This is a translation of

Kohon Tenrikyo Oyasama Den

first published in 1956 and revised in 1981
by Tenrikyo Church Headquarters.

First Edition October 26, 1967

Second Edition April 26, 1982
Third Edition January 26, 1996

Tenrikyo Church Headquarters

Tenri, Nara, Japan
Printed by Tenri Jihosha

Preface to the Manuscript Edition

1. This manuscript edition is the fruit of efforts of Tenrikyo Church Headquarters to edit the
biography of Oyasama. This effort has been continuous for about sixty years, since the Tenth
Anniversary of Oyasama. This book is the standard for all people of the world to appreciate and
practice the Divine Model of Oyasama, which is the aim of our faith.
2. We edited this book based upon the Ofudesaki and historical materials which have been
preserved by the Church Headquarters, especially Oyasama-gyoden [The Biography of
Oyasama], written by the first Shinbashira. This work was accomplished under the direction of
the second Shinbashira and with the cooperation of many followers and others. Accordingly, we
believe that in this edition nothing needs to be added to clarify the truth or to deliver the essence
of the Divine Model of Oyasama.
3. We have used the phrase Manuscript Edition because more detailed research and studies
remain to be made on the numerals, notes, words, and phrases. We hope that the providence of
God will be bestowed in improving these points in the future.
4. We have used the solar calendar for dates after January 1, 1873. Lunar calendar dates have
been added in parentheses.
5. If any readers have preserved historical materials concerning this Manuscript Edition, we would
appreciate their kind offer of the information.

October 26, 1956

The Editors

Translator's note: Dates before 1873 appearing in the text are lunar calendar dates which we have
translated with Gregorian calendar designations for the month and year to facilitate reading for the
native English speaker. Dates after 1873 are solar calendar dates.
 January 26, 1996

Chapter One – The Shrine of Tsukihi

啓示 Revelation

I am God of Origin, God in Truth. There is causality in this Residence. At this time I
have descended here to save all humankind. I wish to receive Miki as the Shrine of
God.

With these words, spoken in a voice full of divine majesty, the whole house seemed to become
permeated with a spiritual presence. No one dared to raise their head, neither Zenbei, head of the
family, nor his relatives, nor even Ichibei, an ascetic monk. Indeed it was a god they had never heard of
and a strange revelation they had never dreamed of. Zenbei did not understand the revelation at first,
but upon reflection he realized that this revelation was truly a serious matter for the Nakayama family
and was most unlikely to be accepted by them. While he was considering the matter in this way, he
suddenly recalled a series of strange events that had occurred since the winter of the previous year.

天保八年 1837

It was on October 26, 1837, when his eldest son,Shuji, seventeen, 1 felt a sudden pain in his left
leg while he was sowing barley in the fields, along with his mother, Miki. The pain was so severe that he
was barely able to return home, using his rake as a crutch. A physician was consulted immediately, and
though he did his utmost in treating the patient, applying a mentholated ointment, nothing seemed to
ease the pain at all. At the suggestion of one of those present, Zenbei sent a messenger to Ichibei of
Nagataki Village, who was locally renowned for his healing powers. However, Ichibei was away in Nigo
Village at that time.
Two days later, on the 28th, the messenger was again sent to Ichibei. As soon as he heard
about Shuji's problem from the messenger, Ichibei offered the prayer of a hundred lights to appease
what he felt was a spirit tormenting Shuji. Shuji's pain had already eased by the time the messenger
returned to Zenbei's house. However, the pain came back on the following day, and the messenger was
sent to Ichibei again. Ichibei offered the prayer once more, and again Shuji's pain was gone for the time
being, only to recur on the following day. Again the messenger was sent to Ichibei and after the prayer
was thus offered for the third time, Shuji enjoyed a comparatively long period of relief, though only for
about twenty days.
In his anxiety over his son’s condition, Zenbei called on Ichibei in person and consulted him in
earnest. Ichibei suggested that, if such were the case, they should hold an incantation at Zenbei's
home. After returning home and talking the matter over with his family, Zenbei agreed to this plan.

1
Ages given in this book conform to the traditional Japanese system of calculation, whereby a child was
considered to be one year old during the year of its birth and, thereafter, one year was added to its age on New
Year's Day. Thus, an infant born on the last day of December would be two years old the next day.
Ichibei hired a woman of Magata Village named Soyo to act as medium and hold the two gohei,2 and all
the neighbors were invited to the incantation. After lighting a purifying fire, the incantation was
performed and Shuji's pain was gone. In half a year or so, however, it came back again, only to be
followed by another incantation and ease that lasted only for a short time. This cycle of relief and
relapse was repeated nine times within one year.
Each time the incantation was held, Zenbei did not simply call his neighbors together, but he
served them food and drink and gave rice to the people in the village in honor of the dead. For those
days, the expenditure involved on each occasion was not a light one, the total amounting to four
hundred monme.3 But Zenbei, out of his parental love, spared no expense to save his dear son.

天保九年 1838

Then at ten o'clock on the evening of October 23, 1838, in addition to Shuji's sore leg, Zenbei
had trouble with his eyes, and Miki had a severe pain in Her back. Thus, there were now three ailing
persons under one roof. It was the day of the Inoko Festival4 in Shoyashiki Village, and Ichibei
happened to be there visiting his relatives, the Inui family. Zenbei sent a messenger for Ichibei, who
came at once, saying: "This must be serious. Let us hold an incantation." Then he proceeded to
prepare for the ritual. Scarcely waiting for daybreak, he sent a messenger for Soyo, who had regularly
served as medium, but she was not at home. Having no alternative, Ichibei requested that Miki take her
place and hold the gohei as medium. Suddenly, in the midst of intent prayer, came the revelation
through Her mouth:

I wish to receive Miki as the Shrine of God.

After this series of past events had flashed through his mind, Zenbei felt somehow uneasy. But
as the intention of God of Origin was really unacceptable, he concluded he had better decline it. So he
said: "Though You are so earnest in Your request, I am sorry I cannot accept it. Ours is a busy home as
I have many children5 and I am an official in the village. Since there are many other respectable homes,
I beg You to go to someone else's house." Ichibei also entreated God to ascend.
But God of Origin would not accept their entreaties, and Miki's tone became more and more
severe and Her behavior more and more agitated. Ichibei, though experienced in the ways of
spiritualism, was utterly dumbfounded when he unexpectedly heard the voice of an unknown god
through Miki's lips, apparently because he had used Her as a substitute for his usual medium.
The incantation came to a halt, and now the state of affairs took a new turn. After having asked
God of Origin for some more time before giving a definite answer, those attending the incantation

2
Gohei is a sacred staff with cut or folded paper streamers.
3
Monme was a unit in the silver coinage at the time of the Tokugawa Shogunate. One monme is one-sixtieth of
one ryo. One ryo was a unit in the gold coinage. Four hundred monme is approximately $1,052 U.S. as of 1993.
4
The Inoko Festival was held after the harvest season and before the coming of winter to give thanks for rich
crops and to pray for health in the coming winter.
5
At that time, Shuji, was eighteen years of age (seventeen years, three months, and twenty-two days since his
birth); the eldest daughter, Omasa, was fourteen (thirteen years, six months, and eighteen days); the third
daughter Oharu, was eight (seven years, one month, and seventeen days); and the fifth daughter, Kokan, was two
(eleven months and two days). The second and fourth daughters had passed away in infancy.
withdrew from the presence of God to talk the matter over among themselves. They also sent for other
relatives who were not present.
The family and relatives, joined by Ichibei, continued talking over the matter, searching for an
acceptable solution. But no matter how long they talked, no one was in favor of obeying the intention of
God of Origin. Rather, they all encouraged Zenbei, saying: "Your children are still young, and you are
an official in the village. How could you manage if Miki, so important to your family, were offered as the
Shrine of God? It would be wiser to refuse." Zenbei knew that if he declined, as was suggested, a
shadow of uneasiness would linger over him, considering the intensity of the desire of God of Origin.
On the other hand, because of the state of his household, he could not bring himself to accept the
demand. At this point everyone returned to the presence of God and, in chorus, refused once more,
entreating God to ascend at once.
They had hardly finished speaking before Miki’s appearance underwent a complete change. Her
words grew more severe than ever, and She admonished them in a tone of command, saying:

Whoever may come, God will not retire. It is natural that you are filled with anxieties
at present, but after twenty or thirty years have passed, a day is sure to come when
all of you will admit the truth of My intention.

But they, too, would not yield an inch. They pressed God to retire at once, protesting that, being human,
they could not possibly wait twenty or thirty long years. To this Miki replied in a still more severe tone:

You shall do as God of Origin wills and comply with My demand. I shall save all
humankind if you will listen to Me; but if you should object to it, I shall destroy this
house so completely that not a trace of it will remain.

She spoke these words in a state of absolute selflessness, intently conveying the will of God of Origin.
Miki had been sitting straight, night after day, for three consecutive days, holding the gohei in
Her hands. She had taken neither meal nor rest during this time. Sometimes She would sit calmly, but
at other times She would solemnly reveal the intention of God of Origin in a resounding voice, Her
hands trembling and wavering so violently that the paper fringes of the gohei were torn to shreds.
Those present continued their talk to see if there were any possible means to persuade God to
ascend. Naturally, they consulted Ichibei, but the matter had already proved to be beyond his powers.
Even less could any of the others suggest an acceptable idea. Meanwhile, the strain and exhaustion on
Miki, who was intently conveying the will of God of Origin day and night, taking neither food nor rest,
increased visibly. Zenbei, fearing it might cost Her life if the situation continued, finally concluded that
there was no alternative but to comply. At eight o'clock on the morning of the 26th, he accepted God’s
demand, declaring with firm resolution:

月日のかやしろ The Shrine of Tsukihi

I offer Miki to You.

