Tag Archives: Japanese religiosity

Blogging Anecdotes of Oyasama 10

Blogging Anecdotes of Oyasama, , ,

10. The Long Way Around

In 1863, when Kiku Masui was thirty-nine years old, her husband, Isaburo, caught a slight cold. It developed into a stubborn case of asthma. Kiku was so religious by nature that she visited almost all the places of pilgrimage and worship within eight or twelve kilometers of their house in order to pray for her husband’s recovery. Still, he did not get well.

Then, Senkichi Yaoi, a next-door neighbor, advised her, “Kiku, you seem to have been to various places of worship one after another. Now, why don’t you go to the god in Shoyashiki?” Kiku felt as if she were being drawn to God by an invisible string, and she hurried to Jiba* at once. The seasonable time had come for her.

When Kiku was admitted into Oyasama’s room, Oyasama said warmly:

“I have been waiting for you, waiting for you,”

as if welcoming Her own child who had come home from afar. Then Kiku said, “I have been to so many places to pray until now.” Oyasama said:

“You have come the long way around. What a pity! You could have met all those gods if only you had come here,”

and She smiled gently. When Kiku heard these words, she felt that Oyasama was truly the Parent. She was deeply impressed and moved by an inexpressible feeling of adoration which penetrated into her heart.

(Note)

* The Residence

Anecdotes of Oyasama, pp. 5–6. Continue reading Blogging Anecdotes of Oyasama 10 →

The Footsteps of Our Predecessors 51

Footsteps of Our Predecessors, Translations, , ,

The following is a translation of Part 51 of the series “Senjin no sokuseki” (Footsteps of Our Predecessors) from the March 2007 (No. 459) issue of Taimo, pp. 34–35. This translation is a provisional one at the moment and may require further revision. I took some liberties when translating this one.

Part 51: Prayers to God Who Lives Here

In mid-November 1886, just when the harvesting of rice was completed, a 58 year-old woman named Kyo Yamamura helped fulfill a neighbor’s heartfelt wish by accompanying her on the famed 33-temple pilgrimage in the western provinces (Saigoku junrei). Departing Kyoto, the pair went from Kawachi, Nachi, and Koyasan before entering Yamato Province. On the road from Hasedera to Nara, they traveled with a man in his 40s. This man suggested: “There is a wondrous living goddess in this area who has gained much reputation recently. Would you like to come to worship along with me?”

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Naorai (Post-Service Meal)

Tenrikyo Fundamentals, Translations, ,

The following excerpt is from Omichi no joshiki [Tenrikyo Fundamentals] (pp. 153–158) by Koji Sato, professor at Tenri University and instructor at Tenri Seminary. Note: This translation is a provisional one at the moment and may require further revision.

Naorai (Post-Service Meal)

There is a naorai (post-service meal) following the monthly service of many Tenrikyo churches. There are mission stations that do the same.

Of course, there are churches and mission stations that do no have a post-service meal. There is also no set way on how to hold a naorai; there is a great variety among them.

The number of people of the path who see a naorai as a reception where worshipers eat and drink together is not few. However, naorai once had a special meaning in Shinto service (saishi). The origin of the word is naori-au or “a mutual return to normal.”

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Ascetic Training

Tenrikyo Fundamentals, Translations, , ,

The following excerpt is from Omichi no joshiki [Tenrikyo Fundamentals] (pp. 146–149) by Koji Sato, professor at Tenri University and instructor at Tenri Seminary. Note: This translation is a provisional one at the moment and may require further revision.

Ascetic Training

Many religions have established forms of ascetic training to deepen one’s faith and to cultivate the mind. There are some that are life-threatening and actually have taken the lives of a number of people.

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Offering With a Sincere Heart

Tenrikyo Fundamentals, Translations, , ,

The following is an excerpt from Omichi no joshiki [Tenrikyo Fundamentals] (pp. 123–126) by Koji Sato, professor at Tenri University and instructor at Tenri Seminary. Note: This translation is a provisional one at the moment and may require further revision.

