Tag Archives: Matsumura Kichitaro

Blogging Anecdotes of Oyasama 190

Blogging Anecdotes of Oyasama,

190. This Path (kono michi wa)

In the summer of 1886, Kichitaro Matsumura returned to the Residence. In the eyes of Matsumura, who had acquired some education, the illiteracy of the people who gathered at the Residence and their very uncouth manners seemed questionable. He had even come to harbor a sense of contempt toward them. One day, when he had an audience with Oyasama, She said to him:

“This path is not the way of intelligence or knowledge. I do not say, ‘Do not come,’ to those who come. I do not forcibly say, ‘Come,’ to those who do not wish to come.”

Upon hearing these words, Matsumura realized his arrogance and repented from the bottom of his heart. Thus the preciousness of the truth of Jiba became deeply embedded in his heart.

Anecdotes of Oyasama, pp. 149–150

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The Footsteps of Our Predecessors 69

Footsteps of Our Predecessors, Translations, ,

The following is a translation of Part 69 of the series “Senjin no sokuseki” (Footsteps of Our Predecessors) from the September 2008 (No. 477) issue of Taimo, pp. 34–35. This translation is a provisional one at the moment and may require further revision.

Part 69: “If the Spirit Lives, the Body Will Live”

In 1893, Kichitaro Matsumura contracted a severe case of dysentery. He suffered from diarrhea several times a day, which left him emanciated in a blink of an eye. Although he went to see a number of doctors, they all concluded that his case was beyond help. The first Shinbashira took the time to visit Kichitaro and said: “Matsumura-san, you’ve really lost weight. Do you have anything to tell me while you have the chance? I’ll listen to anything you have to say.”

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The Footsteps of Our Predecessors 28

Footsteps of Our Predecessors, Translations, ,

The following is a translation of Part 28 of the series “Senjin no sokuseki” (Footsteps of Our Predecessors) from the April 2005 (No. 436) issue of Taimo, pp. 34–35. This translation is a provisional one at the moment and may require further revision.

Part 28: “I Resolve to Implement the Spirit of Single-Hearted Salvation”

Kichitaro Matsumura of Byodoji Village, Osaka, loathed anything that defied reason. He found the rough, uncultured behavior of the followers around him distasteful and secretly ridiculed those who had faith. While his parents and younger brother were devout followers of Tenrikyo, Kichitaro’s attitude grew colder as their devotion grew deeper. His mother Saku told him over and over: “When you were younger, you always played near Oyasama each time we returned to Jiba. She even held and carried you on one occasion.” Nevertheless, Kichitaro could not bring himself to accept the faith. Continue reading The Footsteps of Our Predecessors 28 →