At this, Miki's agitated behavior became quiet for the first time in many hours, and at that instant Miki
Nakayama was settled as the Shrine of God. The mind of God the Parent entered into Her, and She,
revealing the divine will, began the ultimate teaching for saving all humankind. Indeed She is the One
whom we revere as the Shrine of Tsukihi, the One whom we yearn after as the Parent of the Divine
Model, and the One whom we glorify as Oyasama.
This event fell on October 26, 1838,6 when Oyasama was in Her forty-first year.

These thoughts of Tsukihi are spoken through Her: the mouth is human, the mind is
that of Tsukihi.

Listen! I, Tsukihi, am borrowing Her mouth wholly, and I, Tsukihi, am lending My

mind wholly.
Ofudesaki XII:67–68

6
December 12, 1838, by the Gregorian calendar.
 Chapter Two – The Early History of Oyasama

誕生 Birth

Oyasama, Miki Nakayama, was born in Sanmaiden Village, Yamabe County, Yamato Province, on the
morning of April 18, 1798.7

父母 Her Father and Mother

Her father, Masanobu Hanshichi Maegawa, had been invested by his lord with the rank of
musokunin, samurai without stipend, and was privileged to wear a sword and to bear a family name. He
also held the influential post of head of a group of local villages. Her mother, Kinu, had come from the
Nagao family of the same village. She was a lady of modest disposition, particularly excelling in the art
of needlework.

幼時 Her Childhood

From about the age of three, Miki's behavior was already so different from that of other children
that Her neighbors spoke highly of Her as being a remarkable child, surpassing other children of Her
age. When She was about six, She began to sew and to spin cotton thread by imitating Her mother.
She knit money pouches and sewed small bags for holding rice bran, which She took pleasure in giving
to the neighborhood children.
At the age of seven, whenever She found a child screaming and stamping its feet, She would
give the child sweets given to Her by Her parents and would rejoice when the child stopped crying. At
the ages of eight and nine, She would play with the small children in the neighborhood during the
autumn harvest while their parents were busily occupied with their farm work. There was not a parent
who did not admire Her conduct.
Her father taught Her to write with a brush and, from the time She was nine until She was
eleven, She attended a private school for children at a neighboring village to learn to read and write.
Miki never took lessons in needlework but mastered the art by Herself, simply by sitting beside
Her mother and watching her work. She was able to make handicraft items, duplicating what She had
seen but once.
By the age of twelve or thirteen, She not only cut and made garments out of wide bolts of cotton
but was also able to weave with more dexterity than the average person. It was during this same period
that Miki, having been brought up in the tradition of a pious family, came to memorize and recite the
Buddhist hymns known as the Jodo Wasan.
Bright and clever by nature, Miki eagerly learned everything that came Her way and became
proficient in many skills. She was an obedient and dutiful daughter, always willing to help Her mother.
Her aunt Kinu, who had married into the Nakayama family of Shoyashiki Village and had long
expected much of her niece because of Her extraordinary talents, asked Miki’s parents to give Her in
marriage to her son, Zenbei. Miki’s parents told Her of this proposal but, having long cherished the

7
hope of becoming a nun because of Her delicate constitution and Her strong spiritual yearning, She
was reluctant to give a favorable answer. Later, however, She agreed to the proposal, yielding to Her
parents’ earnest persuasion that the essence of womanhood consisted in being married and serving
her husband with love and fidelity. In consenting to the offer, She expressed one desire:

Even after I have gone there, I hope I shall be allowed to chant prayers to the Buddha
when My work for the day is over.

入嫁 Marriage

Finally, on September 15, 1810,8 dressed in a colorful long-sleeved kimono, Miki left Her home
in a palanquin followed by attendants carrying Her trousseau in five loads and entered the Nakayama
family of Shoyashiki Village. She was then thirteen years of age.
After Her marriage, Miki lived happily with the Nakayama family, devoting Herself to Her
husband, never once opposing his will, and discharging Her duties to the Nakayama parents with all
Her heart. One day, Her father-in-law asked if She could shave him. She brought out a razor and
whetstone and, after sharpening the razor expertly, She handled it so competently that he exclaimed
happily, "How skillful you are!"
She was simple and modest in Her choice of clothes and coiffure and did not attach undue
importance to Her appearance. For instance, at the age of fourteen, when She made Her first visit back
to Her parents' home in the year following Her marriage, She wore Her hair in a style that was common
among women in their thirties, while Her colorful long-sleeved kimono was that of a young girl. This led
the villagers to whisper among themselves, "What a peculiar combination!"
She put Her whole heart into the household work, rising early in the morning to lead others in
preparing breakfast. During the day, She busied Herself with the cooking, washing, sewing, and
weaving. When the farming seasons came, She participated in all sorts of field work, transplanting rice
seedlings, weeding the rice fields, harvesting rice, and sowing and harvesting barley. In later years, She
said:

In My childhood, I was not very healthy, but I came to do all sorts of farm work. The
only exceptions were the plowing of rice fields and the digging of ditches. In all other
work, I did twice as much as anyone else.

Thus, She did all kinds of farm work, except those two heavy tasks, which were done only by men.
In those days, the people in that area grew a lot of cotton. When the season to uproot the cotton
plants came around, She worked at it twice as hard as others. Although She was a woman, She pulled
more than half an acre a day. On the average, a man was said to be able to pull less than half an acre a
day, whereas a woman would average less than one-third of an acre. She also worked at the loom. She

8
October 13, 1810, by the Gregorian calendar.
could freely weave fabric of a most complicated splashed pattern of Her own design. She would often
complete it within a day, whereas it took an average person two full days of work.
She was regarded highly by Her relatives, acquaintances, and neighbors because of Her
thoughtfulness. She also treated the servants and farmhands with deep consideration. She always
spoke kindly to them and was willing to do anything on their behalf. For instance, on days when they
were resting from their labors, She would send them on picnics with lunches that She had made for
them Herself. Her parents-in-law, impressed by the way She handled Herself, entrusted Her with the
management of all household matters when She was sixteen years old.
While She devoted Herself to the management of the household and also to the family
occupation, nothing gave Her greater joy than to visit temples and listen to sermons from time to time.
Thus, in the spring of 1816, She was initiated into the mysteries of the Jodo sect at the Zenpuku Temple
of Magata Village at the age of nineteen.
In every respect, She was a perfect wife, but She was late in having a child. That was the one
thing that weighed on the minds of the members of Her family.
About that time, a housemaid named Kano was in favor with her master, Zenbei. She took
advantage of her position, growing more willful and presumptuous each day. Finally, one day, she
served Miki a bowl of soup that she had poisoned, thinking that by doing away with Miki, she might step
into Her place. Miki ate the soup, knowing nothing of the poison, and before long was in violent pain.
The family was greatly alarmed and immediately began to nurse Her, doing the best they could, and, at
the same time, they tried to find out the cause of Her sudden illness. When they discovered that it was
due to the intrigue of their own housemaid, they were astounded and angered. But Miki spoke to them
with labored breathing:

This is nothing but the cleansing of My stomach by the gods and the Buddha.

At this, the family was pacified. Deeply touched by Miki’s generous heart, the housemaid awoke from
her dream of delusion and expressed her profound regret for what she had done. She repented from
the bottom of her heart and, soon after, retired from the Nakayama household, leaving their service of
her own accord.
On June 11, 1820, Zenyemon, Her father-in-law, passed away for rebirth at the age of sixty-two.

長男出生 Birth of Shuji

In the winter of that same year, Miki became pregnant, and on July 24 of the following year, at
twenty-four, She gave birth to their first child, a boy. The newborn child, who later went through many
years of hardship together with Oyasama, was first named Zenyemon and later renamed Shuji.
Zenbei's delight was beyond compare since he was blessed with his first child and, moreover, a male
heir. Bright joy permeated the whole house, and they lived even more happily than when they were first
married.
 While She was pregnant with Shuji, Miki put forth all Her energy in discharging Her filial duties.
Even though Her own body was heavy with child, She carried Her aged mother-in-law on Her back, not
only around their own premises but also when taking her to visit people in the neighborhood.
She gave birth to Her first daughter, Omasa, on April 8, 1825, and to Her second daughter,
Oyasu, on September 9, 1827. The following year, on April 8, 1828, Her mother-in-law, Kinu, passed
away for rebirth.
For Zenbei, these children were the joy of his life. He was deeply concerned about their welfare.
When he remembered, in the fields, that he had left home without covering the well, he returned home
immediately to put the lid on it, lest his youngsters should fall in. He was also highly considerate of
others. For example, on a summer day, when he was making rounds to inspect the condition of the
water in his rice fields, he noticed a mole hole in the dike of another man’s field. He immediately
proceeded to fill it up to prevent the leak of precious water. Often, he worked so intently at this kind of
activity that it would be nightfall before he realized it.
Both Miki and Her husband applied themselves diligently to their family occupation from dawn to
dusk. Miki's tasks as a loving mother increased as the family was blessed with one child after another.
She sat working at the loom all day with Her baby on Her back and did needlework till late at night with
the baby at Her bosom. Both Miki and Her husband were compassionate and were always delighted to
help others.
On one occasion, a poor man broke into the storehouse and tried to steal a sack of rice. The
servants caught him in the act and, having seized him, were shouting noisily that they should take him
to the authorities. Miki, awakened by the noise, stopped them and said:

He must have been driven by poverty to steal. I pity such a mind.

She forgave the man and gave him the rice.

Another time, a farm hand, whom the family had hired for the autumn harvest, proved to be
exceedingly lazy in spite of his robust body. He was coldly ignored by the others because he shirked his
duties no matter how busily the others worked. Miki did not forsake him but persistently strove to guide
him, always greeting him in an affectionate way:

Thank you for your efforts.

