Four-fifths of the total area of Japan is mountainous. The reflection of a mountain environment stands forth from her varied folklore and religion much as the images of her tall peaks glimmer from the depths of her many inland lakes. Yet the Japanese are not a race of mountaineers. In spite of all the difficulties of providing for the needs of a large and rapidly growing population, the mountains are comparatively unused in the economic life of the nation. The people, perpetuating perhaps old habits that were brought in long ago from other climes, love to cling to the coastal plains and the river valleys where the indispensable rice may be raised and where waters may be drawn on for fish. With all the teeming millions in the lowlands, it is possible to find even now isolated mountain regions where one may walk for days in solitudes unmarked by human habitation other than the occasional shelter of a charcoal burner or, here and there, at intervals, small and straggling clusters of the reed-thatched huts of peasants who eke out a precarious and unaccustomed living on the uplands.
The mountains are the homes of the gods rather than of men. The early literature tells us that it was upon the mountains that the gods first descended when the land was young—perhaps a symbolic statement of the visible mystery that the early myth-makers saw, and the awe that they felt, when the lightning fell through the heavens and the voices of the kami spoke in the thunder that rolled out of the storm clouds caught on the mountain tops. Mountain worship still flourishes in Japan, as attested by the thousands of shrines that crown hillock and peak, where men—and now in many places even women—climb in season by the tens of thousands to experience in the awe and mystery and exhilaration of high altitudes a communion with the strange powers that control human destiny.
Three of the thirteen independent sects of modern Shintō are mountain cults. Their names are Jikkō Kyō, Fusō Kyō and Mitake Kyō. The center of worship in the first two is Mount Fuji, the sacred object of the third is Mount Ontake of Shinano. A fourth mountain sect called Maruyama Kyō, although large and flourishing, is not included in this study since it has not yet attained the status of full autonomy under the government classification. It is not, however, essentially different from the three that are to be outlined.
Jikkō Kyō means “practical conduct teaching.” The title indicates an emphasis on practical activities and ceremonies rather than an insistence on mere dogma, which the adherents of the sect declare marks their society as a chief characteristic. The beginnings of Jikkō Kyō lie in the foundations laid by Hasegawa Kakugyō,1 the earliest known organizer of the worship of Mount Fuji. He was born in the city of Nagasaki on the tenth of February, 1541 (Tembun 10. 1. 15), one year before the birth of Tokugawa Ieyasu.
Hasegawa lived at the close of the period of civil wars when the country was torn and distracted by strife that had continued without interruption since the middle of the previous century. Determined to bring the aid of the gods to the relief of his suffering countrymen, he set out at the age of eighteen under instructions from his father to visit the sacred places of Shintō and Buddhism and practice religious austerities on the way. It was for his almost fanatical devotion to ascetic practice that he received his nickname of Kakugyō or “Block-austerities,” an appellation derived from his habit of standing for days and weeks and even years together, if we may trust the records, on a square block of wood. It is said that he once performed two thousand consecutive days of standing in penitence and prayer before the gods.
In the course of his wanderings Hasegawa eventually reached Mount Fuji and as he gazed on the majestic symmetry of the sublime peak he became convinced that here at last he had discovered the true dwelling place of deity and the matchless symbol of the Great Spirit of the Universe. He climbed the mountain repeatedly, practiced his austerities, and in the seclusion of protracted fastings in a cave on the western side of the sacred mountain prayed for the peace of the land. When finally the military genius and the shrewd diplomacy of Oda Nobunaga had brought unity to the country, Hasegawa was satisfied that his prayers had been answered and that of all the places of the world Mount Fuji was the one spot where man could come closest to God. Around this conviction he shaped his doctrines and became the founder of a band of Fuji pilgrims (Fuji Gyōja). Tradition claims that he died in his cave on Mount Fuji in the one hundred and sixth year of his life on earth. From Hasegawa all the modern Fuji Bands have descended. Today, after the passage of four hundred years, the white-clad figures of his followers in the faith swarm over the mountain by the tens of thousands each summer and make its slopes musical with the jingling of their pilgrim bells and the voicing of their prayers.
