodomo ga wakaran no yanai’ ni tsuite.” Ten-Ken 1, pp. 75–82.

Moroi Masaichi. 2002 [1970]. Seibun iin shō. Tenri: Tenrikyō Dōyūsha.

Further reading 

Sato Koji’s Omichi no joshiki: “It Is Not That the Child Does Not Understand”

Notes

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• Anecdotes of the Honseki Izo Iburi, no. 16
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• Anecdotes of the Honseki Izo Iburi, no. 22
• The Footsteps of Our Predecessors 3

“Oyasama made no distinction between people and She was a very compassionate person. No matter what kind of person She met, She never showed any sign of discrimination. No matter what kind of person came to the Residence, She considered everyone to be Her child. No matter how great a man came, She said:

‘Thank you for your trouble.’

Even when beggars came, She would say:

‘Thank you for your trouble.’

Her attitude and manner of speaking never changed. She considered them all to be Her loving children. Once a person met Oyasama, no matter what kind of person he was, he would be moved by Oyasama’s parental love and be reformed at once. Perhaps they were moved by Oyasama’s compassion.

For example, even a police officer who came to investigate and a local ruffian had been converted to the faith. After just one visit, many either entered the faith or experienced a change of heart. These are recollections of Naokichi Takai.

Anecdotes of Oyasama, pp. 153–154

My take

The central gist of Anecdotes 195 is the idea that every person who visited Oyasama received the same treatment, despite what their social rank may have been.

It is also worth noting that “Thank you for your trouble” or “go-kuro-sama” and its many other variations have made frequent appearances throughout Anecdotes of Oyasama. It would therefore be safe to conclude that it was a phrase that Oyasama used in everyday conversation.

To offer all known examples:

1. “Thank you very much for your trouble (go-kuro-san na koto ya). Are you going to feed Me again?” (Anecdotes 25)
2. “Thank you for your trouble last night (yube wa, gokuro yatta na)” (Anecdotes 56)
3. “Thank you for having worked these many, many years (naga naga no aida, go-kuro de atta)” (Anecdotes 83)
4. “Shirobei, thank you very much for your trouble. I did not feel hungry at all, thank you (Shirobei-san, go-kuro yatta na. Okage de, chitto mo himoju nakatta de)” (Anecdotes 106)
5. “You went through much difficulty. Because you have achieved harmony in the family, I grant you the Sazuke of Ashiki-harai. Receive it (Yo kuro shite kita. Uchiuchi oriota kara, Ashiki harai no Sazuke o watasu. Uketore)” (Anecdotes 114)
6. “Thank you for your work” (go-kuro-san) (Anecdotes 146)

By itself, the phrase “go-kuro-sama” et al. may not really be considered particularly extraordinary. The phrase is still used as a greeting today to express appreciation for a person’s efforts (although “otsukaresama deshita” may be more common in standard Japanese.)

Granted, Oyasama certainly used “go-kuro-sama” to acknowledge her followers’ efforts and express her appreciation. Such is the general context of examples 1–5 above. Nevertheless, it may be instructive to examine the particular contexts of the examples I gave above further.

Example 1 (A25) also portrays Oyasama using the phrase consolingly to calm a distressed woman who dropped the rice she tried to feed to Oyasama.

Example 2 (A56) was expressed to a follower after he served a stint in prison. It is explained that these words caused him to “resolve to undergo any hardship any number of times” for the sake of the faith.

Examples 3 and 5 (A83 and A114) were spoken immediately before Oyasama bestowed the Sazuke to a follower.

Example 4 (A106) was what Oyasama said to Umetani Shirobei to acknowledge both his efforts to deliver meals to her while she was in prison as well as those of his wife Tane, who prepared and served symbolic meals in Osaka for Oyasama’s behalf. Shirobei was “allowed to make personal inquires of Oyasama without an intermediary” beginning the very next day. Shirobei also happened to be told, “Thank you very much for your recent contribution of labor” (kono aidaju wa go-kuro de atta) by a senior follower just before he was presented a set of Oyasama’s red clothes (Anecdotes 126).

