Oomoto
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Oomoto | |
---|---|
Universal religion | |
Classification | Sectarian Shinto sect |
Scripture | Oomoto-kyo's scripture |
Founder | Nao Deguchi |
Origin | 1892 |
Separated from | Konkokyo |
Other name(s) | Oomoto-kyo |
Oomoto (大本, Ōmoto, Great Source, or Great Origin),[1] also known as Oomoto-kyo (大本教, Ōmoto-kyō), is a religion founded in 1892 by Deguchi Nao (1836–1918), often categorised as a new Japanese religion originated from Shinto. The spiritual leaders of the movement have always been women within the Deguchi family;[2] however, Deguchi Onisaburō (1871–1948) has been considered an important figure in Omoto as a seishi (spiritual teacher). Since 2001, the movement has been guided by its fifth leader, Kurenai Deguchi.
History
Since 1908 the group has taken diverse names — Dai Nihon Shūseikai, Taihonkyō (1913) and Kōdō Ōmoto (1916). Later the movement changed from Kōdō Ōmoto ("great origin of the imperial way") to just Ōmoto ("great origin") and formed the Shōwa Seinenkai in 1929 and the Shōwa Shinseikai in 1934.
Asano Wasaburō, a teacher at Naval War College (海軍大学校, Kaigun Daigakkō), attracted various intellectuals and high-ranking military officials to the movement in 1916. By 1920 the group had their own newspaper, the Taishō nichinichi shinbun, and started to expand overseas. A great amount of its popularity derived from a method of inducing spirit possession called chinkon kishin, which was most widely practiced from 1919 to 1921. Following a police crackdown, Onisaburō banned chinkon kishin in 1923.[3][need quotation to verify]
Alarmed by the popularity of Ōmoto, the Imperial Japanese Government, which promoted
After the war, the organization reappeared as Aizen'en, a movement dedicated to achieve world peace, and with that purpose it was registered in 1946 under the Religious Corporations Ordinance.
In 1949 Ōmoto joined the
International activities
Since the time of Onisaburo Deguchi, the constructed language Esperanto has played a major role in the Oomoto religion. Starting in 1924, the religion has published books and magazines in Esperanto and this continues today. It is said that they introduced Esperanto when they had contact with the Baháʼí Faith in 1921.
Oomoto and their adherents promote the Japanese arts and culture like Noh theater and the tea ceremony. Oomoto is engaged in peace campaigns, aid work, and other similar activities.[6]
From 1925 until 1933 Oomoto maintained a mission in Paris. From there, missionaries travelled throughout Europe, spreading the word that Onisaburo Deguchi was a Messiah or Maitreya, who would unify the world.
Doctrine
Omotokyo was strongly influenced by Konkokyo, Ko-Shintō (ancient Shinto) and folk spiritual and divination traditions; it also integrated Kokugaku (National Studies) teachings and modern ideas on world harmony and peace, creating a new doctrine. It shares with Konkokyo the belief in the benevolence of Konjin, who was previously considered an evil kami, and shares with other ancient Shinto schools the teachings that proclaim the achievement of personal virtue as a step to universal harmony.
The fundamental narrative is that Ushitora no konjin, by whom Deguchi Nao was possessed, is actually
Believers think one god creates and fosters all things and lives in the universe. However, Oomoto is partly polytheism and they rather call all righteous gods, including the god who creates everything in the universe, Oomotosumeoomikami as oneness. Oomoto means the great origin, sume means "govern", and oomikami means god. Any god but one god appears in order to realize the aim of god, therefore in Oomoto every god or thing is just another appearance of one god after all. At the same time god is energy, which is the principle of the universe, and the universal spirit everything has. And believers think Ame-no-Minakanushi, god of the Abrahamic religions and others are different names of the god of creation. However, "Tales of the Spirit World" says the universe begins with the sudden advent of "ヽ", which is called "Hochi". He develops into "◉", which is called "su", is kotodama of su and is the great origin of god.
In Oomoto, humans are given a special role in the Universe. As the most spiritual beings in the Universe, humans are the masters of the Universe and the agents of god, and if a spirit of a human reaches god and they are united, infinity power will be generated according to the will of god.
The fundamental ways to reach god are the following:
- Body of god should be known through observation of the truth of the universe.
- Force of god should be known through the preciseness of motions of everything.
- Spirit of god should be known through recognition of souls of lives.