At first, the man presumed on Her kindness and remained as idle as ever. But, after a while, he realized
that he had no excuse for being so idle and began to work, till at last he became an unusually hard
worker.
Once toward the end of autumn, a beggar with a grimy baby on her back stood at the gate and
begged for alms. Miki warmed up some rice gruel at once and gave it to her along with some clothes.
But after a moment, She said:

I have made a gift to the parent, but to the baby on her back I have given nothing.
How hungry it must be!
Miki took the baby into Her arms and gave it Her breast.
As Miki had plenty of milk each time She gave birth, She would always offer it to babies who
were suffering from a lack of milk. When She was thirty-one, there was a family in the neighborhood
who had lost each of their five previous children and were having trouble in raising their sixth, a baby
boy, due to a lack of milk. Miki could not bear to see their suffering and kindly took him under Her own
care. However, the child was unexpectedly stricken with smallpox. In spite of Miki's wholehearted
nursing, the illness developed into "blackpox" on the eleventh day. The doctor gave up on the child,
declaring that there was no hope of recovery. But Miki could not give up and said to Herself:

I cannot let him die under My care.

So, She started a hundred-day prayer, walking barefoot to the village shrine each day. She prayed
earnestly to all the gods of heaven and earth.

Perhaps this is an unreasonable request, but please save the child under My care,
who is now critically ill with smallpox. In return, I offer the lives of My two daughters
as substitutes, retaining only My son. If that is not enough, I shall also offer My own
life upon the completion of My prayer.

The baby's condition improved daily until, at last, he recovered completely. Later, in 1830, Her second
daughter, Oyasu, passed away to be received by God at the age of four. Her third daughter, Oharu, was
born on the evening of September 21, 1831, and Her fourth daughter, Otsune, was born on November
7, 1833. But Otsune passed away for rebirth in 1835 at the age of three. Then, on December 15, 1837,
Her fifth daughter, Kokan, was born.
According to Her later comments, Oyasama explained that God felt it too cruel to receive two
lives at one time in accordance with Her prayer. Therefore, God received the life of one, then returned
the soul to be reborn, and then received it again, thus fulfilling the receipt of two lives.
Afterward, Miki remained as deep as ever in Her benevolence and as far reaching as ever in
Her charity, liberally giving such things as homespun cotton cloth and rice to the poor. Her acts of
charity grew more frequent, and the quantity of alms grew larger, as the people's lives grew harder and
harder due to the successive crop failures and famines during the 1830s.
 Chapter Three – On the Way
After becoming the Shrine of Tsukihi, Oyasama hastened to obey God the Parent's command:

Fall to the depths of poverty.

First She gave to the needy the personal effects She had brought with Her when She married, then
food, clothes, money, and so forth, one after another.
In Her parental desire to save all humankind, Oyasama showed the world the model of the path
through which one can attain salvation, by walking it Herself. She taught that by giving generously to
the needy and renouncing attachment to material things, one will surely become brightened in mind
and, once the mind has become brightened, the path to the Joyous Life will open up by itself.
But Zenbei as well as the rest of the family and relatives, seeing that Her words and deeds had
become quite different from those of ordinary people, became anxious, wondering if She had become
bereft of reason or possessed by some evil spirit. They tried everything in their power to restore Her to
normal. They burned pine needles and incense sticks and lit purifying fires, all the while crying in their
hearts, "If you are insane, be restored to sense; if possessed, away with the evil spirit!"
One day Zenbei's friends, Hagimura of Bessho Village, Adachi of Shoyashiki Village, and Ueda
of Tanbaichi Village, met to talk over a matter of concern. Whenever they had gone to the Nakayamas'
recently, they had found Zenbei's children so forlorn and lonely that they could not but pity them from
the bottom of their hearts. They wondered if there were any good means of correcting such a situation.
They concluded that if She were, in fact, possessed by some evil spirit, they must use all the means in
their power to drive it away. Accordingly, after their talks, they went together to the Nakayamas' and,
facing Oyasama, repeatedly pressed the supposed evil spirit to ascend, saying they would take him
elsewhere to pay homage to him thereafter. However, their solicitations were to no avail.
The people's derision toward Oyasama grew more and more intense. On the other hand, quite a
number of poor people from the surrounding country came to Her house, yearning to bask in Her
mercy. Oyasama said:

Whoever comes to this house shall never leave without being filled with joy. To Me,
the Parent, all human beings in the world are My children.

Out of Her intense love for Her children, She went on giving to the needy ever more generously, until at
last every storehouse on Her premises was completely emptied.
After giving away all Her household goods, one day God demanded of Zenbei in one of the
Timely Talks:

Dismantle the mansion.

This was too excessive for Zenbei and he did not readily consent to the demand. Strangely enough,
Oyasama was taken ill soon after that and was confined to bed for twenty days, rejecting all food.
Zenbei called his relatives together at his house and, after having talked over the matter with them,
sought the intention of God the Parent. God responded:

Start this very day taking down the roof tiles at the southeast corner of the house.

Having no choice, Hanzaburo Maegawa and a servant named Uhei began to remove the roof tiles.
Immediately, Oyasama recovered from Her illness.
However, fifteen or sixteen days after that, She was again stricken with an illness, this time
losing Her voice, hearing, and eyesight, all at the same time. Zenbei called his relatives together to talk
over the matter with them. After that he sought the intention of God the Parent. This time, God the
Parent said:

Take down the tiles at the northeast corner of the house.

The relatives, dismayed at this direction, flatly refused to obey it, saying unanimously: "A god is not a
being that would cause people hardship. But you dare to demand something that we could never
persuade ourselves to do. So, we must request that you retire immediately." Thereupon, the suffering of
Oyasama took a sudden turn for the worse and, in spite of all their efforts to nurse Her back to health,
Her condition became more and more serious. Still grumbling at its absurdity, the relatives had no
choice but to obey the wishes of God. Instantly, the suffering of Oyasama disappeared.
In any age, it is a matter of great difficulty for a family to sell its dwelling, but much more so in
those days, when to honor things transmitted from father to son was deemed the most important of all
filial duties. For Zenbei, therefore, who was one of the great landowners in the village and who also
held the position of village headman, it was simply disquieting that anyone, even God the Parent,
should order him to pull down the mansion handed down to him by his forefathers.
In the village, there was much talk about the matter, mainly to the effect that it had been heard
that a god had descended at the Nakayama house and was insisting on having the mansion dismantled
—a most strange story quite beyond their comprehension. Zenbei's relatives and friends, who had
heard such rumors, went to his home one after the other with heavy hearts and tried again and again to
reason with him. They minced no words in their vehement remonstration, telling him that if he said, after
dismantling the mansion, that he had done it because he had been ordered to do so by a woman whom
he had taken into the family as his wife, not only would he be at a loss as to what to say to his
ancestors, but also he was sure to fall in stature in the public estimation. Some of them even carried the
matter further, telling him that they would break all ties with him if he did not refrain from doing such a
thing.
Days, months, and years wore on in this way. No one would lend an ear to the teachings of God
the Parent. It was as if people’s minds were solid ice. As a result, the work of saving all humankind
could make only the slowest progress.
One day, God the Parent suddenly gave Zenbei another order:

Tomorrow pull down the gable walls.

Zenbei's relatives and friends objected strongly to this order, calling it "outrageous." But since their
objections were unacceptable to God the Parent, Zenbei was caught between the two sides. His
position became so difficult that one could not help but sympathize with him. He knew that if he obeyed
God the Parent, the kind regard of his relatives and friends would be brought to naught, while if he
disobeyed God, he would be faced with the imminent danger of Oyasama falling ill. Since he could not
bear to see Her suffer again, he decided at last to yield to the impatience of God. Thus, the gable walls
were finally pulled down. After that, all his relatives and friends stopped associating with him, while the
villagers never met without uttering abusive words, such as: "Has she gone mad at last?" "No, she is
said to be possessed by a fox." "Ah! but this man Zenbei, what a weak character he is!" There were
even some who, in spite of having received many favors from the Nakayamas and habitually presumed
on Oyasama's charity, now joined the others in abusing them, simply to swim with the general current,
until at last, they kept away from their former benefactors completely.
Aside from such gossip, the thought of his children's future as well as that of his responsibility
toward his forefathers as head of the family kept Zenbei sleepless night after night, although he had
pulled down the gable walls with resolve. Thus, one night after many days of painful deliberation, he
stood by Oyasama's pillow and, holding a drawn sword over Her, said in tears: "We are mocked and
laughed at by the world. Even our relatives and friends have forsaken us. What shall we do?" Then he
exclaimed in agony: "If it be an evil spirit, away with it! But if madness, let your senses be restored!"
Oyasama, awakened by Zenbei's alarming behavior, asked him:

Dear, what are you doing?

To this, Zenbei replied, "It is all too frightening."

On another occasion, he dressed himself in white and had Oyasama dress likewise. And in the
presence of Her brothers, whom he had called from their home, he sat face to face with Oyasama
before the Buddhist altar. He chanted prayers to the Buddha and, holding a sword close to his side,
severely demanded the immediate withdrawal of the evil spirit, if indeed it were one. At this time, there
were words from God the Parent, earnestly explaining the origin of this world and the future to the most
remote of times so that people could be convinced that these words came not from a "fox" or "raccoon"
but truly from God the Parent. Zenbei persuaded himself of the truth of the words of God for the
present, since the divine intention was not altogether incomprehensible to him and, besides, he
remembered the initial promise he had made to God. But the Nakayama family was indeed placed in a
very serious situation.
Oyasama, as the Shrine of Tsukihi, hastened to make the intention of God known through the
Timely Talks. At the same time, as the Parent of the Divine Model, endowed with human form, She
showed us the path to surmount the difficulties in the course of life, by walking it Herself.
Oyasama attempted to drown Herself many times, now in a well, now in the pond of the village
shrine. But each time, Her legs would grow stiff at the last moment, and She could not take a single
step.
 Be not rash! Be not rash!

The voice of God the Parent being audible within Her, She could never go through with it.

Wherever you may be, Tsukihi clearly sees your innermost heart.

If your innermost heart accords with the mind of Tsukihi, I shall exert Myself in your
favor forever.
Ofudesaki XIII:98–99

That is to say, if one's heart is in accord with that of God the Parent, one will be protected by the free
and unlimited workings of God, even when one is hanging between life and death. For several years
after 1848, when Oyasama was fifty-one, She acted as a sewing teacher, according to the will of God:

Teach young girls sewing.

