TENRIKYŌ

TENRIKYŌ . A monotheistic Japanese religion established in 1838, Tenrikyō preaches a doctrine of world renewal and individual salvation. Its founder, Nakayama Miki (1798–1887), received a revelation from Tenri Ō no Mikoto (also known as Oyagami, or "God the parent"), and became Kami no Yashiro ("the living shrine of God"). According to Tenrikyō church tradition, God revealed himself through Nakayama in order to deliver people from individual sufferings and social evils, and to prepare the way for the kanrodai sekai ("perfect divine kingdom"), in which humankind will enjoy yōkigurashi ("joyous and blissful life") in union with God the Parent. Tenrikyō spread rapidly throughout Japan during the tumultuous eclipse of the Edo period (1600–1868).

History

The eldest daughter of Maekawa Masanobu and his wife Kinu, Maekawa Miki (later, Nakayama Miki) became a pious devotee of Pure Land Buddhism early in life. Although she wished to become a nun, in obedience to her parents' wishes she married Nakayama Zembei in 1810. In her marriage she affirmed the values of worldly life through moral compassion toward others and devotion to Shintō deities. The revelation she experienced in her forty-first year resulted in a dedication to almsgiving, leading her family into extreme poverty. She affirmed her credibility by working miracles, teaching that divine protection was attainable only through a life of sincere piety. Her mission to achieve the new world order of kanrodai sekai was misunderstood by many, and she and her followers were persecuted for many years, she herself being imprisoned several times.

Despite intensifying persecution, Nakayama wrote two books, the Mikagurauta and the Ofudesaki, taught her disciples the movements for the Kagura Zutome ("salvation dance service"), the essential rite in Tenrikyō, and determined the location of the jiba, the sacred spot that is believed to be the original birthplace of humans. On the morning of January 26, 1887, she urged her disciples to perform the Kagura Zutome (which had been prohibited by the police), asking them to decide for themselves whether the laws of humankind or those of God are supreme. As they performed the service around the Kanrodai, a symbolic monument erected at the jiba, Nakayama died. Her followers believed that she had passed from a corporeal to a spiritual state, remaining in her sanctuary and helping them to realize God's kingdom in this world. Nakayama's ascension to this new state, together with the hinagata ("model life") she exemplified, became the focal point of the Tenrikyō faith.

After her passing, God spoke through Iburi Izō (1833–1907), Nakayama's most trusted disciple. The Osashizu was compiled from revelations made to him and fostered the emergence of a structured Tenrikyō church system. Tenrikyō was sanctioned by the government and officially classified as one of the sects of Sect Shintō in 1888. The church was then forced to alter its teachings and activities to conform to government policies. Nevertheless, Nakayama's teachings were retained intact and spread throughout Japan by 1895. Missions were established in the United States in 1896, in Taiwan in 1897, in Korea in 1898, and in China in 1901. After World War II, with the guarantee of religious freedom under the 1947 Constitution, the Fukugen ("restoration of the original teachings") movement was carried out to purify Tenrikyō teachings, which had been distorted by the influences of Shintō and state nationalism. This movement marked a step toward a redefinition of Tenrikyō as distinct from Sect Shintō. By the 1980s, Tenrikyō had approximately three million followers, with 16,664 churches and 20,039 mission stations scattered worldwide. Tenrikyō also operates social and cultural institutions, including a university, a library, a museum, a publishing house, a hospital, and an orphanage.

Doctrine

Tenri Ō no Mikoto ("lord of heavenly reason"), as revealed through Nakayama, is the creator of the world, and is also defined as the moto no kami ("original god") and the jitsu no kami ("true god"). God has ten attributes, which are manifested symbolically as tohashira no kami ("ten deities"), each representing a particular aspect of God working in the physical world. God is further posited as Tsukihi ("sun and moon") and finally as Oyagami ("God the parent"), revealing his pantheistic and immanent nature as well as his transcendental and personal existence. He is the god of parental love, who created the world in order to enjoy seeing the harmonious life of human beings. Believing in neither original sin nor the fall of man, Tenrikyō holds that the revelation was necessary to rectify human selfishness, which is contrary to God's original intent. The revelation occurred through three preordinations—the soul, the place, and the time—which are historically manifested in the soul of Nakayama, the jiba (the place of the original creation), and the time of revelation. This triad comprises the core of the Tenrikyō doctrine, and emphasizes the historical inevitability of the revelation.

