DOCSLIB.ORG

Tenrikyō's Divine Model Through the Manga Oyasama Monogatari

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Tenrikyō's Divine Model Through the Manga Oyasama Monogatari 九州大学学術情報リポジトリ Kyushu University Institutional Repository Tenrikyō's Divine Model through the Manga Oyasama Monogatari Porcu, Elisabetta University of Cape Town : Senior Lecturer in Asian Religions https://doi.org/10.5109/1806140 出版情報：Journal of Asian Humanities at Kyushu University. 2, pp.85-93, 2017-03. 九州大学文学 部大学院人文科学府大学院人文科学研究院 バージョン： 権利関係： enikyōs iine Mode toug the Manga Oyasama Monogatari eliSaBeTTa porCu Intodution authority, being linked to politics, economy, science, and culture, as well as competitions among diferent HE idea of religion continuously reinventing religious traditions.2 Te feld of culture, in particular itself has come to the fore once again during a popular culture, can be aptly seen as an arena where recent symposium held at Kyushu University.1 A religious institutions attempt to keep their bonds to so- Tclear example is Japan’s modernization during the Meiji ciety.3 Two notable expressions of such culture, manga period (1868–1912), when Buddhism needed to face the and anime, have become distinctive aspects of Japa- challenges coming from external threats (such as those nese culture and signifcant examples of what Joseph posed by Christianity as well as foreign economic and political interests) and internal struggles related to the forced separation of Buddhism and Shintō, the subse- 2 See also the recent study on the Ise shrines by Mark Teeuwen and ohn reen where the idea of Ise as an immutable sacred quent persecution of Buddhism, and the establishment space is clearly deconstructed. Mark Teeuwen and ohn reen, of what was later labeled State Shintō (kokka shintō 国 A ocial History of the Ise hrines: iine apital (London and 家神道). Such a reshaping is, however, not surprising New York: loomsbury, 201). In present-day apan, we can consider the strategies used by religious institutions to overcome considering that religion is part of a socio-economic a condition where religion is not playing an infuential role in fabric in continuous fux and, as such, always involved public life and their attempts to experiment with new modes of in processes of transformation and (re)afrmation of temple’s management and communication with members and visitors. See my paper Pop eligion in apan: uddhist Temples, Icons, and randing, Journal of eligion an Popular ulture 2, no. 1 (201): 152 and ohn K. Nelson, perimental uhism: 1 th IMAP in apanese umanities Symposium on Pre-Mod- Innoation an Actiism in ontemporary Japan (onolulu: ern apanese Culture: eligion and Imagination in apanese University of awaii Press, 201). Contexts, organized by the IMAP in apanese umanities in e- In this regard, see my paper Pop eligion in apan lisabetta cember 201. This paper was written during my stay as a visiting Porcu and Paul att, eds., Journal of eligion in Japan 1, no. professor at the IMAP in apanese umanities, Kyushu University, 1 (2012), special issue on eligion and the Secular in apan and I would like to thank my colleagues Cynthea . ogel and and Satoko ujiwara, ed., Journal of eligion in Japan 5, no. 2 llen an Goethem for their kind invitation. I would also like to (201), special issue on Secularity and Post-Secularity in apan: thank the anonymous reviewers for their comments. apanese Scholars’ esponses. 