Schism, Orthodoxy and Heresy in the History of Tenrikyo: Three Case Studies
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UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI'I LIBRARY SCHISM, ORTHODOXY AND HERESY IN THE HISTORY OF TENRIKYO: THREE CASE STUDIES A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE DIVISION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI'I IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS IN RELIGION (ASIAN) MAY 2005 By Roy Tetsuo Forbes Thesis Committee: Helen J. Baroni, Chairperson George J. Tanabe Jr. Robert N. Huey Copyright © 2005 by Roy Tetsuo Forbes All rights reserved. III This thesis is dedicated to my mother Sumako, my late father Robert and the late Reverend Nakata Kaname. iv - Acknowledgements - Although there were numerous individuals who helped me in various tangible and intangible ways throughout the span of my research, I would like to name and express my appreciation to a select few. First of all, I wish to thank the professors of my thesis committee-Dr. Helen Baroni, Dr. George Tanabe and Dr. Robert Huey-for their advice and assistance throughout the course of my research. Next, I would like to voice my appreciation toward Bishop Hamada Michihito of the Tenrikyo Mission Headquarters of Hawaii (Dendocho) for helping jumpstart my studies on Tenrikyo by introducing me to various sources that proved indispensable in the writing of this thesis. I also thank Mr. Tabayashi Hiroaki of the Tenrikyo Overseas Department for being my main contact in Tenri City who helped arrange an informal, introductory tour at Tenri Central Library. I further appreciate Mr. Tabayashi for driving me to Sukezo's residence in Harigabessho and to Oyamato Jinja on his precious days off. Last but not least, I thank the patient staff members at Tenri Central Library, Tenri Bunko in Nu'uanu, and of Hawaii Dendocho for allowing me to raid their respective collections on more than one occasion. v -Abstract- The Japanese 'new religion' Tenrikyo, founded by Nakayama Miki (1798 1887) in the late Tokugawa era, is arguably the largest of the thirteen Kyoha Shinto ('Sect Shinto') groups that trace their institutional origins to the Meiji period. Under the joint leadership of Iburi Izo (1833-1907) and Miki's grandson Nakayama Shinnosuke (1866-1914), Tenrikyo grew from a sparse collection of ko (religious confraternities) into a vast institutional network of branch churches within ten years of Miki's death due to the aggressive propagation efforts of its first generation missionaries. This thesis surveys the historical, sociological and ideological contexts that surrounded the emergence of three schisms-Tenrin-O Kyokai, Daidokyo, and Honmichi-which occurred at three separate stages within Tenrikyo's transition from a small rural movement into a nationwide phenomenon. Despite the differences in the historical backdrops of these three schisms, themes of sacred space and charismatic authority were central issues in the emergence of each. vi -Contents- Acknowledgements...................................................................... v Abstract vi Abbreviations ix Note on citations.......................................................................... x Introduction......... ......... ...... ...... ...... .............. ......................... ..... 1 A short history of the Tenrikyo institution................................ 4 Basic methodological considerations 12 The 'raw materials' of schism: Social tension, organizational conditions, and state regulation.... 15 The issue of legitimate authority: Charisma and the implications surrounding its routinization ...... 20 The centrality of sacred space and person in Tenrikyo orthodoxy... 24 Organization of chapters 26 Chapter One The Emergence of Tenrikyo and the Sukezo Jiken 29 The initiation of the obiya-yurushi 32 Evolution from 'client cult' to 'cult movement': The conversion of Yamanaka, Thuri, and Yamazawa 35 The '()yamato Jinja no fushi' and its implications 37 The Sukezo jiken 41 Implications of the Sukezo jiken 53 Tenrikyo under the sanction of Yoshida Shinto........................... 56 The impact of Meiji religious policy on Shugendo and Tenrikyo 58 Chapter conclusion " 65 vii Chapter Two Heresy During the Watch of Honseki Iburi Izo: The Mizu-yashiki Jiken .... 69 Miki's 'withdrawal from physical life': The passing of the charismatic mantle to Iburi Izo 74 Tenrikyo orthodoxy under Iburi Izo and the concept of the Jiba in the Osashizu 77 The Secret Directives and their implications 84 The early life of !ida Iwajiro 92 Iwajiro's kamigakari experiences 97 The Mizu-yashiki jiken in the Osashizu 102 Implications of the Mizu-yashiki jiken 107 Chapter conclusion.......................... ................................ 