Finally, example 6 (A146) may be the most intriguing one here since it is said that by this one phrase alone, Oyasama was able to convert a soldier who eventually went on to found a church that is a daikyokai today.

In The Life of Oyasama, there is also a description of how Oyasama (long before she became the “Shrine of Tsukihi” or the vehicle for God’s revelation) would consistently say “go-kuro-san” to an idle young man who was on the Nakayama’s payroll. Eventually, this purportedly had the transformative power to reform the man into one of their best workers (p. 15).

External links

Guyjin: Japanese Words #4—Otsukaresame & Gokurosama

Eijiro on the Web: ご苦労さま; お疲れさまでした

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• Blogging Anecdotes of Oyasama 194

When She was advanced in age, Oyasama from time to time ate raw sweet potatoes grated with a horseradish grater. Also, She occasionally drank sweet rice wine from a small cup. Her favorite brand was made by the Matsumoto brewery in Senzai. So people in the Residence went with a gourd-shaped flask to buy sweet rice wine for Oyasama.

Her favorites were dishes of rice with assorted vegetables. Among these were rice with sweet potatoes, rice with beans, rice with dried gourd shavings, with matsutake mushrooms, and with pumpkins.

If people came by chance while She was having one of these rice dishes, She would make a rice-ball and offer it to them.

She was also fond of kakinoha zushi, marinated fish and rice wrapped in persimmon leaves which are plucked when they have a pleasant aroma after new buds have sprouted.

Anecdotes of Oyasama, pp. 152–153

Insight from Nishiyama Teruo

A 1978 quote from Tenrikyo writer and theologian Nishiyama Teruo suggests that through descriptions from Anecdotes 194 and elsewhere, Oyasama had left an example for Tenrikyo followers to emulate regarding what kind of diet to eat:

A general observation would reveal that [Oyasama] adhered to the customs of ordinary farmers living in the Yamato basin. It has been said that She liked to eat iro-gohan (rice cooked with some vegetables to give it some color) and kakinoha-zushi (sushi with a slice of salted mackerel wrapped in a persimmon leaf). When She was older, She ate raw sweet potatoes grated with a wasabi grater and drank mirin from a small sake cup. None of this reveals anything particularly special. Although She may have eaten small fish, She did not eat any meat…. In my opinion, Oyasama taught what a Tenrikyo diet ought to be. Nevertheless, people today appear to unquestioningly conform to postwar notions of emphasizing nutrition and obsessing over calorie-intake, but I would like everyone to especially reconsider this point (quoted in Yamamoto, p. 89).

My take

Anecdotes 194 reminds me of two conversations I had with two different people on two very different occasions.

The first conversation was with a family friend who my mother once encouraged to enroll in Shuyoka. Although this woman is not a practitioner of Tenrikyo, she is a person with a deeply spiritual bent. I found it interesting that we had different assumptions regarding Anecdotes 132, in which Oyasama picks up a fish and says, “Allow yourself to be eaten deliciously by everyone, and come back the next time, advanced.”

I had always assumed that Oyasama ate these fish with everyone else. Yet my friend astutely pointed out that the account does not explicitly specify whether or not Oyasama ate the fish, and she felt that this supported her assertion that fish was not a part of Oyasama’s diet.

Although we amicably agreed to disagree at the time, if I had been more knowledgeable, I could have pointed out that kakinoha-zushi was purportedly one of Oyasama’s favorite foods. Unless one could make a substantial case that a vegan version of this regional delicacy existed in the late 19th century, I would have to assume that fish occasionally were included in Oyasama’s meals.

The second conversation took place five years ago. A friend and I were looking at a publication that was about Nakayama Miki in addition to other mystics and heretics that have emerged within Tenrikyo. The book is on the sensationalist side, with attention placed on aspects bordering on the occult along with a few conspiracy theories. My friend was enthusiastically devouring its contents.