A Mountain-top Shrine
Hasegawa believed that Japan was the chief of all nations and the center of the world and that Mount Fuji was the earthly dwelling place or shrine of the triune parent god revealed in the creation deities of the opening sections of the Kojiki. It is the sacred spirit-mountain that guards the nation. Other of the more important of the teachings of Hasegawa are: the holy mountain must be ascended only after purification of both mind and body; religious austerities and cleanliness, within and without, are the best means of gaining inner tranquillity and assurance; by spiritual discipline one may attain an experience of mystic ecstacy wherein man and deity become one; all sickness can be healed by means of sincere and compassionate prayer; and, finally, the true worshipper should abandon all delusions and malice and labour for the peace of the world and the security of the state.2
The influence of Hasegawa gradually extended far and wide and appeared in various groups of Fuji worshippers. Eventually the activities of these bands attracted the attention of the authorities unfavorably and their members met with opposition and even persecution and in 1849 the practices of the Fuji societies were made illegal. Early in the Meiji Era a scholar named Shibata Hanamori revived the worship and reorganized and systematized the doctrine. Shibata was the real founder of Jikkō Kyō. He was born in the feudal province of Hizen in the year 1809. He was famed for his proficiency in the doctrines of Buddhism, Confucianism and Shintō and his writings constitute a main source of our knowledge of Jikkō Kyō. When this sect obtained official recognition as an independent society in 1885 he became the first superintendent priest. Sect regulations now provide that this headship shall be hereditary in the Shibata family. It was Shibata Hanamori who carried into the sect out of his personal philosophy of life that devotion to practical activities rather than to mere oral exhortation which has found expression in the name Jikkō Kyō. Shibata died in 1890 at the age of eighty-two.
The accepted tenets of the church today are essentially Shibata Hanamori’s revision of the doctrine as expounded by Hasegawa. In general the object of the teaching is to magnify the Great Way of Shintō (Kan-nagara) and to express the inner spirit of that Way in the realities of practical life. Accordingly, as the name Jikkō, or “practical conduct”, indicates, the followers are taught to shun useless and vain argument and speculation, to avoid ostentation and display and to furnish in their daily lives visible exemplification of the simplicity and purity of the Way of the Gods.
Mount Fuji is venerated as the most sacred spot of all Japan, and therefore of the whole world, and likewise as the symbol of the peerless national life. It is the dwelling place of the revealed spirit of the triune parent god of creation and life. It is the guardian shrine of the nation and the holy mountain where communion with unseen spiritual powers may best be attained and where efficacious prayer is made for the peace and prosperity of the land.
The god-idea is a form of trinitarian pantheism. The first divine being mentioned in the Kojiki, Ame-no-Minaka-Nushi-no-Kami, the “Lord of the Center of Heaven”, is equated with the concept of a great, unitary, spiritual foundation and background of the universe. This is the Absolute God, unbounded, omnipresent, without beginning and without end, the original spiritual reality that undergirds all things and which is manifest in all things.
The primary modes of functioning in the phenomenal universe on the part of the Absolute are two-fold. These modes are indicated in the oldest Shintō literature under the names of the two other creation deities introduced at the very beginning of the god-genealogies of the Kojiki, namely, Taka-Mimusubi-no-Kami,” The High August Producing God,” and kami-Musubi-no-Kami, “The Divine Producing Goddess.” The phase of activity in the Absolute which results in bringing the phenomenal universe into existence is manifested in the former of these two, while that phase of activity which operates in and on the phenomenal universe, after it has been brought into existence, to cause it to grow and evolve and to attain a harmonious development is manifested in the latter. That is to say, the activity function per se of the One True Parent God, Ame-no-Minaka-Nushi-no-Kami, is Taka-Mi-musubi-no-Kami, while the evolution-producing function which brings the created universe to harmonious completion, is kami-Musubi-no-Kami.
Although three deities are thus specified, in reality they are but one. The three-fold nature which the Kojiki seems to posit by virtue of the fact that it names three original creation deities is included and encompassed in the Absolute. Activity or motion is thus the fundamental urge of all the phenomenal universe, while harmony is its final goal. By the divine functioning of inherent and irreducible tendencies to activity and harmony, that is, through Taka-Mimusubi-no-Kami and kami-Musubi-no-Kami, the Absolute, Ame-no-Minaka-Nushi-no-Kami, is revealed in time in the great agencies of natural creation and evolution. This produces a doctrinal foundation which facilitates ready adjustment with contemporary philosophy and science, on the one hand, and which discovers and preserves the real revelatory value of the oldest Shintō literature, on the other.