Tenrikyō defines human physical existence as a kashimono-karimono ("something lent or borrowed," i.e., from God) and death as a denaoshi ("restart"). The progressive purification of the human heart is recognized through the process of reincarnation. Its ethical teaching is founded upon the doctrine of yattsu no hokori ("eight dusts"), consisting of oshii ("grudge"), hoshii ("covetousness"), nikui ("hatred"), kawaii ("selfish love"), urami ("enmity"), haradachi ("fury"), yoku ("greed"), and kōman ("arrogance"). These are defined as pollutants to be cleansed in order to uncover one's true nature and attain a state of makoto-shinjitsu ("sincere piety"). Salvation requires three activities. Receiving osazuke ("the holy grant") is the most important rite; it enables one to be reborn at the jiba and to become an agent of God to help others through prayers. Performing hinokishin ("daily service") in one's given social position is another means to achieving personal maturity. Last, frequent pilgrimages to the jiba are urged to renew one's faith and to enjoy a blissful and joyous life in union with God.

Scriptures

The essential Tenrikyō canonical texts are the Mikagurauta (Songs for the sacred dance), the Ofudesaki (Tip of the divine writing brush), and the Osashizu (Divine directions), the first two personally written by Nakayama under divine inspiration and the third revealed through Iburi. Written between 1866 and 1875, the Mikagurauta consists of five sections. The first three comprise the verses for the Kagura Zutome service. The fourth, containing eight verses, and the fifth, consisting of twelve stanzas of ten verses each, are the songs for the Teodori (Sacred Dance) service. Revealed to Nakayama between 1869 and 1882, the Ofudesaki is composed of seventeen parts comprising 1,711 verses written in the 5-7-5-7-7-syllable waka style. This scripture introduces the basic creed of Tenrikyō and elucidates the creation of the world, the nature of God, the significance of the jiba and the Kanrodai, and the importance of the Kagura Zutome.

The Osashizu, a large collection of directions revealed to Iburi from 1887 to 1907 after Nakayama's passing, is divided into two categories: kokugen (prophesies and directions to meet the exigencies of salvation) and ukagai no sashizu (directions in response to individual inquiries). The Osashizu contains concrete and detailed instructions concerning church organization and personal conduct, and offers Tenrikyō adherents guidance for solving the problems of daily life.

See Also

New Religious Movements, article on New Religious Movements in Japan.

Bibliography

The Doctrine of Tenrikyō. Sponsored by the Tenrikyō Church Headquarters. Tenri, 1972.

Fukaya Tadamasa. Fundamental Doctrines of Tenrikyō. Tenri, 1973.

Mikagura-uta: The Songs for the Tsutome. Translated by the Tenrikyō Church Headquarters. Tenri, 1972.

Nakayama Shōzen. On the Idea of God in Tenrikyō Doctrine. Tenri, 1962.

Ofudesaki, the Tip of the Divine Writing Brush. Sponsored by the Tenrikyō Church Headquarters. Tenri, 1971.

Straelen, Henry van. The Religion of Divine Wisdom. Tokyo, 1954.

Tenri Daigaku Oyasato Kenkyujo. Tenrikyō jiten. Tenri, 1977.

Tenrikyō: Its History and Teaching. Edited by the Tenrikyō Church Headquarters. Tenri, 1966.

Tenrikyō Kyōkai Hombu, comp. Osashizu. 7 vols. Tenri, 1966.

Tenrikyō Year Book 1981. Sponsored by the Tenrikyō Church Headquarters. Tenri, 1981.

New Sources

Kisala, Robert. "Contemporary Karma: Interpretations of Karma in Tenrikyo and Rissho Koseikai." Japanese Journal of Religious Studies 21 (1994): 73–91.

Morishita, Saburo Shawn. Teodori: Cosmological Building and Social Consolidation in a Ritual Dance. Rome, 2000.

Uehara Toyoaki (1987)

Revised Bibliography