Nakayama Miki
Encyclopedia
was the Japanese foundress of Tenrikyo
who is worshiped by that religion as the Shrine of God the Parent
. Tenrikyo is, arguably, the largest current religion to have a woman founder. The official Tenrikyo biography states she was a holy woman born to a wealthy farming family in what is now Nara prefecture
. She was said to be very devout and wished to become a Buddhist nun, but was forced into a difficult marriage to Nakayama Zembei which she bore with what followers of Tenrikyo regard as admirable patience and virtue. According to the Tenrikyo scriptures, in 1838, at the age of 40, she became a medium
for God (the religion is essentially monotheistic) after taking part in a Buddhist exorcism
ceremony. This being told her: "I am the general of Heaven. I am the true and original God. I have descended from Heaven to save all human beings, and I want Miki to be the shrine of God." She stated that its name was Tenri-O-no-Mikoto
, but she also referred to it as Tsuki-Hi (literally "Moon-Sun", suggesting cosmic unity) and, as Tenrikyo members still do, "God the Parent" (Oya). After the death of her husband she was claimed to have miraculous healing and prophetic powers, which served the mission that she and her daughter (Kokan) began. They chose a life of poverty, giving away what they could to the less fortunate and founding a new religion.
From 1866 to 1882 Nakayama Miki wrote what she deemed the revelations of "God the Parent", believing herself to be its mouthpiece and shrine, in Ofudesaki. "God the Parent" was deemed to be "inside" her, but she was seen as separate from it. She encouraged a life of charity and designed various spiritual dances. She was repeatedly imprisoned on the initiative of the Buddhist sects, which she and her followers criticised as dispensing false teachings, and in later years Tenrikyo became more assimilated to State Shinto
in its teachings, though Nakayama Miki herself opposed this assimilation. Tenrikyo teaches that she still resides at her former home in what is now Tenri City, believed to be the point of origin of humanity.
Secular interpretations of her life and teaching suggest that she took inspiration from an amalgam of Buddhism, Shinto
and yamabushi
tradition. Tenrikyo, while insisting that her teachings were totally original and her thinking uniquely inspired, devotes a department of Tenri University
to the secular study of religions of Oyasama's era including pre-Meiji Japanese Christian
s.
Tenrikyo
Tenrikyo is a monotheistic religion originating in revelations to a 19th-century Japanese woman named Nakayama Miki, known as Oyasama by followers...
who is worshiped by that religion as the Shrine of God the Parent
Tenri-O-no-Mikoto
Tenri-Ō-no-Mikoto is the name used to refer to the single god or creator, of the entire universe in Tenrikyo's principal beliefs. In English the name most frequently used to refer to Tenri-Ō-no-Mikoto outside of ritual is "God the Parent"; in Japanese, the equivalent common name is Oyagamisama...
. Tenrikyo is, arguably, the largest current religion to have a woman founder. The official Tenrikyo biography states she was a holy woman born to a wealthy farming family in what is now Nara prefecture
Nara Prefecture
is a prefecture in the Kansai region on Honshū Island, Japan. The capital is the city of Nara.-History:The present-day Nara Prefecture was created in 1887, making it independent of Osaka Prefecture....
. She was said to be very devout and wished to become a Buddhist nun, but was forced into a difficult marriage to Nakayama Zembei which she bore with what followers of Tenrikyo regard as admirable patience and virtue. According to the Tenrikyo scriptures, in 1838, at the age of 40, she became a medium
Mediumship
Mediumship is described as a form of communication with spirits. It is a practice in religious beliefs such as Spiritualism, Spiritism, Espiritismo, Candomblé, Voodoo and Umbanda.- Concept :...
for God (the religion is essentially monotheistic) after taking part in a Buddhist exorcism
Exorcism
Exorcism is the religious practice of evicting demons or other spiritual entities from a person or place which they are believed to have possessed...
ceremony. This being told her: "I am the general of Heaven. I am the true and original God. I have descended from Heaven to save all human beings, and I want Miki to be the shrine of God." She stated that its name was Tenri-O-no-Mikoto
Tenri-O-no-Mikoto
Tenri-Ō-no-Mikoto is the name used to refer to the single god or creator, of the entire universe in Tenrikyo's principal beliefs. In English the name most frequently used to refer to Tenri-Ō-no-Mikoto outside of ritual is "God the Parent"; in Japanese, the equivalent common name is Oyagamisama...
, but she also referred to it as Tsuki-Hi (literally "Moon-Sun", suggesting cosmic unity) and, as Tenrikyo members still do, "God the Parent" (Oya). After the death of her husband she was claimed to have miraculous healing and prophetic powers, which served the mission that she and her daughter (Kokan) began. They chose a life of poverty, giving away what they could to the less fortunate and founding a new religion.
From 1866 to 1882 Nakayama Miki wrote what she deemed the revelations of "God the Parent", believing herself to be its mouthpiece and shrine, in Ofudesaki. "God the Parent" was deemed to be "inside" her, but she was seen as separate from it. She encouraged a life of charity and designed various spiritual dances. She was repeatedly imprisoned on the initiative of the Buddhist sects, which she and her followers criticised as dispensing false teachings, and in later years Tenrikyo became more assimilated to State Shinto
State Shinto
has been called the state religion of the Empire of Japan, although it did not exist as a single institution and no "Shintō" was ever declared a state religion...
in its teachings, though Nakayama Miki herself opposed this assimilation. Tenrikyo teaches that she still resides at her former home in what is now Tenri City, believed to be the point of origin of humanity.
Secular interpretations of her life and teaching suggest that she took inspiration from an amalgam of Buddhism, Shinto
Shinto
or Shintoism, also kami-no-michi, is the indigenous spirituality of Japan and the Japanese people. It is a set of practices, to be carried out diligently, to establish a connection between present day Japan and its ancient past. Shinto practices were first recorded and codified in the written...
and yamabushi
Yamabushi
' are Japanese mountain ascetic hermits with a long tradition as mighty warriors endowed with supernatural powers. They follow the Shugendō doctrine, an integration of mainly esoteric Buddhism of the Shingon sect, with Tendai and Shinto elements...
tradition. Tenrikyo, while insisting that her teachings were totally original and her thinking uniquely inspired, devotes a department of Tenri University
Tenri University
is a Japanese private university in Tenri, Nara Prefecture, an independent part of the secular mission of Tenrikyo. It was established in February 1925 as the coeducational , enrolling 104 students, and was reorganised as a university in April 1949...
to the secular study of religions of Oyasama's era including pre-Meiji Japanese Christian
Kirishitan
, from Portuguese cristão, referred to Roman Catholic Christians in Japanese and is used as a historiographic term for Roman Catholics in Japan in the 16th and 17th centuries. Christian missionaries were known as bateren or iruman...
s.