The ultimate goal of life is the union of man and God. This is the highest form of happiness open to human experience. This is by nature a spiritual harmony and can be accomplished only by the cleansing of mind and body from sin and impurity. It has been for the purpose of securing this purification that, from ancient times down to the present, the followers of the Fuji Way have practised the discipline of ascending the sacred mountain, accompanied by penance and religious austerities. The teaching recognizes, however, that under the complications of modern society, proper worship and communion at the mountain shrine itself are difficult. In ordinary daily life the recognized means for the accomplishment of the expulsion of evil and the purification from pollution is the concentration of the mind in sincere prayer and in the recitation of the words of the purification ritual.
An example of a prayer widely used as means for gaining this purification is,
Tōtsu kami ! emi tamae; izuri no mitama wo sakiwae tamae.
Translated this signifies,
“Ye distant Gods! smile upon (us) and cause your spirit of majesty to make (us) happy.”
A further important tenet is contained in the teaching of the union of the spiritual and the temporal worlds, leading to the conclusion that the peculiar Japanese state life is the manifestation of an historical absolute and, by implication, to the doctrine of the infallibility of the Imperial will. Just as a part of the spirit of God is given to each individual, so also, the spirit of the One True God is revealed in the government of Japan. Spiritual matters are classified under the general name of kakurigoto, “hidden things,” which, as seen in the phenomenal world, relate to the affairs of religious rites and ceremonies. Secular, or governmental, affairs are called arawagoto, “manifest things.”
This means that the form of state life instituted by the Great Deity, Amaterasu-Ōmikami, is by virtue of the foreordination of divine establishment, as well as by inherent quality, eternal and unchanging, destined to prosper as long as heaven and earth endure. Thus the government carried on by the Emperor, reigning in an unbroken line for immemorial ages, is itself the revelation of the very spirit and will of the Absolute. The outward manifestation of the hidden things of God appears in the government of the sacred Emperor. Herein the spiritual and the temporal worlds are united and the country reigned over by manifest deity in the person of the Emperor must flourish forever, while the people, obedient in a supreme contentment, see in their peerless state life the outward revelation of the Way of the Gods. It is on this account that Jikkō Kyō emphasizes as the most important of its teachings: the worship of the Emperor who is god revealed in human form; the distant adoration of the Kashiko Dokoro, or “The Place of Awe,” that is, the shrine in the Imperial Palace of Tōkyō where the replica of the sacred regalia mirror is kept; prayer for the eternity of the Imperial reign and for the peace of the country; and finally, gratitude for these opportunities and blessings.3
Believers are required to subscribe to a three-fold oath consisting of the following articles:
“1. To believe that Mount Fuji is the soul (seishin) of the earth.
“2. To pray for the eternity of the unbroken line of Emperors and of the national organization of Japan.
“3. To practice friendliness between classes and to be diligent in business.”4
Something of the practical nature of the activities of the society may be inferred from the following selection from instructions to believers.
“Reclaim, the neglected resources of mountains and seas. Pay attention to the promotion of agriculture and fishing. Investigate the methods of sanitation. Give heed to the welfare of travelers.”5
Among the rules for preaching, one article deals with instruction in industrial training on behalf of the public weal. Not all the teaching is of this direct utilitarian nature, however. Rites of divination and exorcism are carried out on request from believers and much time is devoted to ceremonies that are remotely removed from any immediate contribution to the solution of social and economic problems. The society defends itself in these practices, however, on the ground that ceremonies and symbols directly influence taste and sentiment, and that these, in turn, are all important as personal determinants in social problems. Admirers of Jikkō Kyō declare that because the thought and the faith of the believers are influenced by Mount Fuji which is beautiful on all sides and the symbol of symmetry, the adherents of the church are unusually poised and well-proportioned in their inner lives, straightforward in their actions and rather free from narrow-mindedness. It is the practice of the believers to ascend Mount Fuji on the fourth of August of each year and offer special worship to the Great Parent Spirit of the Universe.