Members of Oomoto believe in several kami. The most important are
The Oomoto affirmation of Zamenhof's godhood is stated, in Esperanto, as follows:
...[L]a spirito de Zamenhof eĉ nun daŭre agadas kiel misiisto de la anĝela regno; do, lia spirito estis apoteozita en la kapeleto Senrej-ŝa.[7]
Translated into English, the foregoing reads:
...[T]he spirit of Zamenhof even now continues to act as a missionary of the angelic kingdom; therefore, his spirit was deified in the Senrei-sha shrine.
The belief that two kami, Kunitokodachi no Mikoto and
Followers of Oomoto believe
Oomoto's goal is the realization of the world of
The founder emphasized the importance of soil and respect for them. This even led to some Onisaburo's ideas linked to agrarianism.
Their doctrine includes an idea that things that happen in Ayabe would happen in Japan or in the world. The oppression of them, the Ōmoto Incidents and consequent destruction of their facilities and organization are considered to have been omens of WW2 and consequent destruction of Japan.
Known followers
- One of the more well-known followers of Oomoto was Aiki Shrineat Iwama.
- Yamantaka Eye – visual artist, DJ and member of avant musical group Boredoms
- Mokichi Okada, founder of the Church of World Messianity (aka Shinji Shumeikai), was a follower of Oomoto prior to founding his own religion.
- Masaharu Taniguchi, founder of the Seicho-no-Ie, was also a follower of Oomoto prior to founding his own religion.
- Alex Kerr, Japanologist, worked for the Oomoto Foundation for 20 years from 1977 on.[8]
References
- ^ "Frequently Asked Questions About Oomoto". Ōmoto. 2010.
- OCLC 45384117.
- ISBN 9780824831721.
- ISBN 0-393-04156-5
- ^ "Frequently Asked Questions About Oomoto".
- ISBN 978-1-4351-2132-4.
The group encourages the Japanese arts, such as Noh theater and the tea ceremony, and sponsors a volunteer organization that does aid work, campaigns for peace. . .
- ^ "Demandoj kaj Respondoj". Ōmoto. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
- ^ "About Me". Alex Kerr. Retrieved 2022-03-08.
Further reading
- Nancy K. Stalker, "Prophet Motive: Deguchi Onisaburo, Oomoto and the Rise of New Religion in Imperial Japan," University Of Hawaii, 2008, ISBN 0-8248-3226-4
- Emily Groszos Ooms, Women and Millenarian Protest in Meiji Japan: Deguchi Nao and Omotokyo, Cornell Univ East Asia Program, 1993, ISBN 978-0-939657-61-2
- The Great Onisaburo Deguchi, by Kyotaro Deguchi, translated by Charles Rowe, ISBN 4-900586-54-4
- Iwao, Hino. The Outline of Oomoto. Kameoka, Japan, 1968.
- Murakami Shigeyoshi. Japanese Religion in the Modern Century. Translated by ISBN 978-0-86008-260-6
- Yasumaru Yoshio. Deguchi Nao Tokyo, 1977.
- Bill Roberts, A Portrait of Oomoto: The Way of Art, Spirit and Peace In the 21st Century, Oomoto Foundation and Bill Roberts, International Department, The Oomoto Foundation, 2006. ISBN 4-88756-069-9
- Bill Roberts, Portraits of Oomoto: Images of the people, shrines, rituals, sacred places and arts of the Oomoto Shinto religion over two decades, Oomoto Foundation, 2020, ISBN 978-4-600-00406-4
External links
- Bankyo Dokon – Seventy Years of Inter-Religious Activity at Oomoto, Oomoto Foundation, 1997
- Nao Deguchi – A Biography of the Foundress of Oomoto, Based on Kaiso-den by Sakae Ôishi, translated by Charles Rowe and Yasuko Matsudaira, Oomoto Foundation, 1982
- Nordenstorm, L. Ômotos mission på esperanto. En japansk ny religion i förändring från kiliastisk Maitreyaförväntan till religionsdialog. (The Ômoto-Mission in Esperanto. A Japanese new religion changing from chiliastic Ma-itreya-awaiting to religious dialogue.) Esperantoförlaget/Eldona Societo Esperanto. Stockholm, 2002. In Swedish with summaries in English and in Esperanto.
- Oomoto (Official site)
- Oomoto (at www.tryte.com.br)