Although I had to accede that the book had academic value (as it proved very useful when I wrote my masters thesis), I expressed my doubt about its overall value for the typical Tenrikyo follower. My friend replied by pointing out to a sidebar and said he wouldn’t have known what Oyasama’s diet if it weren’t for the book.

While I suspected that the information ultimately had to come from a Tenrikyo source (likely Anecdotes 194 and elsewhere), he did have a point. Unless one knew where exactly to look, such information was not easily accessible.

The conversation made me aware that Tenrikyo adherents on the whole are not very knowledgeable of small details about their own religious tradition (such as what were the foods Oyasama may have likely eaten). Further, the Tenrikyo organization was certainly not making things easier or doing anyone much of a favor by publishing books written in an arcane style (The Life of Oyasama being a notable example) without any indexes (this particular oversight has been corrected in recent years).

The availability of new technologies (most notably search engines) has markedly changed the landscape. Although my work on this website mainly stems from a motivation to increase accessibility to information on Tenrikyo, I have recently come to wonder: Am I merely adding to the online clutter? Time will surely tell whether or not this is the case.

Bibliography

Yamamoto Yoshiaki. 2005. “Oyasama shokuji kō.” Ten-ken 7, pp. 79–95. Tenri: Tenri Kyōkō Kenkyūsho.

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• Blogging Anecdotes of Oyasama 195

A kite in flight (Image source: Wikipedia Japan)

192. A Kite Cries “Toh, Toh” (tonbu tōto)

This is a story about Sotaro Kajimoto, Oyasama‘s great-grandson, which took place in approximately 1887 when he was about seven. Oyasama gave him a section of a tangerine, turning it inside out by inserting Her finger. She said:

“The kite cries ‘toh, toh,’ and the crow, ‘caw, caw,’ “

and continued:

“Stick out your finger.”

When he stuck out his finger, She placed the section on his finger. Sotaro enjoyed eating it that way.

When he received another section of the tangerine, he, imitating Oyasama, put it on his finger, and then he stuck it out in front of Oyasama. She enjoyed eating it that way.

193. By Himself Soon (hayō hitori de)

These are incidents reminisced by Sotaro Kajimoto:

Receiving some cookies or candies from Oyasama, we, children at that time, went toward the Main Sanctuary and ate them while playing together. When the sweets were gone, we ran back to Oyasama. We held out our hands and She gave us more. We ate them up and ran back to Her again. We must have said, “Grandma, may we have some more?” and I believe we ran back to Her three or four times.

However, She never once said, “Didn’t I just give you some?” Neither did She give the sweets to us all at once to avoid the bother. She gave us just enough to eat, a little at a time. Oyasama loved children very much. When I asked Hisa Yamazawa, my wife’s mother, she agreed.

Now and then Oyasama visited the Kajimoto family in Ichinomoto. On such occasions, she brought some sweets in Her purse to give to the children of the family and to the children of the neighborhood.

Among great-grandchildren of Oyasama, I was the first born of the boys. Among the girls, there was Omoto. Now, it is said that Oyasama said of me:

“Oh, I hope that he will be able to come by himself soon!”

It is also said that when my younger brother Kunijiro Shimamura was born, Oyasama said:

“My, what a fair-complexioned fine boy!”

and held him in Her arms. I often heard of these incidents from both my mother, Uno, and my mother–in-law Yamazawa.

Once Oyasama carried both Manjiro Yoshikawa and me on Her back at the same time. There was a time when She came to the east side of the Nakaminami-Gatehouse wearing zori similar to fujikura-zori (thongs which are knitted with rush at the front).

Oyasama’s voice was sweet and gentle. She had a slender figure. Her face was oval and Her mouth and chin were identical with that of Her daughter, Omasa, although Omasa’s face was a little rounder. Now in regard to their figure, Omasa was on the masculine side but Oyasama was on the feminine side. Oyasama’s back was not bent.