85 JAHQ-V2-interior-final-v2.indd 85 3/20/17 7:41 AM Nye has labeled “sof power.”4 Trough popular culture manga and anime to communicate with their mem- things Japanese have gained global recognition,5 and re- bers, the choice of themes and the way the founders ligious groups and individual priests have ofen turned are portrayed are quite traditional and can be seen as to popular culture to appeal to younger generations in a manga-ized replica of accounts found in the denom- contemporary Japan.6 inations’ booklets and teachings transmitted through In this brief paper, I will focus on some crucial as- kawaii (“cute”) fgures. For example, the anime Shin- pects of a manga created by Tenrikyō 天理教 (a new ran sama: Negai, soshite hikari 親鸞さま―ねがい、 religious movement originating in the nineteenth-cen- そしてひかり (Shinran-sama: His Wish and Light, tury), Oyasama monogatari (Gekiga Oyasama mo- 2008) clearly mirrors a classical/popular narrative nogatari 劇画教祖（おやさま）物語), in relation of the Buddhist master Shinran’s (1173–1262) life and to the group’s doctrine as expounded in the Tenrikyō teachings. In presenting this project, the Honganji-ha kyōten 天理教教典 (Te Doctrine of Tenrikyō) and branch of Shin Buddhism has used expressions such the Ofudesaki おふでさき (Tip of the Divine Writ- as “innovation” and “a new current of visual propaga- ing Brush).7 In particular, I will draw attention to the tion,” which aimed at conveying Shinran’s biography life of the group’s foundress, Nakayama Miki 中山み “in a style never before attempted” and appropriate き (1798–1887), otherwise known as Oyasama 教祖, as for the times. Despite all these claims, however, the the Divine Model (Hinagata ひながた) to be followed, choice of themes from Shin Buddhist teachings, as and how her fgure as a divine being is represented in well as the way Shinran is portrayed, are quite tradi- the manga in an attempt to create a closer connection tional and an expression of the Honganji-ha’s ofcial between her and Tenrikyō’s members. stance. Tese also represent the reassuring message Oyasama monogatari belongs to what Yamanaka the branch wishes to transmit to its followers through Hiroshi has termed kyōdan manga 教団マンガ, the animated, kawaii, and approachable fgure of its which are produced by religious institutions about founder.9 In terms of both content and style, not much their teachings and founders.8 As I highlighted else- of a “revolution” is to be seen here. where in the case of Jōdo Shinshū 浄土真宗, although Stylistically, the majority of kyōdan manga are very the institutions insist to claim the “innovative” use of linear and their layout lacks cinematic diversifcation of the frames, such as diferent angles and close-ups, while the traits of the characters are roughly drawn. Tis is See Craig Norris, Manga, Anime and isual Art Culture, in The particularly evident in the case of traditional Buddhist ambrige ompanion to oern Japanese ulture, ed. Yoshio Sugimoto (Melbourne: Cambridge University Press, 200), schools, but not only there. Examples include the biogra- 20. phies of Buddhist masters such as Dōgen (Manga Dōgen 5 Cf. Koichi Iwabuchi, apanese Popular Culture and Postcolonial sama monogatari まんが道元さまものがたり, Te esire for Asia’, in Popular ulture lobaliation an Japan, eds. Matthew Allen and umi Sakamoto (ondon and New York: Manga Story of Master Dōgen 2003) and Keizai (Manga outledge, 200), 155 and Matthew Allen and umi Sakamoto, Keizai sama monogatari まんが瑩山さまものがたり, Introduction: Inside-out apan Popular Culture and Globaliza- Te Manga Story of Master Keizai, 2005) produced by tion in the Context of apan, in Popular ulture lobaliation an Japan, eds. Matthew Allen and umi Sakamoto, 2. Sōtō 曹洞 Zen; and the Manga Hōnen Shōnin den マン This does not mean, however, that the efforts of both institutions ガ法然上人伝 published in 1995 by Jōdoshū 浄土宗 and individual priests have been successful in terms of increas- headquarters and translated into English in 2009 as Just ing membership, etc. See Porcu, Pop eligion in apan. Tenriky Kykai onbu, Tenriky kyten (Tenri: Tenriky ysha, As you Are: Te Manga Biography of Pure Land Master 2012 1, hereafter: Tenriky kyten) and Tenrikyo Church Honen Shonin; or biographies of founders of new reli- eaduarters, The octrine of Tenrikyo, tenth edition (Tenri: gious movements, such as Risshō Kōseikai’s 立正佼成会 Tenri ihosha, 200, hereafter: The octrine of Tenriky). The