The following is an excerpt of “The Life of the Foundress” by Yoshinaru Ueda as it appears in Tenrikyo: Its History and Teachings (1966), pp. 33–6. Note that this excerpt has been slightly revised to reflect current translation styles.
The content below more or less corresponds what appears in The Life of Oyasama, Chapter Nine. Continue reading Life of the Foundress, Part 7
Masanosuke Iburi once asked his grandmother Yoshie Nagao, daughter of Izo, the following question, “Please tell me about the time when the Service for Rain was conducted during Oyasama’s physical lifetime.”
And Yoshie explained the event as follows:
“It was in the summer of 1883, when I was 18. There was a great drought, so great that the wells of every household completely dried up and both humans and farm animals were being affected by it. The farmers were particularly in a desperate situation. Even though they usually never gave us the time of day, they sent the village head as their representative to ask if a prayer for rain could be conducted as a final resort.