It was the intention of God to have Her prove that She was neither possessed by an evil spirit nor bereft
of reason.
About that time, Shuji opened a private school in his house and taught reading and writing to
some of the youngsters of the village.
Also about that time, Okoyo, the elder sister of Chusaku Tsuji of Toyoda Village, was a sewing
pupil of Oyasama. At Okoyo's suggestion, Chusaku arranged a marriage between Oharu, the third
daughter of Oyasama, and Sojiro Kajimoto of Ichinomoto Village. The wedding took place in 1852.
During these years, in preparation for advancing salvation, Oyasama gave so freely that She
even disposed of some of the rice fields.

嘉永六年 1853

夫出直 The passing of Zenbei

While things went on like this, Zenbei passed away for rebirth on February 22, 1853,9 at the age
of sixty-six. The grief for the loss of the mainstay of the family was especially deep when they thought of
his uncommonly warm affection, by virtue of which all relations in the family, such as those between
husband and wife, and parents and children, had been so perfectly harmonious. Oyasama was then
fifty-six, Shuji thirty-three, Omasa twenty-nine, and Kokan seventeen.

にをいがけ Sprinkling the Fragrance

In that same year, despite the fact that the family was in mourning for Zenbei, Oyasama,
directed by God the Parent, sent Kokan, accompanied by Matakichi of Ossaka Village and two others,
to the city of Naniwa, now Osaka, on a mission to spread the name of God the Parent. Thus, the

9
March 31, 1853, by the Gregorian calendar.
divinely determined moment for launching the spread of the teachings, which marked the starting point
for the work of saving humankind, coincided with a sad event in Kokan's life—the passing away for
rebirth of her father.
Early that day, Kokan and her party started out from Shoyashiki Village for Naniwa. The party
advanced westward and, passing through Tatsuta Village and crossing the Jusan Pass, entered
Kawachi Province. They continued westward across Kawachi Province and, within the day, arrived at
Dotonbori in Naniwa, where they took their lodgings.
The next morning, Kokan stood at a nearby street corner, amid the hustle and bustle in the
center of the large city.

Namu, Tenri-O-no-Mikoto! Namu, Tenri-O-no-Mikoto!

She repeatedly chanted the name of God the Parent in her fresh and clear voice, to the accompaniment
of wooden clappers. People gathered around her with curiosity, and some of them were said to have
felt an unexplainable yet refreshing brightness and warm yearning well up in their hearts, even though
they did not recognize that it was the name of their true Parent being invoked.
In this way, Kokan stood at one busy street corner after another, chanting:

Namu, Tenri-O-no-Mikoto! Namu, Tenri-O-no-Mikoto!

By her fresh and youthful voice and the most clear sound of the wooden clappers, many people were
so impressed that they felt their hearts grow brighter and more peaceful.
About that time, Oyasama's eldest daughter, Omasa, was married to Jisuke Fukui of Toyoda
Village.
Also about that time, a buyer for the Nakayamas' main house, for whom Oyasama had been
looking, was found. The house was finally to be sold. When the time came to dismantle it, Oyasama
said to the laborers:

Now I shall begin to build a new world. Celebrate the occasion with Me!

Then, with lighthearted briskness, She served them sake and a little food. The laborers were
both surprised and delighted, saying to one another that they had never experienced such gaiety at the
dismantling of a house.10

をびやためし Test of Safe Childbirth

10
"To begin this path, we dismantled the house. Think of the day we celebrated the occasion, serving people sake
and a little food, saying, "How joyous! How joyous!" Indeed, it is an unusual story, an unusual story. Sah, sah, from
such a situation we started and have come to this day, have come to the present situation. In the world, there is
such a case that a millionaire suddenly becomes poor and a person from the lowest position becomes great. This
path has grown up to the present from the dismantling of the house. You must understand this." (Osashizu,
October 31, 1900)
Prior to this, one day in the seventh month of Her pregnancy at the age of forty-four, there came an
order from God the Parent:

You must not go anywhere today.

So She stayed home all day. And when night came, God the Parent said to Her:

The child will come out while everyone is asleep.

So She made all the preparations for it and, while waiting, had a miscarriage, followed by a headache.
In spite of that, She got up as soon as day broke and cleansed the soiled linen by Herself. She washed
it three times with cold water, then once with hot water, and hung it out to dry on three or four bamboo
poles. In no time, the headache was gone as if it had been wiped away.
Thus, Oyasama proved the free and unlimited workings of God by a test on Herself, showing
that if one relies on God with one’s whole heart, one need not fear even a miscarriage, though a single
misstep might possibly endanger one's life, nor need there be fear of complications after childbirth.

嘉永七年・をびや許しの始め 1854: The Beginning of the Grant of Safe Childbirth

In 1854, when Oyasama was fifty-seven years old, Her daughter Oharu returned home for the
birth of her first child. At that time, Oyasama said:

Whatever I intend to do, I shall test it first in My own family.

So saying, She breathed three times upon the belly of Her daughter and stroked it as many times. This
marked the beginning of the Grant of Safe Childbirth.
On the very day of Oharu's delivery, November 5, 1854, 11 there occurred a severe earthquake
which brought down more than four square yards of the backwall of her lying-in chamber. Oharu,
nevertheless, remained calm and delivered a boy so easily that people were convinced that a woman
had nothing to fear about childbirth, if only she had received the Grant of Safe Childbirth, and that it was
indeed a great blessing to all women. Oharu was then twenty-four years old, and the child who was
born as her eldest son was named Kamezo.
The following day, Yuki, who was the wife of a villager named Sosuke Shimizu, visited the
Residence. Seeing Oharu already up and working energetically, she was deeply struck with the
wonders of God's blessing. She asked Oyasama if she, too, would be granted such protection, should
she request it. To this, Oyasama replied:

The same with every woman.

11
December 24, 1854, by the Gregorian calendar.
 Before long, when Yuki conceived, she came back to ask for the Grant of Safe Childbirth.
Oyasama did for her just as She had done for Oharu, blowing upon her belly and stroking it three times.
Then Oyasama said:

You must forget all human concern. Rely on God the Parent and have a delivery free
from worry.

But Yuki, in spite of having received the Grant of Safe Childbirth, could not rely completely on Her
words. Instead, after giving birth, she followed the traditional customs such as the taboo on certain
foods and the practice of leaning against something, with the result that she was confined to her bed
with fever for about thirty days. When Oyasama was consulted at Yuki’s request, She said:

It is because she harbored doubts.

Yuki perceived the exact truth of this response the moment she heard it and, deeply impressed by it,
repented from the bottom of her heart.
Oyasama took charge of the newborn child while Yuki was confined to her bed and, before long,
Yuki was completely restored to health.
The next year, when Yuki conceived again, she received the Grant of Safe Childbirth, solemnly
swearing that she would never doubt again. Since she kept relying on God wholeheartedly, abiding well
by Oyasama's instructions this time, she was blessed with an unusually easy delivery, and her recovery
was smooth.
Now the news spread among the villagers, who had already known the course of the matter
from the first, and further, to the people of neighboring villages, with the result that people at large
became aware for the first time that Oyasama was not an ordinary human being, though they did not
yet realize that She was the Shrine of God the Parent.
About 1855, Oyasama mortgaged all the rice fields remaining in Her family, nearly seven and a
half acres, to Jusuke Adachi of the same village.
In those days, according to the wishes of God the Parent, all the members of the family always
wore cotton montsuki, crested formal garments, even when they went out to the fields. As a result,
people in the neighboring villages called them by the nickname "Montsuki-san of Shoyashiki Village." In
particular, the sight of Shuji walking around the countryside, selling vegetables and firewood, attracted
people's attention and endeared him to the villagers, who called him "Montsuki-san, Montsuki-san."
Oyasama's course of life for about a decade after the age of fifty-six was ever so seriously
troublesome. Shuji, in the prime of life, and Kokan, in the bloom of youth, had spent not a single day
worth mentioning for their own pleasure. Both of them, however, accepted these hardships without
complaint, obeying Oyasama's wishes wholeheartedly.
Kokan emotionally recalled the following scene after years had passed: "Once on an autumn
festival day, I found myself all alone, wistfully looking at the festival procession pass, while village girls
were promenading about the village in their finest clothes.
 Oyasama, even when She was over sixty, amid the ever worsening hardships and privations,
applied Herself to sewing and spinning and often sat up all night at work, making the best of the
intervals between Her activities devoted to saving others.
On nights when there was a bright moon, She would spin yarn all night by the light of the moon
with Her children, Shuji and Kokan, saying:

The moon is shining so brightly for us.

When She was helped by Her children, sometimes the output of yarn amounted to more than four
pounds a day, nearly twice that of others, which was about a third of a pound per day per person, or
five-sixths of a pound with night work. On those days, She said:

Have we done so much today, indeed?

In the summer, they were tormented by great swarms of thicket mosquitoes, and in the winter, they
warmed themselves by a small fire built from twigs and leaves. But hot or cold, they made it a rule to
work far into the night.12
One day, when Kokan informed Oyasama that there was no rice left in the house, Oyasama
said to her:

In this world there are those who are suffering, unable to eat or even to swallow
water despite food piled high at their bedsides. If we think of them, how blessed we
are, for when we drink water, it tastes of water. God the Parent has blessed us with
exquisite gifts.

Another time, Oyasama encouraged Her children, saying:

However wretched you may be, never say you are wretched, for I shall never make
beggars of you.

At this, the children's spirits, which had been on the verge of faltering, were raised, and they continued
to follow Her.
Even while She was in such strained circumstances, Oyasama used to give food and the
clothes She had on to the needy. For instance, She gave a person who begged for food at Her gate the
rice, almost two pounds, She had acquired with difficulty, without any feeling of regret. It was also
during those years that She took the short-sleeve coat off Her back and gave it to a person whom She
had chanced to see shivering from the cold.