fuesaki was revealed by God the Parent to yasama, who Manga Ichijō no hohoemi まんが一乗のほほえみ (Te started to compile it in 1. See Tenrikyo Church eaduarters, Smile of the One Vehicle Teaching, 2001–03) on Niwano fuesaki: The Tip of the Writing rush, nglish, apanese and Nikkyō 庭野日敬 (1906–99), to name just a few. omanization (Tenri: Tenri ihosha, 200). Yamanaka iroshi, Manga bunka no naka no shky, in hhi sareru shky, eds. Ishii Kenji and Shimazono Susumu (Tokyo: Shunjsha, 1), 11. or a classication of religious and educa- lisabetta Porcu, Speaking through the Media: Shin uddhism, tional manga, see also Mark Macilliams, eligion and Manga, Popular Culture and the Internet, in The ocial imension of in Hanbook of ontemporary Japanese eligions, eds. Inken Shin Buddhism, ed. Ugo ess (eiden and oston: rill, 2010), Prohl and ohn Nelson (eiden, oston: rill, 2012), 552. 20. 86 Journal of asian Humanities at KyusHu university volume 2 JAHQ-V2-interior-final-v2.indd 86 3/20/17 7:41 AM diferent from the cute traits of kodomomuke 子供向 け manga (for children) or shōjo 少女 manga (“girls’ comics”), and by their political-oriented topics which made this genre popular among young workers and student activists, in particular in the 1960s.11 Unlike other religious institutions that have focused on cute characters in their creation of manga and anime,12 Ten- rikyō has tried to locate its product within the frame of a more realistic genre where kawaii features hardly fnd a place. Tis does not mean, however, that con- tent-wise the manga is “innovative,” or has diverged from a “traditional” account of the foundress’s life, as I will show below. Te choice of the gekiga in this case, was not so much a strategic choice of the group than it was dictated by the fact that its author, Nakajō Tateo 中城健雄 (b. 1938), is a well-known gekiga artist and Tenrikyō follower, who in 1987 became head of the Tenrikyō Moritakabun 森高分church in Aichi.13 In his recollection, to write the gekiga version of the found- ress story was a way to combine his religious path as a religious leader with its profession as a manga artist, which he clearly saw as a sign sent by Oyasama.14 e ekiga iogay of te Foundess of enikyō Figure 1.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Chuichi Fukaya
    Chuichi Fukaya — In Memory of the Third Shinbashira first of all, earn the trust of our family and society: this is the Zenye Nakayama, the third Shinbashira, passed away for lesson learned from Oyasama’s “Divine Model.” rebirth on June 24, 2014. Summarizing, in part, the entry under his name in the Tenrikyo Jiten (Tenrikyo Encyclopedia), I would like Ichiro Soda — Histories of the Tenrikyo Mission (32) Overseas to reminisce upon his achievements. Mission to Other Areas He was born on July 7, 1932, as the first son of Shozen I will write about overseas missions that I did not touch upon Nakayama, the second Shinbashira, and his wife, Setsu. On in the previous three articles. These missions include Mexico, November 14, with the passing away for rebirth of Shozen South American countries, Europe, and Africa. Nakayama, Zenye Nakayama became the Shinbashira. In Mexico, the mission began when Shinako Takane, a On September 7, 1955, the Tenrikyo Institute of Music member of the Sanohara Grand Church, journeyed to Mexico for was established and he became its president. On April1, her marriage and began missionary work. Through her efforts, the 1956, with the call for the Young Men’s Association to Mexico Church was established in 1961, and followers of other carry out the construction of the Oyasato yakata building grand churches came to attend the church. As a result, the Nagoya complex, the “Construction of Home of the Parent Mexico Church was established. Hinokishin Corps” was established, and he spearheaded its In Colombia, the mission began when students of Tenri High activities by becoming its first corps leader.