Offering With a Sincere Heart

We human beings are able to enjoy life because God the Parent works without a single moment of rest to provide us with divine protection. No amount of gratitude we have for the Master Lender is too excessive.

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All Days Are Lucky Days

Tenrikyo Fundamentals, Translations, ,

The following is an excerpt from Omichi no joshiki [Tenrikyo Fundamentals] (pp. 116–120) by Koji Sato, professor at Tenri University and instructor at Tenri Seminary. Note: This translation is a provisional one at the moment and may require further revision.

All Days Are Lucky Days

In Japan today it is customary to plan a wedding on an auspicious day and avoid certain days that are considered unlucky. The same goes for funerals, as certain days are considered inappropriate. Such long-held customs emerged when the Chinese calendar that was brought to Japan took on a life of its own and began to regulate the lives of the Japanese people.

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The Core of Heaven is Tsukihi

Tenrikyo Fundamentals, Translations,

The following is an excerpt from Omichi no joshiki [Tenrikyo Fundamentals] (pp. 113–115) by Koji Sato 佐藤浩司, professor at Tenri University and instructor at Tenri Seminary. Note: This translation is a provisional one at the moment and may require further revision.

The Foundation of This World is Heaven; the Core of Heaven is Tsukihi

It is my assumption that like in the past, many people even today were adherents of other faiths before they were guided to the path. There were even predecessors taught directly by Oyasama who were former followers of Buddhism or Ubusuna-gami. People at that time often visited several reputable places of worship to make prayers to receive blessings and benefits. Among our predecessors were people who, during their visits to such places of worship, heard the reputation of the “living goddess of childbirth,” before deciding to go.

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A Mind Like Cotton

Tenrikyo Fundamentals, Translations, , , , , , ,

The following excerpt is from Omichi no joshiki [Tenrikyo Fundamentals] (pp. 106–110) by Koji Sato 佐藤浩司, professor at Tenri University and instructor at Tenri Seminary. Note: This translation is a provisional one at the moment and may require further revision.

A Mind Like Cotton

Oyasama taught us how we ought to use our minds with a variety of metaphors. Continue reading A Mind Like Cotton →

The Footsteps of Our Predecessors 21

Footsteps of Our Predecessors, Translations, ,

The following is a translation of Part 21 of the series “Senjin no sokuseki” (Footsteps of Our Predecessors) from the September 2004 (No. 429) issue of Taimo, pp. 34–35. This translation is a provisional one at the moment and may require further polishing and revision.

Part 21: “By Saving Others, You Yourself Shall Be Saved”

In early April 1875, Eijiro Enomoto of Sugahama, Sandoson, in Fukui Prefecture (currently known as Sugahama, Migata-cho in Mihama-gun, Fukui Prefecture) embarked on a temple pilgrimage in the western provinces (saigoku junrei)1 in hopes to have his daughter Kiyo be saved from madness. Continue reading The Footsteps of Our Predecessors 21 →

  1. The saigoku junrei is a well-known pilgrimage of 33 sites dedicated to the Buddhist goddess of mercy, Kannon. There is actually ink-brush art accompanying this article that shows a man bowing (presumably Eijiro) dressed in Buddhist pilgrimage garb with the words “Namu Kanze Bosatsu” (variant of Kannon/Kanze’on) inscribed on his back. It would be really great if I could get permission to post this art with these translations (which I have been posting sans permission or notification, since, I would argue, these stories belong in the public domain). Maybe some day it will happen. ↩

“Itadakimasu”

Tenrikyo Fundamentals, Translations,

The following is an excerpt from Omichi no joshiki [Tenrikyo Fundamentals] (pp. 61–65) by Koji Sato 佐藤浩司, assistant professor at Tenri University and instructor at Tenri Seminary. Note: This is a tentative translation at the moment and may require further revision.

Saying “Grace” (Itadakimasu)

I ask you, my readers, what do you do before you eat a meal? Do you say grace or say “itadakimasu” (I shall partake)?

Appetite is the most fundamentally important human desire, for it is essential for the sustenance of our life. Nevertheless, this does not automatically mean that all we need to do is to put food in our stomachs.

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