Tag Archives: Moroi Kunisaburo

Blogging Anecdotes of Oyasama 187

Blogging Anecdotes of Oyasama,

187. Solely to Jiba (Jiba ni hitotsu ni)

Kunisaburo Moroi was so saddened by the passing of his three-year-old fourth daughter, Hide, that he returned to Jiba in June 1886. “I may have been mistaken about some things, so please let me know my shortcomings,” he said to Oyasama. Oyasama gave him these words:

“Sah, sah, concerning your child, three years was the life of the child. For the rest of your life, the heart of a three-year-old child. Unite your heart solely to Jiba. If you unite your heart solely to Jiba, then roots will spread to four sides. If the roots spread to four sides, even if one side decays, three sides will remain. If two sides decay, two sides will remain. Strong buds shall sprout.”

Anecdotes of Oyasama, p. 147

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Blogging Anecdotes of Oyasama 151

Blogging Anecdotes of Oyasama

151. Grant for Safe Childbirth (obiya yurushi)

In the autumn of 1884, Kunisaburo Moroi requested the Grant for Safe Childbirth for the sake of his fourth child. Oyasama was going to wrap the small sugar candies in a sheet of paper Herself to prepare the Grant when Naokichi Takai, who happened to be there, said, “Please allow me to do it for you.” He cut the paper and folded it, but it was crooked. As Oyasama watched him fold the paper, She said neither that it was good nor bad. Then, Oyasama took out a sheet of paper quietly and said:

“May I have a pair of scissors?”

One of the attendants handed a pair to Her, and Oyasama cut the paper squarely. Then She brought out about one hundred and fifty grams of small sugar candies. She put three candies on each of the three sheets of paper and wrapped them, saying:

“This is for the Grant for Safe Childbirth. A high pillow or a binder is not necessary. And, as this is the season of persimmons, do not be afraid to eat them.”

Oyasama then granted Moroi the rest of the candies, saying:

“These are also sacred gifts. Wrap them with three pieces each and give them to anyone who wishes to have them.”

Anecdotes of Oyasama, p. 123

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Blogging Anecdotes of Oyasama 139

Blogging Anecdotes of Oyasama, ,

139. With Flag Flying (furafu to tatete)

Kunisaburo Moroi, with a group of ten persons, started to return to Jiba for the third time on January 21, 1884, and arrived at Toyohashi on the twenty-second. The boat was not scheduled to leave till evening, so he took a walk around town, and caught sight of a lantern maker. An idea occurred to him then, and he bought about a hundred and twenty centimeters of extra wide Indian cotton. With this he placed an order for a flag with the lantern maker.

The flag had a white background with a red sun in the center, within which was written, in bold black letters, “Tenrin-Ō-Kosha.” At the lower left was written in small letters, “Totomi Shimmei-gumi [Confraternity].” Flying the flag at the front of the group, they crossed Ise Bay staying overnight at various places on the way, and arrived at Tambaichi* on the twenty-sixth to spend the night at Shobei’s inn, the Ogiya.

The next morning, the twenty-seventh, Moroi led a procession of six rickshaws. He rode in the first one with the flag and was followed by five rickshaws with two persons in each of them. When they reached the road leading to the main gate of the Residence, a police officer on guard questioned them, but since their answers were very clear, he merely noted their names and addresses.

Arriving at the Residence, they learned that for several days Oyasama had been saying:

“Ah, I feel tired, tired. Children will be coming home from afar. Ah, I can see them coming with a flag flying.”

The people around Her were wondering what it was all about. But when they saw the flag they were deeply impressed by the fact that Oyasama was able to see the flag long before it came into sight.

* Tambaichi is now a part of Tenri City.

Anecdotes of Oyasama, pp. 112-113

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Blogging Anecdotes of Oyasama 118

Blogging Anecdotes of Oyasama, ,

118. On the Side of God (Japanese title: Kami no hō ni wa)

Kunisaburo Moroi returned to Jiba for the first time on February 10, 1883. When he was granted an audience with Oyasama, She said to him:

“Put your hand down like this,”

indicating how by putting Her own hand on the tatami-mat with the palm down. When he did exactly as he was told, Oyasama bent her two middle fingers, and with Her index and little fingers, pinched the back of his hand, pulling up the skin. Then She said:

“Pull your hand. Try to free it.”

He tried to free his hand, but he only made it hurt. He finally said, “I am overwhelmed.” Then Oyasama said:

“Hold My wrist.”

She let him grasp Her wrist. Oyasama then grasped his. Clasping each other’s wrists, Oyasama said:

“Put your strength behind it.”

And She added:

“Stop if I say ouch, all right?”

Then he squeezed Her wrist, but the harder he squeezed, the more his wrist hurt. Oyasama said:

“You do not have any more strength, do you?”

His hand ached more and more as he clutched harder. So he said again, “I am overwhelmed.” Then Oyasama released Her hold and said:

“You really do not have any more strength? Twice as much strength is on the side of God.”

Anecdotes of Oyasama, pp. 97-98

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The Footsteps of Our Predecessors 13

Footsteps of Our Predecessors, Translations, , , ,

The following is a translation of Part 13 of the series “Senjin no sokuseki” (Footsteps of Our Predecessors) from the January 2004 (No. 421) issue of Taimo, pp. 34–35. This translation is tentative and may require further revision.

Part 13: “With a Flag Flying”

In January 1884, Kunisaburo Moroi made his third pilgrimage after his conversion, bringing ten people along with him. The group left Enshu (western Shizuoka) on January 21.

On the way Kunisaburo had a sudden idea in Toyohashi. He bought four feet (1.2 meters) of cotton sheeting and made a flag with a red sun and the characters “Tenrin-O-kosha” 天輪王講社 (Tenrin-O Confraternity) in the middle with the words “Totomi-kuni Shinmei-gumi” (Shinmei-gumi of Totomi Province) on the side. He led the group with this flag flying the rest of the way heading to Jiba.

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The Footsteps of Our Predecessors 12

Footsteps of Our Predecessors, Translations, , , ,

The following is a translation of Part 12 of the series “Senjin no sokuseki” (Footsteps of Our Predecessors) from the December 2003 (No. 420) issue of Taimo, pp. 34–35. This translation is tentative and may require further revision.

Part 12: “God Has Twice the Strength”

Kunisaburo Moroi was absorbed in running a textile factory in Hiro’oka Village, Yamana County in Totomi Province (currently Fukuroi City, Shizuoka Prefecture), from overseeing the raising of silkworms to the production of silk thread. In February 1883, his third daughter Koshi (two years old1) contracted a throat ailment and her condition became critical.

With no option at hand, Kunisaburo’s wife Sono, feeling that only faith in “Tenri-O-sama” would save Koshi, discarded her human thinking and made an earnest petition with her husband as follows: “All praise to Tenri-O-no-Mikoto. We shall singly devote ourselves to the faith as husband and wife. Please save our baby from her illness.”

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  1. The ages of individuals that appear in this article are according to the traditional manner of counting age in Japan (i.e., kazoe-doshi). A person is considered a year old at birth and ages accordingly with the arrival of each New Year. ↩