    [Show full text]
  • Tenri Forum 2006 3 1A.Pdf
    DAY THREE (July 17, 2006) Our Roles: Toward Making a Difference in the World Morning Session The Role of Tenrikyo in the World 3-1-1 Tenrikyo and Its Response to Medical Technology 3-1-2 Tenrikyo and Its Contribution to World Peace 3-1-3 Tenrikyo and Its Promotion of Cultural Activities 3-1-4 Tenrikyo and Its Approach to the Environment Regional Meetings Asia Africa/Europe/Oceania USA Northern California/Northwest/Canada USA East Coast/Midwest/South USA Southern California 3-1 Hawaii Latin America Japan 3-1 July 17th, Day Three Section Meetings Photo Gallery - Day Three Photo Gallery - 3-1-1 Tenrikyo and Medical Technology by speakers Mr. Kinoshita, Mr. Shiozawa, & Mr. Obayashi 3-1-2 Tenrikyo and World Peace by speakers Rev. Nagao, Mr. Itakura, & Mr. Komatsuzaki 3-1-3 Tenrikyo and Cultural Activities by speakers Mr. Yuge & Mr. Seldin 3-1-4 Tenrikyo and the Environment by speakers Ms. Dali, Mr. Noto, Mr. Forbes, & moderator Mr. Federowicz July 17th, Day Three Regional Meetings Photo Gallery Asia Africa, Europe, Oceania USA Northern California, Northwest, & Canada USA East Coast, Midwest, & South Southern California Hawaii Latin America Japan July 17th, Day Three Public Symposium Photo Gallery Tenrikyo’s Infl uence on Global, Social, and Economical Improvements by former Ambassador Nakamura Panel Discussion speakers (from left) Ms. Miyauchi, Rev. Takeuchi, and Rev. Yukimoto Panel Discussion Words of Encouragement by Rev. Iburi Tenri Forum Chairman Rev. Terada Participants of the Tenri Forum 2006 “New Frontiers in the Mission” Tenrikyo and Its Response to Medical Technology 3-1-1 Tenrikyo and Organ Transplantation Mikio Obayashi, M.D.
    [Show full text]
  • Mission HQ June Monthly Service Sermon Rev. Audrey Nakagawa Head Minister of Lanai Church Today Is Father’S Day
    Origins No. 299 July 2016 Hawaii Tenrikyo Students Association camp was held at Kahana Bay Beach Park from June 10 to 12. The program included morning & evening services, cleanup Hinokishin at the beach, and a Joy Workshop. The picture was taken after Bishop Yamanaka’s lecture. Tenrikyo Mission Headquarters of Hawaii 1 RELAY ESSAYS by Bishop & Mrs. Yamanaka & Board of Directors Takatoshi Mima In the concluding year towards Oyasama’s essence of our faith: 130th Anniversary, a book entitled “We are taught that God the Parent “Tenrikyo no Kangaekata, Kurashikata” created human beings and this world to (Tenrikyo Ways of Thinking and Living) see their Joyous Life and share in that was published by Doyusha. In this the editor joy. Thus, the Joyous Life is our final states his hope in the afterword of the book destination, which is beyond reasoning. as follows: The purpose of Tenrikyo is to lead people “In this book, 100 stories from “Tenrikyo to the Joyous Life from an individual level no Joshiki” (Tenrikyo’s Common Sense), to any level. So, can we live the Joyous Life which was published in series in the Tenri once we become Tenrikyo followers? The Jiho special issues between 1980 and answer can be both “Yes” and “No.” It can 1993, are selected and filed. Needless to be “Yes” because you can know the way to say, Oyasama’s teachings are the never the Joyous Life. However, it can be “No” changing truth. And Her course of life, because even though you may know the which She demonstrated by Her own way, you may not feel the Joyous Life right example is the Divine Model by which all away.