Anecdotes of Oyasama, pp. 151–152

Background information and insight from Kaneko Akira

I was able to stumble upon an article that revealed that Kajimoto Sotaro’s autobiography is most likely the source for both Anecdotes 192 and most of the information found in Anecdotes 193. Consider the following passage:

From Oyasama’s standpoint, I was Her great-grandchild. Since I was the firstborn male, I often went to the Residence ever since I was a baby. Mother Yamazawa (Hisa) told me that Oyasama each time I went, She always said, “Oh, I hope that he will be able to come by himself soon!”

Whenever my father Matsujiro visited the Residence, he would receive something as a present from Oyasama and I remember as a child how I waited with much anticipation to see what it would be. I don’t exactly recall when it was, but I still remember now how happy I was when my father came home with a large silverberry branch with lots of berries on his shoulder.

I believe this happened a little before Oyasama withdrew from physical life. Oyasama always doted on children. When She came to visit us in Ichinomoto, She always brought sweets in a purse with drawstrings made from wood shavings (this purse is stored in the Shinbashira’s home).[1] When I or any of the other neighborhood children would go to Her side, She always gave us something from Her purse. As children, because we knew that She would give us something if we went to Her side, we would go to Her side and hold out our hand to Her. And She would definitely put something in our hand. Since such was the case, I looked forward to going to the Residence and went often. We would go from the Main Sanctuary worship hall to Her Resting House. She would give us something and we went back to play while eating it. When it was gone, we would go to Her side and hold out our hand to Her again. She would again give us something. We would then go again. Oh, we went back to Her maybe three or four times that way.

But Oyasama would never once said, “Didn’t I just give you some?” No matter how many times we went to Her, She smiled and always gave us something. When I think about it now, She chose to give us just enough to eat each time. It brings back sweet memories! I am so grateful that She showed such deep sensitivity to us.

When it was the season for tangerines, after peeling the rind, She would take each piece and quickly peel it, swiftly turning it inside out. The way She stuck it on Her finger made it look exactly like a bird. She would then make it as if it were really flying and say, “Here, the kite flies and the crow caws.” I remember how She would bring it to my mouth and feed me that way. Sometimes I would try to do the same and when I fed it to Her, She would eat it with great gusto.[2]

I don’t recall exactly when, but one time Oyasama carried me and Yoshikawa Manjiro on Her back from Her room to the gatehouse wearing a pair of zori.[3]

Whenever I hear someone talk about Oyasama, it especially brings back memories of that time. How can I describe it? Whenever I remember it, it feels as if a beautiful picture scroll is being unfolded before me (pp. 137–138).

I find it interesting to compare the slight differences between the two accounts. Further, it may also be interesting to compare the last paragraph of Anecdotes 193 with the description supplied in The Life of Oyasama, pp. 122–124.

Theologian Kaneko Akira has mentioned that these stories found in Anecdotes 193 are notable in two ways (p. 136):

1. It depicts Oyasama toward the end of her physical lifetime through the eyes of a young child.[4]
2. It demonstrates her loving anticipation for this child to mature (“Oh, I hope that he will be able to come by himself soon!”). In a theological sense, one could even plausibly assert that Oyasama has the same loving anticipation to all of her “children.”

Kaneko Akira, also supplies an assortment of other stories in his article.

Asada Tokujiro happened to live with the Kajimotos. When he was about 12 (circa 1882), he went to sit in the garden of the Residence after he had brought a letter for Nakayama Shinnosuke. Oyasama came out with a reward for him. As he held his hand out he knew it was a chestnut just by touch. Oyasama continued to watch him as he started to put it in his mouth. Smiling, she then slipped into a back room (p. 139).

Circa 1879 or 1880, Oyasama’s daughter Masa would sometimes invite a dancing instructor from Tanbaichi to dance at the Residence. The instructor was a woman named Mika and she would bring her daughters and other young girls from her village to dance to songs such as “Yarisabi” and others. Oyasama would invite children to come and watch, giving out konpeito candies as she did so.

Several witnesses have attested that Oyasama often had these candies ready at hand to give to children. Among them was Nakagawa Kikue, a childhood friend and schoolmate of Oyasama’s granddaughter Tamae.