The representative of Japan at the World’s Congress of Religions held at Chicago in 1892 was Shibata Reiichi, the son of the founder. A statement made at that time to the congress by Mr. Shibata provides an excellent summary of the purposes and beliefs of Jikkō Kyō as interpreted by an intelligent believer who has freed himself from dependence on some of the more immature forms of ceremony and belief perpetuated in the general membership. He said:
“The Jikkō Kyō which I profess is, as the name indicates, one of the newer sects which carries into practice (jikkō) the principles of humanity. It abandons ostentation and avoids empty discussion and argument. It has as its main purpose actual conduct (jikkō). Its teachings are simple and easily understood by all people. The teaching has been gradually reorganized according to the needs of the times.
“Our faith is not polytheism. It is set forth in the pages of the Kojiki that when heaven and earth were first made there was but one true God. This God was called Ame-no-Minaka-Nushi-no-Kami, meaning ‘The God who is Lord of the Center of Heaven.’ This was the Great Primal Spirit of the One True God. This Spirit became active and divided into two deities, one of them being provided with the special characteristics of the male, the other with those of the female. They are called Taka-Mimusubi-no-Kami (‘High Procreating Deity’) and kami-Musubi-no-Kami (‘Divine Procreating Deity’). These last two are nothing other than a mode of functioning of the true God. They all should be considered as one deity. They are called the Three Creation Deities. Our believers call them simply ‘The Original Father and Mother’ or ‘The Father and Mother of Life.’
“In our sect there are those who believe that this primary deity has his shrine in Mount Fuji, the well known peak of the Japanese Empire. Perhaps they see in this mountain the brain of the earth and they think of all the deities of the earth as dwelling in the brain.
“Man receives by birthright a part of the spirit (wake mitama) of this true God. Since man is the most beloved offspring of the true God, he ought to cultivate virtue and follow carefully the teachings given by the true God. This is called the Way of God (Kamu-nagara). He should take as his symbol Mount Fuji which is the shrine of our nation.
“Our church attaches importance not to the world to come but to activity in the present world.”6
National headquarters are situated at Higashi Goken Yashiki Machi, Ushigome Ku, Tōkyō. The church enrolls a membership of four hundred seven thousand.
Fusō Kyō also belongs in the line of Fuji worship that has descended from Hasegawa Kakugyō. The parent stream to which his faith gave birth has divided and sub-divided into many branches, two of the largest being Jikkō Kyō and Fusō Kyō. The line which has come down through the Shishino family, is known as Fusō Kyō.
Fusō is a poetical name given to Japan and also to Mount Fuji. It is written with two ideograms which are read fu and sō, respectively. The former means “to help,” to save,” “to guard;” the latter, “mulberry tree.” The total word gives some such meaning as that of “the guardian mulberry tree.” According to an ancient Chinese legend, fusō was the name of a great sacred tree in the midst of the eastern sea. This meaning changed later to that of the sacred land from which the sun arises. It is with this figurative significance that it is used as the title of one of the Shintō sects.
During the Tokugawa regime the history of the Fuji Band runs through a bewildering diversity of good and bad fortune. Dissension appeared among the leaders; stages of revival centering about teachers here and there were followed by seasons of spasmodic decline. By the close of the period matters had come to a bad pass. The society was without a head, believers were scattered, and chaos threatened.
Then about the middle of the nineteenth century there rose up one Shishino Nakaba, a Shintō priest of the country of Suruga, wherein Mount Fuji is situated, who determined to revive and restore the teaching of Hasegawa. Shishino gathered together the scattered believers and in 1873 organized a society called Fuji Issan Kōsha—“Fuji One Mountain Association.” Then in the ninth year of Meiji (1876) he revised the doctrine, prepared a simple statement of faith and reorganized the adherents into the Fuji Kyōkai, or the Fuji Church. For a time the business affairs of this new body were administered within the office of the Shintō Jimu Kyoku, or “Shintō Administrative Bureau.” In May, 1882, it was permitted by the Tōkyō government to become an independent sect with the name of Shintō Fusōha, “The Fusō Branch of Shintō.” Later the name was changed to Shintō Fusō Kyō. Shishino Nakaba became the first superintendent priest. He died in the month of May, 1884.7
The fact that Jikkō Kyō and Fusō Kyō have one and the same origin in the teachings of Hasegawa leads to similarities in their doctrines and ceremonies. There are certain differences to be noted, however. Jikkō Kyō is the more practical of the two; Fusō Kyō is more ceremonial and meditative. The former declares itself to be monotheistic, or rather, pantheistic, the latter is polytheistic. Foremost in the Fusō pantheon comes the triune creation deity of Jikkō Kyō. Briefly summarized, this means that the first three divine beings of the Kojiki are interpreted as an ancient revelation of the primal spiritual energy of the universe which finds embodiment in the male and female principles of life, called moto no chichi haha, “the original father and mother.” To these are added the Sun Goddess (Amaterasu-Ōmikami), her brother (the moon god, Tsukiyomi-no-Kami), the grandson of the Sun Goddess (Ninigi-no-Mikoto) who according to the officially accepted account brought the Imperial rule into Japan, and the goddess of Mount Fuji (Ko-no-Hana-Saku-ya-Hime-no-Kami). In the background of the worship of the ordinary believer lie also the “myriads” of gods and goddesses of Old Shintō—the yao-yorodzu-no-kami.