12
"In teaching you this path, I gave you delight in the future. I have brought you through a long journey. We had
nothing to burn to warm ourselves in the cold of winter for thirty years. We lived through those years gathering
withered branches from here and fallen leaves from there. There is not a lie in what God said. Sah, sah, people
will gather from here and from there." (Osashizu, March 31, 1896)
 You who are devoting yourselves day after day, settle the heart. Then a promising
future will be yours.
Ofudesaki II:28

Do not complain about your present situation. A broad path will appear ahead of you.

Do not grieve over whatever path you are now on. Take delight in the main path that
lies ahead.
Ofudesaki III:36–37

After Oyasama had passed through great hardships in this way for several more years, one day,
for the first time, a person came to Her to make an offering, one and a half pounds of rice, as a token of
thanks to God the Parent. Before long, women appeared one after another to be blessed with the
marvelous protection of the Grant of Safe Childbirth with which She had already opened the path.
Hence the news spread by word of mouth in all directions: "It is said that a goddess of safe childbirth
lives in Shoyashiki Village," or "She is said to be a living goddess." This news in turn brought more and
more women to Her to be favored with this wonderful blessing—women who felt uneasy facing their first
delivery, women who were suffering from postnatal complications, and women whose past experiences
of difficult delivery had weighed heavily upon their minds. Oyasama not only received these women at
Her house but, when asked for help in serious cases, always went to their homes cheerfully.

文久二年 1862

For example, in 1862, when She was sixty-five, at the request of a woman who was in critical
condition after having given birth, She went all the way to Ando Village13 on foot and saved her.
Thus, for the first time in more than twenty long years, the intention of God the Parent began to
be widely known among the public. For, in spite of the fact that childbirth is a heavy burden on women,
especially in those days when a deep-rooted sense of insecurity about it prevailed throughout the
country, any woman who had received the Grant of Safe Childbirth was wondrously blessed with a safe
delivery.
The Grant of Safe Childbirth originates from the Residence of Origin, the Home of the Parent,
where human beings were first conceived.

The conception of a baby is by Tsukihi. Giving birth to it, also, is by the work of
Tsukihi.
Ofudesaki VI:131

She taught that both conception and delivery are entirely due to the blessing of God the Parent and that
any woman who received the Grant of Safe Childbirth would assuredly be blessed with safe childbirth.

13
About three miles west of Shoyashiki Village.
Further, She taught that a woman might live quite normally after having given birth, with no need of
observing the old customs such as the use of an abdominal band, the taboo on certain foods, the use of
something to lean against, to say nothing of any fear of her being physically polluted for seventy-five
days as was popularly believed by the people of that time.
This Grant of Safe Childbirth opened the path to all miracles of salvation, and the name
“goddess of safe childbirth of Shoyashiki Village” became known throughout Yamato Province during
1862 and 1863, when Oyasama was sixty-five and sixty-six years old. But, with this increase in
popularity, cases of extortion began to occur. For instance, about 1862, a medium of Namimatsu
Village, who called forth the guardian deity of agriculture, came and asked Oyasama for a large sum of
money amounting to two ryo and two bu.14 She complied with his request and gave it to him. But in
spite of these jealousies and unreasonable demands, the name of God the Parent became known more
and more widely among the general public. The people who in later years were to work as Yoboku,
useful timber, began to return to the Home of the Parent one after another, being drawn by God. Among
them were Isaburo Nishida of Ichieda Village, who returned about 1861; Koemon Murata of Senzai
Village, about 1862; and Saemon (later renamed Gisaburo) Nakata and Chusaku Tsuji of Toyoda
Village, in 1863.

文久三年 1863

It was on March 4, 1863, that Chusaku Tsuji came to worship for the first time. When an inquiry
was made of Oyasama concerning the insanity of his younger sister, Kura, She responded:

Here dwells the Supreme God of all directions, whose name is Tenri-O-no-Mikoto.
Though it will not be cured as swiftly as an empty stomach is filled with rice, it will
subside day by day.

Returning home, Chusaku performed the service morning and evening, beating the wooden clappers
while chanting the name of God the Parent over and over again, as he had been taught:

Namu, Tenri-O-no-Mikoto! Namu, Tenri-O-no-Mikoto!

But his prayers had no effect on his insane sister. So one day he returned and an inquiry was made of
Oyasama as to why his sister had shown no improvement. The reply was:

The service is too short.

These words struck Chusaku, and he recalled that he had not been burning an entire incense stick to
measure the length of his service, but only one-half, purposely breaking the stick in two. In those days,
the incense stick was used to measure the length of the service, and the followers only chanted the

14
Ryo is a unit of old Japanese coinage. One ryo is ten bu. Two ryo and two bu is approximately $491 U.S. as of
1993.
name of God while beating the wooden clappers. This was before the hand movements had been
introduced into the service and the number of its repetitions prescribed.
Chusaku, realizing his fault, apologized at once and returned to his home. After that, he
performed the service every morning and evening enthusiastically, without breaking the incense sticks.
Then his sister, Kura, began to make a gradual recovery, till at last she was restored to sanity.
That same year, Zenroku Iida and his wife, of Ando Village, came to Oyasama to ask Her to
save their child, whose illness had suddenly taken a serious turn. Oyasama went to their house at once
and saved the child, who immediately became well enough to eat a sweet rice cake. Oyasama stayed
with the Iidas for seven or eight days and saved many other people who gathered in Her presence.

文久四 1864 (Bunkyu 4)

It was in January of 1864 that Chushichi Yamanaka of Mamekoshi Village began to follow the
path. The same month, Oyasama went to Ando Village again at Iida's request and stayed at his home
for about forty days. People in the neighboring villages heard of this, and those who yearned after Her
and sought help from Her came to see Her in an unending stream.
Having heard this, Bungo Furukawa, a physician of Namimatsu Village, came to the Iidas' with
some monks from the Kongoin Temple in Nara and barged into the room in which Oyasama was
staying. They called Her by such names as "fox" or "raccoon" and were even at the point of resorting to
violence when, suddenly, Oyasama’s appearance changed. In a solemn tone, She said:

Ask! if you have anything to ask.

At this, Bungo posed one difficult question after another. Oyasama answered each question so clearly
and convincingly that he prostrated himself, filled with awe, and, humbly withdrawing himself from Her
presence, went away.

元治元年 1864 (Ganji 1)

From the spring of 1864, Oyasama bestowed the Sazuke of the Fan on devoted followers.
About fifty or sixty people received it. Chushichi Yamanaka and Saemon Nakata were each granted the
Sazuke of the Gohei and the Sazuke of Fertilizer, in addition to the Sazuke of the Fan. On December
26 of the same year, Chusaku Tsuji and several others were granted the Sazuke with the following
words of Oyasama:

Kisaburo of Senzai Village, I hand you a folding fan of flat ribs. Think of it as God
and set it apart for worship.

Zensuke of the same village, to you I hand a folding fan of black ribs.
 Koemon of the same village, on you I bestow the Gohei and Fertilizer. Chusaku of
Toyoda Village, on you I bestow the Gohei and Fertilizer. Understand that these are
for all eternity. You will not be able to continue your long journey without traveling
expenses. So, I bestow upon you Fertilizer for your traveling expenses.

By this time, many people had been gathering at the Residence, not only from neighboring
villages such as Shiba, Mamekoshi, Yokota, Shoji, Onishi, Niizumi, Tatsuta, Ando, Namimatsu,
Ichinomoto, Furuichi, Shichijo, and Toyoda, but also from various remote regions.
With such an increase in the number of people returning to the Residence in 1863 and 1864,
when Oyasama was sixty-six and sixty-seven years old, lack of space in the Residence became
especially apparent. The main house had already been dismantled, while the remaining old and shabby
house in which Oyasama lived had only two rooms, one eight-mat and the other six-mat. The eight-mat
room had a gohei in it as the symbol of worship and was used as a gathering place for worshipers.
However, on the twenty-sixth day of every month, this room was so crowded that there was an overflow
of many worshipers into the garden. Thus, there began to be some talk among the people that they
should be allowed to build a new place for worship before long.
It was during this period that Izo Iburi (later the Honseki) 15 visited the Residence for the first
time. He came one day in May of 1864. He was received by Kokan, to whom he stated the object of his
visit. He wanted Oyasama to save his wife, who had been ill in bed since her delivery. Kokan conveyed
his request to Oyasama, who said with great delight:

Sah, sah, I have been waiting, I have been waiting!

Then She added:

Certainly I shall save her. But since this God by the name of Tenri-O-no-Mikoto must
be quite new to them, it might be hard for them to believe.

At this, Kokan started a three-day prayer and presented Izo with sanyaku.16 Prior to this event,
Oyasama had said:

A carpenter will appear, will appear.

On returning to Ichinomoto Village, Izo told his wife, Osato, everything that had taken place. She
was so delighted that she took off her abdominal band as instructed and immediately took a portion of
the sanyaku. She also took one in the evening and another at dawn. This gave her a little relief.
Scarcely waiting for day to break, Izo returned to the Residence and informed Kokan of this. Kokan
gave him more of the sanyaku and said, "God says, 'I shall save her.' Therefore, you must not worry."
15
Honseki literally means "main seat," which implies the seat where the Sazuke is bestowed. The title Honseki
was given to Izo Iburi.
16
Sanyaku literally means a powdered medicine. However, this was not a medicine, but the sweetened and
parched barley flour which had been offered to God. Because of its similarity in appearance to ordinary medicine,
it was called sanyaku in those days.
 On returning home, Izo had his wife take another portion of the sanyaku. That very evening,
Osato began to feel greatly relieved of her pain. That night, Izo returned to the Residence for the third
time.
Osato recovered so remarkably that on the third day she could sit up to take her meals by
leaning on something. When Izo returned to the Residence, Shuji asked him about his wife. Izo replied
that she was recovering remarkably. Shuji rejoiced at the news and said, "How blessed that she has
been saved." It was not long before Osato recovered completely from her illness due to the blessing of
God the Parent.
 Chapter Four – The Place for the Service

元治元年 1864

On June 25, 1864, Izo Iburi and his wife, Osato, visited the Residence together for the first time to offer
their thanks for Osato’s recovery. On that occasion, the idea of building a shrine for God the Parent
came to Izo when his wife expressed her desire to make some offering to God as a token of her
gratitude for having been saved.
On July 26, Izo and Osato returned to the Residence again, at which time they were each
granted the Sazuke of the Fan and the Sazuke of the Gohei. Izo then conveyed the message to
Oyasama through an intermediary that he wished to be allowed to build a shrine for God the Parent as
a token of gratitude for his wife’s recovery from her illness. To this, Oyasama replied:

There is no need for a shrine. Start building something small.