112 Chapter Three 'Opening of the Lid': The Emergence of Tenri Kenkyfrkai 115 The drive toward sectarian independence 118 The early life of Onishi Aijiro 123 'Kanrodai nin no o-fumitome': Aijiro's revelatory experience 127 The founding of the Tenri Kenkyukai 132 Tenrikyo in transition: The passing of Iburi Izo and Nakayama Shinnosuke 134 The expectation of the return of revelation in Tenrikyo 136 The writings of Masuno Kosetsu 137 Conversion data of four Tenri Kenkyukai members 141 Factors contributing to the appeal of the Tenri Kenkyukai '" 145 Implications of the emergence of Tenri Kenkyukai (Honmichi) 153 Chapter conclusion 157 Conclusion.................................................................................. 160 Bibliography................................................................................ 181 viii - Abbreviations - A Tenrikyo Church Headquarters. Anecdotes of Oyasama the Foundress of Tenrikyo D Tenrikyo Church Headquarters. The Doctrine of Tenrikyo DK Yamazawa Ryosuke. Doroumi kOki, Meiji juyo-nen wakatai-bon HG Honmichi Kyogibu. Honmichi gaikan IH Tenrikyo Kyokai Honbu, ed. Kohon Tenrikyo Kyosoden itsuwa-hen KNH Tenrikyo Seinenkai Shiryo chosa-han. "Kyosoden shiryo no kento: Nakayama Miki kenkyu nota hihan" KTK Tenrikyo Kyokai Honbu. Kohon Tenrikyo Kyosoden LO Tenrikyo Church Headquarters. Life of Oyasama, the Foundress of Tenrikyo MKU Mikagura-uta MKZ Masuno Kosetsu zenshil NSD Tenrikyo Kyogi oyobi Shiryo Shusei-bu, ed. Nakayama Shinnosuke den NSSS Nihon shomin seikatsu shiryo shusei, dai ju-hachi kan (voL 18): minkan shukyo Of Tenrikyo Church Headquarters. Ofudesaki: English, Japanese and romanization Os Tenrikyo Kyogi oyobi Shiryo Shusei-bu, ed. Osashizu OYKH Nakayama Shinnosuke. Okina yori kikishi hanashi SKJJ Inoue Nobutaka et aL, ed. Shinshilkyo kyodan, jinbutsu jiten SJ Inoue Nobutaka et al. ed. Shinshilkyo jiten TJ Tenri Daigaku Oyasato Kenkyiisho, ed. Kaitei Tenrikyo jiten TJKH Tenri Daigaku Oyasato Kenkyusho, ed. Kaitei Tenrikyo jiten: kyokaishi-hen TKSS Tenri Daigaku Shukyo Bunka Kenkyiisho, ed. Tenrikyo kyokai shi shiryo TOD Tenrikyo Overseas Department (see bibliography for sources) TOMD Tenrikyo Overseas Mission Department (see bibliography for sources) *note: the Tenrikyo Overseas Mission Department (Kaigai Dendobu) was renamed the Tenrikyo Overseas Department (Kaigaibu) in Apri11999 TTDS Tenrikyo Takayasu Daikyokai shi, revised edition ix - Note on citations - I have chosen to follow the conventional Tenrikyo style of citing the Mikagura-uta and the Ofudesaki in this paper. A Roman numeral will respectively indicate the Mikagura-uta song and part of the Ofudesaki; the Arabic numeral indicates the verse number of each. For the Osashizu, I will introduce a new citation style in hopes it will lessen the difficulty of exploring the original documents: the first Arabic numeral will indicate the volume, followed by Arabic page number (as opposed to the Chinese character pa'ge numbers). It will then be followed by the Meiji year of the passage; Western calendar year in brackets; followed lastly by month and date. As an example, the first passage of the Osashizu would be cited as: (as 1:1, Meiji 20 [1887] January 4). x - Introduction - The Japanese 'new religion' Tenrikyo ~lI?Jt, founded by Nakayama Miki !=PL1J';;'~ (1798-1887), the wife of a relatively wealthy landowning farmer in the Bakumatsu or late Tokugawa era (1600-1867), is arguably one of the more 'successful' of the thirteen Kyoha Shinto ?Jt~~*,ii groups that trace their institutional origins to the Meiji period (1868-1912).1 While it appears unlikely at the moment for Tenrikyo to eventually measure to the standard of 'success' established by sociologist Rodney Stark2 considering that its growth has long leveled off, the case can be made that Tenrikyo has surpassed the other Kyoha Shinto organizations in both its membership size and the extent of its influence. An acknowledged scholar of Japanese religions has noted, "Tenrikyo was a pioneer New Religion, the first to succeed on a large scale, and served as a model for later movements" (Earhart 1982, 172). An inevitable result of Tenrikyo's 'success' was the emergence of a number of schismatic movements it helped initiate. This work will survey the social and ideological contexts that surrounded the emergence of three schisms-Tenrin-O-Kyokai .~• .3:.?Jt~, Daidokyo *ii?Jt/ 1 'New religions' (shin shakyo) will be regarded as "religions that have developed in Japan from the latter Tokugawa era onward outside the mainstream of Shinto and Buddhism, though they incorporate elements from these and other traditions" (Reader and Tanabe 1998263, n. 1). I shall also use 'new religious movement(s)' interchangeably with 'new religion(s)' throughout the work. In addition to Tenrikyo, the remaining Kyoha Shinto organizations are: Kurozumikyo ~i:Ut, Konkokyo ~ft¥t, Shinto Honkyoku ~iA*Jiij (now known as Shinto Taikyo ~ii*¥t), Shinto Shiisei-ha :MIiiffRlt~*, Taishakyo **.t¥t