    [Show full text]
  • Glocal Tenri 14 Vol.17 No.3 March 2016
    Chuichi Fukaya — Opening Words: Five Years Since the Nuclear Accident over such condition; and it is implied that “to be compelled to come” includes In a recent issue of a weekly magazine, Hiroshi Kainuma, an up-and- the connotation of “to ask to come without having being taught about God the coming sociologist researching nuclear power even prior to the nuclear accident, Parent’s innermost heart.” Also, in regard to Shuji, Oyasama’s eldest son, God noted that “There are still many stereotyped statements that ‘Fukushima is the Parent caused him hardship; this hardship is said to be unreasonable. For such dangerous and the people there are living in fear.’ However, data and figures, reason, it is logical (“not unreasonable”) to have a mind of doubt. But exactly for available to anyone, speak of a Fukushima as it stands today that is entirely such reason, it is thought to be reasonable to clarify such mind of doubt. different from such conception. It has been five years since the earthquake disaster. It is now time to search for ‘enjoyable’ ways to become involved while Jiro Sawai — Reflections on the Words of the Osashizu (13) “Path” in being aware of Fukushima’s ‘true’ condition.” Osashizu, Volume 1, Entries Regarding “Church Headquarters Issues” Also, Yoshiko Sakurai, a commentator, has said, “the Nuclear Regulation In this article, I will examine the uses of “path” as it appears in Divine Authority has demanded a 400,000 page report just to conduct an experiment Directions regarding “Church Headquarter Issues” and distinguish the situations and to reactivate an experimental nuclear reactor, designed for research purpose, where “path” is used often in comparison to those situations when it is not that is 1/3,000,000,000 in scale size in comparison to a commercial reactor.
    [Show full text]
  • Glocal Tenri 14 Vol.18 No.3 March 2017
    Uzo Takami — Opening Words: “Narrative and Salvation Work” is nocturnal, and if one steps on the snake inadvertently while walking about In the world of psychiatric treatment and social work, “narrative” is a the paddy roads in the night, there is a sharp pain equivalent to a cut by a dominant model. It draws its theoretical basis from “social constructionism” “night sword.” Poison enters from the wound and leads to grave conditions. and the idea that “reality is created by dialogue between people.” We assign our For example, the Yatogi Shrine in Tenri has the same sounds as “yato” (night own meaning to all daily events and experiences, acknowledging them as “an sword), I believe that the Japanese mamushi is the deity symbol for this shrine. instance of ….” This takes the “form of stories.” When an unexpected accident or turmoil occurs before us or our family, we are unable to contextualize it Takayuki Onoue — Varieties of North American Tenrikyo Missions Seen within our story; we realize that our own story is no longer functional, and Through the History of Japanese Immigration (3) Prewar American it cannot be readily re-written. “Narrative” enables this re-writing. When Mission and the Japanese-American Immigrant Society [2] thinking of this in terms of “salvation work,” we listen to the story that a person The role of religion in immigrant society is not a small one. Religions depicts and help in the task of rewriting the story. In such instance, there is that began in Japan and migrated overseas have become known as “Nikkei naturally a need for an example, and as faithful, we have been taught “God’s religion,” and, in Japan after 1980, there is an abundance of research on Nikkei story” as found in the Divine Model of Oyasama.
    [Show full text]
  • Vol.16 No.8 August 2015 Glocal Tenri
    Chuichi Fukaya — Opening Words: California’s Drought The author serves as a curator for the Tenri Sankokan Museum. It was Years of minimal rainfall has continued since 2012 in the state of founded in 1930 as a museum dedicated to the world’s life culture and California, in western United States, resulting in a record drought seen only archaeological resources, with roughly 300,000 items. As a museum affiliated once every 500 years. with a university, this museum’s number of collections and floor space If this abnormal weather and drought continue, California, which boasts claim a spot among the highest standards in Japan. As a way to introduce its America’s largest economy, can face a dire situation, with consequences for collection, I would like to begin by explaining its name, of “Sankokan” (sanko the rest of America and Japan as well. Those of us in Japan, living on the literally means “reference” and kan means “building”). opposite shore of the Pacific Ocean, should not ignore the drought as another This museum is classified as a “museum-equivalent facility,” according country’s matter but rather accept it as a major issue for the global family to the standards defined by the Museum Act, enacted in 1951. It conform to and think upon our own lives on a daily basis. We need proactively become a “registered museum,” according to the legal definition of museum. It must involved in policies addressing global warning, regarded as the cause of be designated as so by the Education Committee of the residing prefecture. abnormal weather patterns.