When asked how large it should be, She answered:

It is to be one square tsubo.17 This structure of one square tsubo is not for human
habitation.

Then She added:

Additions can be made depending on your minds.

When asked by Shuji where it should be built, She replied:

Pull down the rice granary and the cotton storage, and build it on that site.

Then She added:

Having begun to talk, I shall instruct you until the completion.

Those present talked the matter over and decided to build a structure twenty-one feet by thirty-
six feet. Chushichi Yamanaka volunteered to bear the expenses, Izo Iburi offered his labor, while
Chusaku Tsuji, Saemon Nakata, and Isaburo Nishida offered to contribute tiles, six mats, and eight
mats, respectively. Thus, they agreed upon their respective shares in the effort.
On August 26, those who were especially enthusiastic remained behind after the other
worshipers had departed at the end of the Service and volunteered donations totaling five ryo18 for the
expenses of the construction. Izo Iburi went to Saka Village immediately to order lumber from a shop

17
Tsubo is a traditional Japanese unit for measuring ground and floor space. One tsubo is about six feet by six
feet.
18
Five ryo is approximately $877 U.S. as of 1993.
called Daishin, while Gihei of Shoji Village went to a tile dealer in Morimedo Village to order roof tiles,
both of them making use of the donations as down payments.
Following this, a number of followers came together to pull down the granary and cotton
storage. The leveling of the ground was also done by them, with the result that the ceremony in honor
of the first stroke of the carpenter's adz was held on September 13. The premises resounded daily with
the spirited sounds of chisels and hammers, till in due course the ridge-beam was laid on the
framework.
The placing of the beam was held on October 26, the day that commemorated the day of origin
of the teachings. Oyasama had been in high spirits since morning. The ceremony to celebrate the
raising of the beam, participated in by many worshipers, progressed smoothly and was completed by
evening. After that, food and drink were served in honor of the occasion. It was indeed a simple meal
consisting of a dried pike for each and one or two bottles of sake, which had been offered to God, for all
to share. It was a meal that was enlivened by heartfelt joy throughout.
When the meal was over, Chushichi Yamanaka asked permission of Oyasama to invite
everyone to his home the next day to celebrate the occasion once again. Permission was readily
granted by Oyasama.
The next morning, the 27th, Chushichi and the others greeted Oyasama, saying, "We are
leaving now for Mamekoshi Village." Oyasama told them:

You may go. Be sure to pay your respects at the shrine when you pass it on your
way.

Then they started for their destination in the highest of spirits. The members of the party were Shuji, Izo
Iburi, Chushichi Yamanaka, Seizo of Shiba Village, Eitaro, Kyutaro, Kanbei of Onishi Village, Yasaburo,
Heishiro, Yanosuke, and two women, Yasu and Kura.
They proceeded southward, passing the villages of Yamaguchi and Otogi on their left. A little
farther on, the villages of Sahonosho and Sanmaiden appeared ahead. They passed through these
villages and, continuing their walk to the south, soon came in front of the Oyamato Shrine. There,
though no one knew who took the initiative, they all agreed to pay their respects at the shrine, since
Oyasama had instructed them to do so. They placed the drum that they had brought with them on a
four-foot-square stone in front of the shrine and began to beat the drum and wooden clappers with all
their might, singing loudly over and over again:

Namu, Tenri-O-no-Mikoto! Namu, Tenri-O-no-Mikoto!

The priests in the shrine, hearing these sounds, rushed out to see what was going on. When
they saw what these people were doing, they ordered them to stop at once and confiscated the drum.
On that day, an important prayer was being conducted at the shrine—a seven-day prayer
offered by Moriya Chikuzen-no-kami, the superintendent of the Shinto priests in the province of Yamato,
who had just come back from a stay in Kyoto. "Indeed," thundered the priests, "it is preposterous that
you should use such low-class percussion instruments before the historic Oyamato Shrine and loudly
call the name of a god that has never been heard of." Then they declared that the offenders would not
be allowed to go home but would be detained until an investigation had been completed.
After the investigation, they were found guilty of having disturbed the prayer and were detained
for three days. As a result of this, a feeling of horror arose in the hearts of those in the party.
News of the affair spread quickly. It became known not only to the villagers of Shoyashiki and
Mamekoshi, but also to the followers in the neighboring villages. At the Residence, Kokan and those
who had stayed behind did their best to help resolve the situation. Naturally, they immediately informed
the families of the detainees. Then they contacted not only the village officials but also their
acquaintances in the villages of Shoyashiki and Ichinomoto to request their aid in freeing the detainees.
Ryojiro Yamazawa of Niizumi Village personally negotiated with Moriya Chikuzen-no-kami.
In addition, Jinshichi Kishi of Ichinomoto Village went to the shrine as the proxy of the village
head to speak with the Shinto priests. Kishi humbly apologized for them with good grace, since he
thought that there would be no alternative.
"We shall pardon them this time, now that you have humbly acknowledged their faults,"
responded the priests. "But after this, see to it that the likes of them never approach such a place as
this again."
"It will never happen again," replied Kishi, who wrote a statement to that effect on the spot. The
detainees were then freed. Among the members who had recently joined the faith, those who felt
uneasy due to this incident dropped out of the faith. Therefore, the formation of a fellowship, which had
been progressing so well, came to a sudden stop for the time being.
One day, Kokan casually muttered to herself that they should not have gone. Oyasama
suddenly assumed a grave look and said:

Do not complain! This will be the basis of a teaching in the future.

The construction of the building had not progressed beyond the raising of the ridge-beam. The
roofing, the plastering of the walls, and the laying of the boards for the floor and the panels for the
ceiling remained to be done. Shuji, pressed for money with the increase of building expenses and the
unexpected expenditure caused by the Oyamato Shrine incident, was even at a loss how to settle his
debts at the end of the year. So it was a great relief to Shuji when Izo encouraged him, saying: "Please
do not worry about anything. I shall take responsibility for completing the building."
Thus, despite the Oyamato Shrine incident, the construction made good progress.
The roof was tiled but no earth was laid under the tiles for Oyasama had said:

This construction will only be for thirty years.

On December 26, when the last Service of the year had come to an end and Izo was about to
leave the Residence for his village of Ichinomoto, Shuji said to him, "We shall be quite helpless after
you have gone." Izo replied, "I shall be back soon." Then Shuji said: "Since you have been staying here
so long on our behalf, you may have no food or money at home. Here is one hundred pounds of rice
which was just brought in by a farmer as payment for night soil. Please take it home with you." Izo took
one-third of it and started for home. As soon as he arrived home, his landlord came to press him for
payment of his rent, which was overdue. Izo gave him all the rice he had brought home with him. Then
he borrowed a sum of one hundred and fifty me19 from Sojiro Kajimoto to tide him over temporarily.
Izo returned to the Residence the next day, the 27th, and went to the lumber and tile dealers
immediately and apologized: "As you may have heard, the troubles at the Oyamato Shrine involved so
much expense for us that we are unable to pay you at present. Although we must beg you to wait a little
longer, we shall never let you suffer any loss." His request was readily accepted by both dealers due to
the blessing of God the Parent and their trust in Izo. When Izo came back to the Residence and
reported the result to Shuji and Kokan, they were greatly reassured. "True," they said, consoling Izo,
"we cannot dispose of our seven and a half acres of rice fields freely right now since they are
mortgaged. But we expect they will be returned to us in the near future, and then the disposal of one-
fourth or one-half of an acre will enable us to pay all our debts. We shall not cause you any further
worry."
That same year, 1864, in addition to Chushichi Yamanaka and Izo Iburi, such men as Ryojiro
Yamazawa, Heiji Ueda, Isaburo Masui, and Kisaburo Maegawa began to follow the path.

元治二年 1865

Izo returned to the Residence on New Year’s Day of 1865 to offer his New Year's greetings to
Oyasama and Her family. Then he quickly went home to celebrate New Year's Day with his own family
and then returned to the Residence once again.
The construction of the Place for the Service was finally accomplished.
The followers' delight was all the greater at this accomplishment because of the hardships they
had endured in the course of the construction. They felt as if a new world had dawned. The newly built
Place for the Service, bright and beautiful, represented a definite step in the construction of the mind
toward maturity, a start in the endless construction.
On the raised floor of one room was the altar for God the Parent, its brand new timber emitting
crisp fragrance all around. On the west side of the room was a raised platform on which Oyasama sat
straight all day, looking eastward and teaching the truth of the infinite love of God the Parent to those
who came to Her.
By this time, Kokan was already assisting in conveying the will of God the Parent to the people
who came to make inquiries. Izo and Osato were in attendance at the Residence every day, and
Chushichi Yamanaka came occasionally to lend a hand.
Meanwhile, as the voices in praise of the miraculous power of the "living goddess of Shoyashiki
Village" grew louder, more opponents such as priests, monks, and physicians came one after the other
to the Residence to try to overwhelm this "living goddess" with their arguments.