Sacred scriptures are found in the documents of Old Shintō, especially in the mythological sections of the Kojiki and the Nihongi. The founder of Fusō Kyō was himself a classical scholar of no mean reputation and the continuation of his influence into the present may be seen in the fact that the sect prides itself on the claim that it is founded on the verities of ancient Shintō as set forth in a solid literature and not on mere miracle and superstition like other religions. In one of his statements to the government Shishino says, “Shintō possesses a national literature which we regard as sacred scripture and is not to be confused with Buddhism and Christianity. The salvation which Shintō offers lies in an exposition of the law of the Empire.”8
The Fusō Kyō texts state that the main principles of the church are three-fold:
“1. To worship the immeasurable and limitless goodness of the triune creator deity, and to revere the deities of Heaven and Earth.
“2. To cultivate the Great Truth of Shintō (Kamu-nagara) and reach an understanding of the significance of life and death.
“3. To cultivate the forms and ceremonies of the Imperial Land of Japan and make the sacred ceremonies conform to the standards of the royal court of the past”.9
In common with all Shintō, the nationalistic emphasis is strong. A recent statement authorized by the sect headquarters says, “Fusō Kyō is essentially a national religion. Its main aim is to pray for the prosperity and happiness of the nation rather than that of its individual members.” Fusō Kyō writers declare that their religion of nationalism is focused on a theory of the union of church and state, with the latter giving direction to the affairs of the former. We have noted a similar emphasis in our study of Jikkō Kyō. This insistence that government and religion cannot be separated unquestionably perpetuates a major aspect of early Japanese institutions and survives today as one of the most tenacious and significant of the special characteristics of Shintō, whatever its sectarian form. In respect to this matter the founder of Fusō Kyō said:
“With regard to the form of interpretation which declares that religion is inner peace and tranquillity we reply that that ‘peace and tranquillity’ pertain not merely to spiritual affairs, and, on the other hand, not merely to temporal affairs, but to a merging of the two, and that the greatness of our Ancient Way—founded on the union of state and religion—as well as the distinguishing features thereof, lies just here.”10
The forms and ceremonies of Fusō Kyō include worship, marriage, funerals, coming-of-age rites, the fire-subduing ceremony, exorcism, divination and the healing of sickness. Practical aspects of life are not overlooked. Among the miscellaneous rules for believers can be found exhortations to the devising of methods for economic improvement, to the giving of aid to farming and fishing by utilizing the undeveloped resources of mountains and waters, also, to the advancement of the conveniences of travel and to the teaching of better sanitation. These practical phases are, of course, identical with those of Jikkō Kyō. The national headquarters are situated at Matsubara of Komazawa Chō, Tōkyō. The sect claims a membership of slightly over five hundred fifty-five thousand.
The third of the mountain sects of modern Shintō to be considered here is Mitake Kyō. In the two societies just studied the center of faith is Mount Fuji. The sect now under examination is founded on beliefs and practices connected with the worship of Mount Ontake. This mountain rises to a height of slightly over ten thousand feet in the center of the Japanese Alps in the north central part of the main island of Hondo. From unknown times in the past it has been the object of the veneration of the peasants of the district. Today it is counted among the most holy of all the sacred spots of Japan.