    [Show full text]
  • Tenrikyo Mission Headquarters of Hawai`I
    Origins No. 247 March 2012 Women's Association Big Island Oyasama's Birthday Gathering Tenrikyo Mission Headquarters of Hawai`i ORIGINS, March 2012 TENRIKYO NEWSLETTER – ORIGINS AND MAKOTO MISSION STATEMENT To provide information related to Tenrikyo Hawaii services, activities, and events for the Tenrikyo community of Hawaii and for the people in the State of Hawaii. To inspire and initiate interest in having faith in religion, namely Tenrikyo, by conveying the Truth of the Jiba in words, in the manner and heart of God the Parent and Oyasama. Inside: • pg. 3 Message from the Head of the Overseas Department • pg. 4 February Monthly Service Prayer • pg. 5-13 February Monthly Service Sermon Island Life: • pg. 13-15 Tenri Kyoko Gakuen Study Abroad Program in Hawaii • pg. 16 Young Women's Club Follow Miss Kokan Seminar • pg. 17 All TCC Cleanup Hinokishin & New Baby Born • pg. 18 Women's Association Big Island Oyasama's Birthday Gathering • pg. 19 Mission HQ Announcements • pg. 20-21 Tidbits • pg. 22-23 Hungry Reporter, Activity Calendar 2 ORIGINS, March 2012 Message from the Head of the Overseas Department February 26, Tenrikyo 175 Recently it has been getting warmer, but this morning due to the cold winds, it has made it a very chilly day. Even in these conditions, because the monthly service fell on a Sunday, many followers of the path returned to the Home of the Parent, and the February Monthly Service was performed joyously and spiritedly, in a unity of mind, with the Shinbashira as the core. In his service prayer the Shinbashira stated that, we should engrave in our mind the deep intention to hasten the service which was the course of Oyasama’s 50 years.
    [Show full text]
  • Schism, Orthodoxy and Heresy in the History of Tenrikyo: Three Case Studies
    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.
    [Show full text]
  • Glocal Tenri No.210
    Uzo Takami — Opening Words: “On the Occasion of the Opening as well as to all new religions and established religions, as to what Lecture of ‘Learning from the Anecdotes (3)’” would take place if the teachings—forming the basis for the faith of the In April, the Oyasato Institute for the Study of Religion began a individuals and the community—are taken to its “extreme.” public lecture series entitled “To Live a Life of Faith: Learning from the Anecdotes (3).” In the opening lecture, I spoke about Anecdote #45, Takanori Sato — Creatures That Appear in the “Story of the Origin” “Wrinkles of the Mind.” In it, She states, “The saving of a man also (22) In Regard to the “Eel” [1] follows this principle. It is to smooth the wrinkles of man's mind with In “Chapter Three: Truth of Origin” of the Doctrine of Tenrikyo, the truth of the teachings.” As noted in the words, “the saving of a man the eel is introduced as the creature determined by God the Parent as follows this principle,” this anecdote speaks in detail about the core of the instrument for “eating, drinking, and elimination; rise and fall of salvation work. “To smooth the wrinkles of man’s mind with the truth moisture.” In this article, I examined the issue of whether the eel is the of the teachings” is to “not make humans into scrap.” We realize how unagi introduced in the Wakan sansaizu-e, a popular book read by many the reading of the Anecdotes allows us to have a more nourishing and from the end of the Edo period to the beginnings of Meiji, or the nihon concrete faith.