After describing these accounts, Kaneko Akira wonders where the adults were, as their appearances in such stories are rare. He then notes how the Residence was under constant police surveillance and that Oyasama was often taken away in their custody. Nakagawa Kikue later attested that the police kept guard outside and that it was not easy at all for followers to enter the Residence. It may be said that only children were able to come and go freely as they pleased. (pp. 140–141)

The childhood accounts related above show that in the eyes of the children at the time, the Residence was pervaded with a warm and relaxing atmosphere despite official oppression and interference. Oyasama’s great-grandson Sotaro himself described his memories as if they were scenes from a beautiful picture scroll (p. 141).

Kaneko Akira goes on to write that although no one can say for sure to what extent Oyasama’s grandchildren and great-grandchildren were aware that people considered her to be a living goddess (thereby making the Residence a divine space), they did what all children do naturally: they played in God’s bosom in a manner that could be described as “joyous play.” Oyasama also enjoyed the process of repeatedly giving sweets to Sotaro and the others no matter how many times they came to her to receive them (pp. 141–142).

Kaneko Akira then points out the importance for children to live each day in delight, writing: “This is because our childhood memories of play and fun times become lifelong treasures. The attitude Oyasama displayed when She interacted with these children truly was an effort to make treasures that would last for a lifetime” (p. 143). He then suggests that Oyasama’s words, “Oh, I hope that he will be able to come by himself soon!” can be interpreted to mean “I hope he will grow up soon and come to worship on his on accord without his parents having to bring him.”

I conclude here by quoting Kaneko Akira’s closing words:

The essence of the Joyous Life is joyous play, which amounts to the opening of a world where children spend their time in delight, receiving sweets and riding piggyback. Just as how Sotaro and the others received konpeito candies from Oyasama and rode on Her back, it is like a world painted on a picture scroll. Or at least this is what I envision.

Oyasama had said: “I cannot allow anyone to leave this house without first being filled with joy. To Me, the Parent, all human beings in the world are My children.”[5] When we reread Anecdotes 193 “By Himself Soon” with such a broad religious context in mind, we can savor again Oyasama’s immense compassion (pp. 154–155).

Bibliography

Kaneko Akira. 2009. “Kodomo: 193 ‘hayō hitori de’.” In Itsuwa-hen ni manabu iki-kata 3. Tenri: Tenri Daigaku Oyasato Kenkyūsho, pp. 135–157.

External links 

Tenrikyo Online: “Joyous Play” (Yoki yusan); “Living in God’s Bosom” (Futokoro-zumai) 

Notes

Related Posts

• Blogging Anecdotes of Oyasama 134
• Blogging Anecdotes of Oyasama 129
• Blogging Anecdotes of Oyasama 128
• Blogging Anecdotes of Oyasama 121
• Blogging Anecdotes of Oyasama 117

On May 5, 1886, Torakichi Tagawa and people of twenty-six families of Tanokuchi Village in Tajima Province, formed a [confraternity]. He was selected as its head. At that time, he was seventeen years old. This was the start of the Tenchi-gumi Seventh [Confraternity] (later renamed the Ninth).

On August 29th of the same year, Tagawa and eight others set out from the village for Jiba. They arrived in Osaka on September 1st. That evening, while staying at an inn, Tagawa suffered acute stomach pains. He had a continuous attack of vomiting and diarrhea throughout the night. At that time cholera was prevalent in Osaka. The party members were shocked and extremely apprehensive. They performed the prayer service, and prayed all night for his complete recovery. At last his condition began to improve as dawn drew near. They set out that morning before daybreak. With [Tagawa] still in bad condition, the group went through the Jusan Pass and through Tatsuta to Shoyashiki Village and stayed at Jukichi Nakayama’s house. That night, Chusaku Tsuji and Risaburo Yamamoto came from the Residence to give a talk. Chusaku Tsuji administered the Sazuke to Tagawa. After that Tagawa did not suffer from any pain.

The next day, the party visited the Jiba of Origin and worshiped at the Place for the Service. They were led to the Resting House and were granted an audience with Oyasama. When they met Her, She was wearing Her red garments and sitting very erect. She said:

“Welcome home from such a distant place.”