The people of the locality call the mountain On-take San. On is honorific and is untranslatable into English by an exact equivalent; take means “peak” or “mountain;” “san”, again, is “mountain.” The best English translation is, perhaps, simply Great Mountain. The sect name for the mountain is Mi-take, mi being merely a variant reading of the honorific on. From this latter title is derived the sect designation, Mitake Kyō, “Great Mountain Teaching.” Each summer after the snows of winter have melted pilgrim bands in great numbers go up the mountain. Their practices resemble those found among the worshippers of Mount Fuji.
On the mountain are three shrines—the Ōmiya (“Great Shrine”), the Wakamiya (“Young Shrine”) and the Yamamiya (“Mountain Shrine”). The Yamamiya is on the very top of the mountain. The deity or deities enshrined in the Yamamiya are unknown. The assumption seems justifiable that the contemporary worship perpetuates a primitive and forgotten local cult which has been overlaid with a Shintō ceremonial and god-world. In the sixth year of Meiji (1873) an oil merchant of Asakusa in Yedo, named Shimoyama Ōsuke, a man who in the intervals of business studied the worship of Mt. Mitake, after a considerable research into the historical records came to the conclusion that the traditional and correct object of worship was Kuni-Toko-Tachi-no-Mikoto (“Earth Eternal Stand Deity”), the first god to be mentioned by name in the Nihongi and the divine being who stands at the head of the seven generations of heavenly deities of that document. The Nihongi declares that this god was in form like the stem of a reed-plant. He was possibly originally connected with vegetation worship. Today he is revered as the source of all living and created things, the spiritual background of the universe, existing without beginning and without end. Shimoyama became the head of a group of Mitake enthusiasts and received permission from the Tōkyō authorities in the year just named to establish a sect. This organization attained the status of an independent Shintō church in 1882. Shimoyama is honoured as its founder.11
In the teachings of Mitake Kyō the elaborate Shintō god-world is accepted as the background of general worship. Three deities are singled out for special honour. They are, Kuni-Toko-Tachi-no-Kami, regarding whom a statement has just been given, Ōna-Muchi-no-Kami, who is the same as the Ōkuni-Nushi-no-Kami worshipped at Izumo, and Sukuna-Hikona-no-Kami, another of the old Izumo gods. The last named deity has been worshipped from ancient times as the god of medicine. In Mitake teaching these three gods together are called the Mitake Ōkami, or the Great Gods of Mitake. Regarding the central god-idea of the church one of the chief abbots has declared:
“Kuni-Toko-Tachi-no-Kami is the first great deity of spiritual development. He exists without beginning and without end and his goodness is without limit. The manifold universe of heaven and earth, embracing the overarching blue of the firmament and including the mountains and rivers of earth, is the benevolent activity of this great god and all natural calamities, the growth and withering of all things, their development and their decline, the bringing of things into existence and the bringing of them to destruction, the processes of life and those of death—these are all the will of the Great God. This Great God has possessed the sacred mountain of Mitake with his divine spirit. Who would not worship the greatness, the awfulness, the benevolence and the mysterious power of our Great God!”12
According to the beliefs of Mitake Kyō, the other two chief deities, Ōna-Muchi and Sukuna-Hikona, have received commandments from Kuni-Toko-Tachi to carry out his will and to cooperate in the development of the country and the care of mankind. They are especially charged with the tasks of teaching men the use of medicine and the knowledge of how to perform ceremonies. It is also believed that from time to time these two appear on the mountain top. Pilgrim bands are frequently led by mediums who become god-possessed and transmit revelations to the worshippers. Ordinary pilgrims at times attain this ecstatic communion.
In addition to these primary deities the sect also worships the various kami who are enshrined in the Imperial court, the spirits of successive Emperors, the eight hundred myriads of deities of heaven and earth, and the local tutelary deities of the respective districts in which the worshippers are born.
The ritualistic side of Mitake Kyō is very complicated. The texts list some fifty different forms of ceremonies. These are adapted to various purposes, such as the purification of the six organs of sense, namely, the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body and heart, the securing of the blessings of the kami on the family, ceremonies for gaining prosperity, for health and long life, for revelations of the future and for bliss in the land beyond death. The chief of these rites and ceremonies are: chinka shiki, “the fire-subduing ceremony;” kugatachi shiki, “the fire ordeal;” meigen shiki, a ceremony of twanging the bowstring, with the combined object of making announcement to the gods, of adding to the dignity of worship and of driving away evil spirits; shimbu shiki, sacred dancing; ibuki hō, deep breathing as a religious exercise; and kame ura, or divination by the use of the tortoise shell.