    [Show full text]
  • In Regard to Same-Sex Marriage
    Chuichi Fukaya —Opening Words: In Regard to Same-Sex upon others around them when they took up the Tenrikyo faith and Marriage (1) founded their respective churches. The history of the mission tells us At a Study Seminar held at the Mission Headquarters in America, that these people held large sway over others around them, and were I was asked by several participants as to “how to approach the issue instrumental in spreading the faith. of same-sex marriage.” This is an issue that is no longer limited For example, among the early followers of the Nikko lineage to a few eccentric people in the Bay Area but a matter that affects in the Tochigi and Ibaragi Prefectures, there were wealthy property head ministers in various parts of America. When we reflect upon owners, rich farmers, and large land owners. When these people same-sex marriage, the first issue will concern our perspective and entered the faith. many others followed. Also, Tomokichi Kashiwara, stance. That is, from the first person perspective, this is a matter the founder of Myodo Grand Church, was a Shingon practitioner that concerns oneself; from the second person perspective, this is a while Kinnosuke Konishi of Rokugo Branch Church was a devout concern that relates to family or a close acquaintance; and the third follower of divination. I believe that when those who were interested person perspective allows a detached, objective view. We need to pay in religion are exposed to a genuine religion such as Tenrikyo, they attention to the way in which the choice of perspective leads to vastly take on a missionary fervor.
    [Show full text]
  • Glocal Tenri” As the Navigator for Such Purpose Is Important, Headquarters Issues” and Sort out Its Features
    Chuichi Fukaya — Opening Words: Continuing the Transmission of Glocal “regret” that human beings “do not know” of God’s innermost heart; these verses Information teach about the spiritual maturity of human beings who can come to understand For the 130th Anniversary of Oyasama, there were 2854 attendees (as such truth. Finally, Part XII notes “it is natural to doubt” as a consideration to counted by Overseas Department) from twenty-nine countries and three regions mind of Shuji, to whom God forced many years of hardship. of the world. This is a fruit of the sincerity with which missionaries have devoted their lives in places around the world. Jiro Sawai — Reflections on the Words of the Osashizu (14) “Path” in However, from the perspective of the “Parent” who wishes to “save all Osashizu, Volume 1, Entries Regarding “Church Headquarters Issues” [2] people of the world,” we have not even begun to make inroads towards the The previous article sorted out the Divine Directions regarding “Church overseas mission. Among the global population of seven billion people. 99.9% Headquarters issues” as found in volume one of the “Divine Directions: Revised have not even heard of Tenrikyo; given this situation, we must move forward in Version” and clarified the many usages of “michi” (path). In this article, I our mission in a glocal manner. will point to the usages of “michi” in Divine Directions regarding “Church The role of “Glocal Tenri” as the navigator for such purpose is important, Headquarters issues” and sort out its features. I have already pointed out that, and those who are given the task as its editors will continue to work together to in its usages in the “Timely Directions,” from the time of the establishment of serve as a source of glocal information.
    [Show full text]
  • Vol.17 No.11 November 2016 Glocal Tenri
    Uzo Takami — Opening Words: Blood Drive as a Prayer for Peace “words,” is made possible when God the Parent and human minds are in A gathering of institutes affiliated with religious organizations was touch. Part XIII verse 22 teaches that “If only your minds are truly accepted held, and its theme was “Peace within daily spiritual life.” How to go about by God, I shall sweep away any dust whatever.” What is taught here is that thinking and conveying to others about “peace” as we go about living the God the Parent and a human mind being in touch is, in itself, “a cleansing life of faith. Previously, in 1970, when the peace movement was very active, of the mind.” Based on such premise, we can argue that “cleansing of the the Young Men’s Association held a “peace prayer regional young men’s mind” begins with lending an ear to God’s words. Even if those were painful assembly” at all the local chapters. We performed the service and appealed to hear, God may be verbally expressing “severe words” (Mikagura-uta Song for peace, and as a way to engage in peace, we encouraged blood drive X verse 6) prior to showing us “trying” events. activities. Blood donation can help people regardless of belief, religion, or race. This is very significant, and I believe that this perspective within the Young Masanobu Yamada — New Religion’s Missions in Brazil (43) Plurality Men’s Association Headquarters should be highly recognized. As a result, of Salvation: Church of Perfect Liberty [2] the “assembly” became a catalyst for further activities among the chapters.
    [Show full text]