Professional Documents
Culture Documents
陰陽寮
Pronunciations
Basic Meaning: Bureau of YinYang
Senses:
The Onmyōryō was an ancient Japanese government bureau in charge of Onmyōdō 陰陽道
天武天皇
concepts and rituals. Established during the reign of Tenmu Tennō (r. 673–686), it
functioned under a bureau chief (onmyō no kami 陰陽頭 ), a vicechief (onmyō no suke 陰陽助 ),
陰陽允
secretary (onmyō no jō 陰陽大屬
), a clerk (onmyō no daizoku ), and an assistant clerk
(onmyō no shōzoku 陰陽少屬 ). Beneath these supervisors, the bureau was subdivided into four
departments:
1. The Department of YinYang, which employed a professor of yinyang (onmyō hakase 陰
陽博士 陰陽師
), six onmyōji , and ten students (onmyōsei 陰陽生 ). This department
conducted divination rituals.
2. The Department of Calendrics, which employed a professor of the calendar (reki hakase 曆
博士 ) and ten students (rekisei 曆生 ). This department created and maintained the
calendar.
3. The Department of Astronomy, which employed a professor of astronomy (tenmon
hakase 天文博士 ) and ten students (tenmonsei 天文生). This department focused on
observing and interpreting astronomical phenomena.
4. The Department of Chrononomy, which employed two professors of chrononomy (rōkoku
hakase 漏刻博士 ), twenty timekeepers (shushintei 守辰丁 ), twenty pages (tsukaebe 使部
),
直丁
and three servants (jikitei ). This department observed the clepsydra and announced
the time.
Altogether, the Onmyōryō was responsible for a number of tasks within a wide range of
disciplines:
Astronomy:
Recording and interpretation of astronomical phenomena.
Reporting of auspicious or inauspicious events.
Calendrics:
Production and issuing of calendars based on Chinese precedents.
Rituals:
1. Apotropaic ritual.
2. Divination utilizing yinyang and five phases theory.
3. Divination utilizing a divining board (shikiban 式盤 ).
4. Purification and pacification rituals.
Geomancy:
Determining auspicious locations for new buildings.
Determining proper locations and directions for graves.
Taboos:
Instituting directional taboos (kataimi 方忌 ) based on the movement of celestial
bodies.
Instituting taboos on inauspicious days (monoimi 物忌) during which certain actions
—especially public ceremonies—were to be avoided.
Predicting lucky days for ceremonies, marriages, and other important services, both
public and private.
Timekeeping:
Keeping of time every day utilizing water clocks.
Determining proper times for public and private rituals (hemerology).
References:
Butler, Lee A . “The Way of Yin and Yang: A Tradition Revived, Sold, Adopted.” Monumenta
Nipponica. 51 (2) () (1996) 189–217.
Endō Katsumi 遠藤克己. Kinsei Onmyōdō shi no kenkyū 近世陰陽道史の研究. Hino: Mirai
Kōbō, 1985.
Faure, Bernard, and Nobumi Iyanaga, eds. La voie du Yin et du Yang: Techniques divinatoires et
pratiques religieuses. Paris: Ecole française d'Extrême Orient, Section de Kyoto, 2014.
Hayashi, Makoto. Kinsei Onmyōdō no kenkyū 近世陰陽道の研究. Tokyo: Yoshikawa
Kōbunkan, 2005.
Hayashi Makoto 林淳. Tenmongata to Onmyōdō 天文方と陰陽道. Tokyo: Yamakawa
Shuppansha, 2006.
Kimura Sumiko 木村純子. Muromachi jidai no Onmyōdō to jiin shakai 室町時代の陰陽道と寺
院社会. Tokyo: Bensei Shuppan, 2012.
Koike Jun’ichi 小池淳一. Onmyōdō no rekishi minzokugakuteki kenkyū 陰陽道の歴史民俗学
的研究. Tokyo: Kadokawa Gakugei Shuppan, Hatsubaimoto Kadokawa Gurūpu
Paburisshingu, 2011.
Makoto, Hayashi, and Matthias Hayek, eds. Onmyōdō in Japanese History. Nagoya: Nanzan
Institute for Religion and Culture, 2013. Japanese Journal of Religious Studies. 40,
Murayama Shūichi 村山修一. Nihon Onmyōdō shi sōsetsu 日本陰陽道史総說. Tokyo: Hanawa
Shobō, 1981.
, ed. Onmyōdō kiso shiryō shūsei 陰陽道基礎史料集成. Tokyo: Tōkyō Bijutsu, 1987.
, ed. Onmyōdō soshō 陰陽道叢書. Tokyo: Meicho Shuppan, 19911993.
Nakamura Shōhachi 中村璋八. Nihon Onmyōdō sho no kenkyū 日本陰陽道書の研究.
Tokyo: Kyūko Shoin Zōhoban, 2000.
Nakamura Shōhachi 中村璋八. Nihon kodai no dōkyō, onmyōdō to jingi 日本古代の道教・陰陽
道と神祇. Tokyo: Yoshikawa Kōbunkan, 1997.
Saitō Hideki 斎藤英喜. Onmyōdō no Kamigami 陰陽道の神々(Zōhoban) 増補版) .
Kyoto: Bukkyō Daigaku Shōgai Gakushū Kikō, 2012.
Shimode Sekiyo 下出積與. Onmyōdō 陰陽道. Tokyo: Shintō Taikei Hensankai, 1987.
Takuma, Naoki , and Yoshihito Takada, eds. Onmyōdō Kankei Shiryō 陰陽道関係史料.
Tokyo: Kyūko Shoin, 2001.
Umeda Chihiro 梅田千尋. Kinsei onmyōdō soshiki no kenkyū 近世陰陽道組織の研究.
Tokyo: Yoshikawa Kōbunkan, 2009.
Yamashita Katsuaki 山下克明. Heian jidai no shūkyō bunka to onmyōdō 平安時代の宗教文化
と陰陽道. Tokyo: Iwata Shoin, 1996.
. Onmyōdō no hakken 陰陽道の発見. Tokyo: NHK Shuppan, 2010.
Yamashita Katsuaki 山下克明. Heian jidai onmyōdō shi kenkyū 平安時代陰陽道史研究.
Kyoto: Shibunkaku Shuppan, 2015.
[Joseph Elacqua; source(s): see bibliography]
Search SAT
Search INBUDS Database
Feedback
[Dictionary References]
Dai kanwa jiten No. 41691.306, p. 12393
Copyright provisions
The rights to textual segments (nodes) of the DDB are owned by the author indicated in the brackets next to each
segment. For rights regarding the compilation as a whole, please contact Charles Muller. Please do not reproduce
without permission. And please do not copy into Wikipedia without proper citation!
Entry created: 20160515