Oyasama’s gracious words moved Tagawa to tears. Never forgetting this feeling for the rest of his life, he actively pursued missionary work with all his heart and soul.

Anecdotes of Oyasama, pp. 150–151

My take

Oyasama is quoted in Anecdotes 191 as saying, “Welcome home from such a distant place.” In of itself, there isn’t anything particularly profound about these words. It can easily be imagined that Oyasama greeted anyone who came beyond the immediate area surrounding Jiba with a similar phrase.

When one considers that there were followers who regularly returned from all the way from Shizuoka (Anecdotes 187) and Tokushima (Anecdotes 152), Tajima Province (modern-day Hyogo Prefecture) may not seem so distant, but it is possible that landlocked Yamato was not easily accessible from Tajima at the time.

What made Oyasama’s words so memorable for Tagawa Torakichi? The physical condition he was in before reaching Jiba obviously had a role. His condition improved after the members of his confraternity conducted a prayer service[1] on his behalf. His pain stopped after an intermediary administered the Sazuke to him when he reached Shoyashiki Village. It was undoubtedly an emotional moment for him to meet the woman who introduced the Service and Sazuke that served as catalysts for his recovery.

Extra information from Tenrikyo jiten, kyokai-hen 

Tagawa Torakichi would go on to become the first minister of Ikuno Shikyokai, founded in 1892. Ikuno was made a daikyokai (“grand church”) in 1940 and there is an entry dedicated to its history in a thick volume entitled Tenrikyo jiten, kyokaishi-hen (Tenrikyo encyclopedic dictionary, church histories edition). I will present several pieces of information I found in that entry here.

Its account of Tagawa’s recovery from cholera has a description that reads: “Tsuji Chusaku draped a thoroughly weakened Tagawa Torakichi with Oyasama’s red clothes and administered the Sazuke” (p. 67).[2]

When Tagawa returned to his home village, the prayer services conducted at his confraternity would help 18 out of 20 people recover from their illnesses. There was one occasion when their prayers conducted at the village tutelary shrine brought a woman back to life three hours after she stopped breathing.

Tagawa was granted the Sazuke on November 5, 1888 during his second “return” pilgrimage to Jiba. After Tenrikyo Church Headquarters was legally established in 1888, the family of Tenchi-gumi confraternities were reorganized and renumbered. By August 1890, Tagawa’s confraternity had seven branch confraternities of its own and its membership list included roughly 700 households.

Despite that he had become the minister of Ikuno Shikyokai by then, Tagawa was drafted in the military during the Sino-Japanese war. There is an account describing that while on active duty in China, he climbed a wall to get to a house where someone was ill. He wrote “天理王命” (Tenri-O-no-Mikoto) in big characters on a piece of paper and administered the Sazuke to a mother and her children. They were said to have been blessed with a vivid recovery in three days.

Tagawa also had an active role in limiting damage from two heretical movements after his return (one between 1897 and 1904 and another between 1911 and 1918). The concluding sentence of Anecdotes 191 above—”Never forgetting this feeling for the rest of his life, he actively pursued missionary work with all his heart and soul”—makes even a deeper impression when one considers how his life unfolded in the years after his encounter with Oyasama.

Tagawa Torakichi’s son Torao took over as church minister of Ikuno on November 1, 1932. Tagawa Torakichi was promoted a Honbu-in (executive official of Tenrikyo Church Headquarters) on April 28, 1939. He welcomed a visitation from the second Shinbashira Nakayama Shozen (1905–1967) at the dedication service commemorating Ikuno becoming a grand church on May 5, 1941. He was also able to attend the service celebrating Ikuno’s 50th anniversary in October 1942. He passed away at the age of 75 on July 31, 1944.

Bibliography

Tenri Daigaku Oyasato Kenkyūsho, ed. 1989. Tenrikyo jiten, kyokaishi hen. Tenri: Tenrikyō Dōyūsha.

Notes

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