The general mood of practical ethics in Mitake Kyō is dominated by the same overtone of nationalistic loyalism that runs through all Shintō. One of the texts reads:
“The fundamental principles of the sacred teaching are rooted in the perfect way of Shintō (Kamu-nagara). This exalts the sacred virtues of the primary deities and clarifies and proclaims the great moral obligation of loyalty to the Emperor and of love of country. In lesser realms it leads them to assist the administration of the government and to promote the peace of the nation.”13
In like strain another document reads:
“Mitake Kyō consolidates the inherent patriotism of our people and assists both individuals and the nation in their spiritual and temporal life. It enables the Empire to expand and mankind to receive the blessings of the gods.”14
And again:
“In other countries sovereigns rose and fell, ruling dynasties prospered and decayed. Kings and emperors ruled and then passed away. But in our land one ruling house has continued to this day. This is because our Empire was built by the gods, whose descendants are our rulers.”15
Universal peace will follow the extension throughout the world of the Emperor-centered state religion of Japan:
“What then is the essence of our Japanese state? It is the unity of Shintō worship and of government, and its aim is the universal peace of mankind. (In ancient times) peace was the chief aim of the Imperial reign and perfect concord prevailed among all races under the Imperial sway. We may truly be proud of our ancient history. We have one sovereign even as we have but one sun. Thus, we may recall the words of Amaterasu-Ōmikami: ‘The prosperity of the Imperial rule will be everlasting with heaven and earth.’”16
Believers agree to observe the following articles of faith and practice.
1. To follow the instructions of the teachers of the church, to exemplify divine reason and human benevolence in conduct, and not to violate the sacred will of the Great Gods of Mitake.
2. Especially, to preserve in their hearts reverence for the gods and love, of country, to honour and obey the Emperor, to conform to the decrees of the state and, by constant diligence in business, to lay the foundations of a prosperous land and a strong soldiery.
“3. To follow the teachings of the great deities, to keep the peace in patience, never to slander others, and to reveal modesty and reverence in conduct.
“4. Always, in uprightness and integrity, to value the truth and never to speak words of deception.
“5. To practice fraternity and be as brothers together, and, as evidence of the possession of such a spirit, to labour to succour travelers, of whatever country they may be, in their troubles and sickness.”17
The national headquarters are situated in Osaki in the suburbs of Tōkyō. The sect claims a membership of two million and fifty-one thousand adherents.
1. The ideograms with which this name is written may also be read Hasegawa Sumiyuki. The name Hasegawa Takekuni is also met with.
2. Shibata, Magotarō (Superintendent Priest), Fujidō Tōden Kyōgi Enkaku (“A History of the Traditions and Teachings of Fujidō”), Vol. 1 (Ten no Bu), pp. 1-22; Tōkyō, 1917.
3. From statement by the present superintendent priest, Shibata Magotarō, in Uchū for Jan., 1930, pp. 24 ff.
4. Op. cit., p. 25; Art. Jikkō Kyō no Kyōri (“The Doctrines of Jikkō Kyō”).
5. Kōno, op. cit. p. 68.
6. Translated from summary in Kōno, Shintō Taikō (“The Gist of Shintō”), p. 66. For the English version of Mr. Shibata’s address see The World’s Parliament of Religions, Vol. 1, pp. 451–454 (2 Vols., Chicago, 1893, edited by J. H. Barrows).
7. See Kōno, op. cit., pp. 69 ff.; Shishino, Kenichi (Superintendent Priest), Uchū, Jan., 1930, p. 22.
8. Shishino, Kenichi, in Art. Fusōkyō no Kyōri (“The Doctrine of Fusō-kyō”), Uchū, Jan., 1930, p. 22.
9. Kōno, op. cit.. p. 70.
10. Uchū, Jan., 1930, p. 22.
11. Kōno, op. cit., p. 76 ff.
12. Op. cit. p. 78.
13. Kōno, op. cit., p. 77.
14. Kawamura Shōichi, Ed., Shintō, p. 28. Tōkyō, 1935.
15. Op. cit., p. 29.
16. Op. cit., p. 30.
17. Uchū, Jan., 1930, p. 28.