慶応元年六月のふし The Knot of June 1865

19
One hundred and fifty me is approximately $237 U.S. as of 1993.
 One evening in June 1865, two Buddhist priests came to the Residence, crying, "How is it that
you keep no light burning at dusk when you dare to assume the name of Tenri-O-no-Mikoto?" When
Kokan came out to receive them, they strode directly up to her and, thrusting their swords into the mat
on either side of her, began to pose difficult questions. Izo Iburi sat breathlessly in an adjoining six-mat
room, listening to the questions and answers, and was prepared to dash in to assist in case of
emergency. But Kokan remained self-possessed throughout and explained the teachings to them. The
Buddhist priests were finally driven into a corner in the discussion and, in desperation, ran riot, slashing
the mats and the drum with their swords. Then they departed from the Residence.
It was during this period that Moriya Chikuzen-no-kami visited Oyasama and was deeply struck
by the lucidity of the answers that She gave to his various questions.
On August 19, 1865, Oyasama proceeded to the house of Chushichi Yamanaka of Mamekoshi
Village and stayed there until the 25th. Kokan, too, visited his house, arriving on the 21st and returning
home on the 23rd. During Her stay, Oyasama not only conveyed the will of God the Parent to those
who came to Her but also saved many people who were suffering from illnesses and various troubles.

助蔵事件 The Sukezo Incident

About July or August of the same year, the path was opened to Fukusumi Village. Among the
many people who returned to the Residence to worship was Sukezo of Harigabessho Village. He had
been saved by Oyasama from an eye disease. For some time after that, he frequently returned to the
Residence. In the course of time, however, he suddenly stopped coming to the Residence and began to
say that the village of Harigabessho was the original dwelling place of God, whereas the village of
Shoyashiki was the place where God was temporarily manifested.
From about September 20, Oyasama took no meals at all, saying:

I grow neither thin nor weak, so long as I drink water.

Those around Her grew more concerned for Her health daily and repeatedly pleaded with Her to take
some food. But all She took was a small portion of vegetables and some sweet rice wine.
Around October 20, after fasting for about thirty days, Oyasama suddenly announced that She
intended to proceed to Harigabessho Village. She left the Residence that very day, attended by Izo
Iburi, Chushichi Yamanaka, Isaburo Nishida, and Jujiro Okamoto, and arrived at an inn in Harigabessho
Village at about nine o’clock in the evening.
The next morning She said to Iburi and Yamanaka:

Go and clear it away!

The two men hastened to the house of Sukezo and, plunging into its inner chamber, snapped the gohei
in two, and threw it into the kitchen stove to burn it.
Returning to the inn, they reported the result to Oyasama and began to talk among themselves
about whether they might go home now. Then Oyasama interrupted them and said:
 We should not leave now.

Sukezo also insisted that he could not allow them to leave yet. Meanwhile, a monk from the
Kongoin Temple came from Nara by palanquin to aid Sukezo, while Ryojiro Yamazawa arrived at the
village as a proxy of Moriya Chikuzen-no-kami to assist the party from the Residence. Then both sides
began to negotiate.
But the merits of the case were self-evident from the first, no matter how Sukezo might twist the
story. First, it was a solid fact that he had been saved by Oyasama, so solid, in fact, that there was no
possible justification for even a hint of ingratitude on his part. As for his doctrine that asserted that
Harigabessho Village was the original dwelling place of God, it was by no means a doctrine that could
be successfully pursued in the presence of Oyasama. Thus, by the third day of the negotiations, the
monk and Sukezo finally found themselves driven into a corner and humbly begged Her pardon,
acknowledging that they had been in the wrong. It took about seven days to settle the matter
completely.
At Her departure, Sukezo made presents to Oyasama of one thousand Tenpo iron coins, 20 one
horseload of charcoal, and one of a pair of cast-iron lanterns, and he hired carriers to take them to the
Residence.

真之亮誕生 The Birth of Shinnosuke

That same year, Oharu became pregnant. While she was pregnant, Oyasama said:

This time I put the soul of Father Maegawa in Oharu. The child to be called
Shinnosuke is destined to be the Shinbashira.

慶応二年 1866

On May 7, 1866, Oharu gave birth in the fullness of time to a gemlike, healthy boy. Oyasama was
especially pleased by the news that Her daughter had been safely delivered of a boy. She explained the
birth as follows:

I had previously sent his soul into the world as Kamezo, their first son. But being
the first son, the parents' affections were so fixed on him that I could not bring
Myself to adopt him. So I recalled his soul for a time and gave birth to the same
soul as the third son.

About that time, the Residence had one visitor after another, not only farmers from the
surrounding country but also retainers of the feudal lords of various fiefs such as Shibamura, Takatori,
Koriyama, and Yanagimoto, and samurai serving in the Furuichi Magistrate's Office and the Wani

20
One thousand Tenpo iron coins is approximately $18 U.S. as of 1993.
Magistrate's Office. But with the increase in the number of worshipers, attacks and protests against the
faith became more violent.
One day in the autumn of 1866, several yamabushi monks of the Fudoin Temple in Koizumi
Village came to the Residence. As soon as they saw Oyasama, they posed difficult questions to Her in
rapid succession. Oyasama gave a clear answer to each question to enlighten them. The monks, far
from listening to Her teachings, continued to abuse Her. However, Oyasama retained Her composure
and was unshaken by them. Finally, exasperated at Her absolute calmness and finding that mere words
availed them nothing, they turned to violence.
Drawing their swords, they advanced before the altar and ran riot to their hearts' content,
slashing two of the drums, cutting down the dedicatory lanterns, and rending the sliding paper screens.
Then they started for Mamekoshi Village, five miles to the southwest of Shoyashiki Village. There they
burst into the house of Chushichi Yamanaka and took the gohei from his family shrine, dealing him hard
blows on the head when he tried to stop them. They turned toward the north once again and went to the
Furuichi Magistrate’s Office to register a complaint with the authorities. As a result of this incident, the
Furuichi Magistrate’s Office started to keep a close watch over the "living goddess of Shoyashiki
Village."
 Chapter Five – The Salvation Service

つとめの意義 The Significance of the Service

In accord with the will of God the Parent to have all human beings lead the Joyous Life, Oyasama
taught the Salvation Service from 1866 to 1882 as the path to universal salvation. During this period,
She expounded the Truth of Origin and arranged every detail of the Salvation Service, according to the
stages of the children's spiritual growth.
In the beginning, God the Parent created human beings out of the desire to see the Joyous Life
of humankind and thus share in that joy. The Joyous Life is the life that truly meets the wishes of God
the Parent. We human beings were given free use of the mind by God in order that we might enjoy
living the Joyous Life. Through the misuse of this freedom, however, we have strayed into a state of
self-centered thinking.
God the Parent pitied us in this sad plight. Taking Oyasama as the Shrine, God appeared in this
world at the advent of the promised time and taught the Salvation Service as the way to purify the
minds of all humankind and thus lead us to the Joyous Life. The Service is divided into two parts: the
Kagura, the Service with the Masks; and the Teodori, the Dance with Hand Movements.

かぐら The Kagura

The Kagura Service is performed only at the Jiba of Origin. The ten Service performers take
positions around the Kanrodai, the Stand for the Heavenly Dew, each performer representing one of the
aspects of God the Parent’s providence at the time of creation. Wearing masks and expressing the
providence in the movements of their hands, they reenact the workings of God in the creation. When
they perform the Service in harmony with the song and instruments and in unison with one another,
becoming one with the truth of the Parent, the Origin, then the providence of God the Parent manifested
at the time of creation will reappear vividly. Then human beings will be saved from any diseases and
troubles, and this world will gradually be reconstructed into the world of the Joyous Life.
The songs for the Kagura are the following:

Sweeping away evils, please save us,

Tenri-O-no-Mikoto.

Just a word: Listen to what God says.

I never tell you anything wrong.
Representing heaven and earth
I have created husband and wife.
This is the beginning of the world.

Sweeping away evils, hasten to save us.

All humankind equally purified,
The Kanrodai.
てをどり The Teodori

The Teodori, a vivid representation of the Joyous Life, may be performed at any place in the
same manner as it is performed at the Jiba, where the Kanrodai stands. The Teodori is indeed a natural
manifestation of a world full of joy. The songs which were taught to accompany the Teodori are the
Eight Verses of the Yorozuyo and the Twelve Songs.
Since the Service is performed with kagura masks, it is called the Kagura Service, and since it
leads to the realization of universal salvation, it is called the Salvation Service. Since it is performed
with the Kanrodai as center, it is called the Service of the Kanrodai. Also, since it is performed in praise
of the Joyous Life, it is called the Joyous Service. By teaching the meaning of the Service through the
use of these names, Oyasama taught the profound truths inherent in the Service in a way that was easy
to understand and to learn.
The book of the Songs for the Service consists of the songs for the Kagura and those for the
Teodori. This book is the Mikagura-uta.

あしきはらひ始まる The Beginning of "Ashiki Harai"

Oyasama began to compose the Songs for the Service in 1866. In the autumn of that year, She
taught:

Ashiki harai, tasuke-tamae, Tenri-O-no-Mikoto.

[Sweep away evils and save us, Tenri-O-no-Mikoto.]

She also taught the melody and the hand movements to accompany it.
In May of the same year, Ichibei Matsuo of Wakai Village in Yamato Province began to follow
the path.

慶応三年 1867

The next year, 1867, Oyasama became seventy years old. Between January and August of that
year, She composed the Twelve Songs. Each song is in the form of a counting song consisting of ten
verses and is filled with the happiness of the Joyous Life so wished for by God the Parent.
The year 1867 was the thirtieth year after Oyasama had become the Shrine of Tsukihi. She
greeted the New Year happily, after having passed through many long years of hardship spiritedly since
the beginning of the teachings, in compliance with the intention of God, without having even a single
peaceful day.
Further, in 1870, She added the Eight Verses of the Yorozuyo to the beginning of the Twelve
Songs.

Looking all over the world and through all ages,

I find no one who has understood My heart.

So should it be, for I have never taught it before,

It is natural that you know nothing.

This time I, God, revealing Myself to the fore,

Teach you all the truth in detail.

You are calling this place the Jiba, the home of God, in Yamato;
But you do not know of its origin.

If you are told of this origin in full,

Great yearning will come over you, whoever you may be.

If you wish to hear and will come to Me,

I will tell you the truth that this place is the origin of any and everything.

When I, God, reveal Myself and teach you everything in detail,

All people in the world will become cheerful.

As I hasten to save all of you equally,

I will set out to cheer up all the minds of the world.

Song One
First, At New Year, the Sazuke of fertilizer:
How remarkable it is!

Second, Smilingly, being bestowed the Sazuke:

How promising it is!

Third, Keep the mind of a three-year-old child!

Fourth, Then, a rich harvest.

Fifth, The providences shall come forth.

Sixth, Unlimited abundance everywhere.

Seventh, If you grow and reap whatever you wish,

Eighth, Yamato will be blessed with a rich harvest.

Ninth, Now come hither and follow Me!

Tenth, Then the full harvest will become fixed.

Song Two
Tong! Tong! Tong! The beginning of the dancing at New Year:
How delightful it is!

Second, This marvelous construction once it is started:

How lively it is!

Third, Nourishment will be put on you.

Fourth, The world will change to prosperity.

Fifth, If all come and follow Me,

Sixth, I will cut off the root of rebellion.

Seventh, If you help others who are suffering,

Eighth, I will cut off the root of illness.

Ninth, If you keep your mind determined,

Tenth, Peace shall reign everywhere.

Song Three
First, At Shoyashiki in the homeland of the Sun,
This place for the Service is the origin of the world.

Second, This marvelous place for the Service,

Though I ask no one to build,

Third, All gathering together from the world,

The construction has been accomplished.
How miraculous it is!

Fourth, With much effort, you have followed Me thus far;

True salvation will begin from now.
Fifth, Always ridiculed and slandered,
Still I will realize remarkable salvation.

Sixth, Never make an unreasonable prayer!

Come to Me with a single mind!

Seventh, Whatever may happen, from now on,

I will go single-heartedly leaning on God.

Eighth, There is nothing so trying as illness;

So from now on, I, too, will devote myself to hinokishin.

Ninth, Though I have believed thus far,

I did not know that You are the original God.

Finally, This time, You have revealed Yourself.

No doubt You are the true God.

Song Four
First, Whatever others may say;
God is watching, so be at ease!

Second, Settle the minds of the two of you in one accord!

Then any and everything shall be realized.

Third, All of you close to Me,

Watch whatever God acts and works!

Fourth, Night and day, dong! chang! we perform the Service;

The neighbors may feel it noisy and annoying.

Fifth, As I am always in haste to save you,

Quickly become joyful and come to Me!

Sixth, Villagers I wish to save at once,

But they do not understand My heart.

Seventh, Helping each other in any and everything,

Ponder over it from your innermost heart!
Eighth, All illness shall be completely rooted out,
And step by step your hearts will become cheerful.

Ninth, Here is paradise on this earth.

I, too, wish to go quickly to worship.

Finally, This time, my innermost heart has become completely pure.

How grateful I am!

Song Five
First, As this world is so wide,
There may be various places to save people.

Second, Miraculous salvation at this place,

I grant you safe childbirth and freedom from smallpox.

Third, God, the same as water,

Washes away the dirts from your minds.

Fourth, Though there is no one who is free from greed,

Before God there is no greed.

Fifth, However long you may continue to believe,

Your life shall ever be filled with joy.

Sixth, Forgetting away a cruel heart,

Come to Me with a gentle heart!

Seventh, Assuredly I shall never leave you in suffering,

Because this is the place of single-hearted salvation.

Eighth, Not only in Yamato,

I will go also to other countries to save you all.

Ninth, This is the Jiba, the origin of this world.

Indeed a remarkable place has been revealed.

Since firmly we are determined to believe,

Let us form a brotherhood.

Song Six
First, Human minds are so deeply doubtful.

Second, As I work miraculous salvation,

I discern any and everything.

Third, The innermost hearts of all in the world,

Are reflected to Me as in a mirror.

Fourth, I am pleased that you have followed to join the Service.

This Service is the fundamental way for salvation.

Fifth, Always performing the Kagura and Teodori,

In the future I will work remarkable salvation.

Sixth, You make prayers thoughtlessly.

The ways of My response are also a thousand.

Seventh, However eagerly you may believe,

Never entertain wrong thoughts!

Eighth, After all you must continue to believe.

If you entertain wrong thoughts, you are to start anew.

Ninth, Having believed thus far until now,

You should be shown your merit.

Finally, This time, it has appeared.

The invocation of the fan,
How marvelous it is!

Song Seven
First, A single word can be hinokishin.
I simply sprinkle My fragrance around.

Second, As My intention is so profound,

No one should prevent it.

Third, There is no one in the world,

Whose mind does not desire to own a field.

Fourth, If there is a good field,

 Everyone equally will desire to own it.

Fifth, It is the same with everyone,

I, too, wish to own such a good field.

Sixth, I never compel you to do this or that.

That is left to your own heart.

Seventh, I wish to get the field by any means,

No matter what the price may be.

Eighth, As this Residence is the field of God,

Every seed sown here will sprout.

Ninth, Since this is the field of this world,

I, too, will sow the seed devotedly.

Finally, This time, I am glad to see that all of you equally

Have come here to sow the seed;
Those who have sown the seed,
Shall reap a rich harvest without fertilizing.

Song Eight
First, In this wide world and its many countries;
Are there no stones or standing trees?

Second, Though I carry out marvelous construction,

I never ask a favor of anyone.

Third, All coming together from the world one after another,
It will be accomplished.

Fourth, Forgetting away the mind of greed,

Set out to determine your mind firmly!

Fifth, However long you may hesitate,

It will never be accomplished by yourselves.

Sixth, Never hasten so thoughtlessly!

Ponder over it from your innermost heart!
Seventh, When your mind becomes somewhat purified,
Begin the construction at once!

Eighth, Having entered into the mountains,

I have already seen the stones and standing trees.

Ninth, Whether to cut down this tree or to take that stone;

It entirely depends upon the heart of God.

Finally, This time, the hearts of all equally

Have become completely purified.

Song Nine
First, Clapping around throughout the wide world,
And cleansing human hearts once and twice,
I will advance the work of salvation.

Second, Against any hardship I will protect you;

So lean closely on the mind of God!

Third, Looking into all minds of the world,

I find greed intermingled.

Fourth, If you have greed, cast it away!

Because God cannot accept it.

Fifth, It is the same with everyone.

Determine your mind and follow Me!

Sixth, I never compel you to go forth,

Until you determine your own minds.

Seventh, Indeed, this time all of you equally

Must ponder over it deeply.

Eighth, Even in the mountains, here and there,

The Service of Tenri-O is performed.

Ninth, Though people are performing the Service here,

No one understands My heart.
Now that you are calling the name of God,
Come forth quickly to the original home!

Song Ten
First, The human mind cannot understand truth easily.

Second, Though I have been working miracles of salvation,

This is the first time that I reveal Myself.

Third, This mud in the water,

I wish you to take it out quickly.

Fourth, Greed is fathomless like muddy water.

When your mind is completely purified,
Then comes paradise.

Fifth, Forever this shall become the seed of stories.

Sixth, Though I have spoken such severe words,

It is because of My haste to save you.

Seventh, Suffering comes from your own mind.

So you should reproach yourself.

Eighth, Though illness is so trying,

No one has ever known its origin.

Ninth, Until this time all of you equally

Have been ignorant of the origin of illness.

Finally, This time, it has been revealed.

The origin of illness lies in your own mind.

Song Eleven
First, At Shoyashiki in the homeland of the Sun,
The Jiba, the abode of God, is to be identified.

Second, Husband and wife working together in hinokishin;

 This is the first seed of everything.

Third, I behold more and more people coming from the world,
And bearing straw baskets in hinokishin.

Fourth, Forgetting greed we work in hinokishin.

This becomes the first fertilizer.

Fifth, Forever continues the carrying of earth.

If yet it continues, I, too, will go.

Sixth, Do not unreasonably stop anyone!

I welcome any and everyone who is willing.

Seventh, How remarkable this carrying of earth is,

When it serves as a contribution to God!

Eighth, Digging up the earth of the Residence,

You just carry it from one place to another.

Ninth, Until this time, no one has ever understood My heart;

How regretful it is!

Finally, This year, without fertilizing,

We reaped a sufficient harvest.
Oh, how delighted we are! How thankful we are!

Song Twelve
First, Initially to the invocation of the carpenter,
I leave any and every detail.

Second, When you begin the marvelous construction,

Give instructions after invoking My will!

Third, From all over the world, carpenters are coming one after another.
Sprinkle My fragrance on them!

Fourth, When you find good masters,

Quickly bring them to this original home!
Fifth, In the future four masters will be needed.
Quickly invoke My will!

Sixth, I never compel you to come forth.

Yet you will come along one after another.

Seventh, Ever so remarkable is this work of construction;

Once begun, there shall be no end to it.

Eighth, When you go into the mountains,

Take with you the wood master!

Ninth, Here are the fine work master,

The framing master and the planer.

Finally, This time, all the members of carpenters have assembled.

Then, for the next three full years following 1867, Oyasama devoted Her time to adapting
melodies and dance movements to the songs and teaching them. She said:

These are the songs of truth. So you must dance to the truth. You should not just
dance. You must dance the truth.

Further, She gave instruction in the truth of the performance of the Service:

Hands that are limp in the performance of the Service betray a mind that is
undisciplined. Also, it will not do to make even a single mistake in the manner of
moving your hands. Through this Service, one's life can be renewed. So important
is this Service.

The first persons who learned the songs were Chusaku of Toyoda Village and Koemon and
Kisaburo of Senzai Village. The first persons who learned the dance movements were Saemon and
Chusaku of Toyoda Village, Kisaburo and Zensuke of Senzai Village, and Ka’ichiro of Mishima Village.
Reflecting on Her past in later years, Oyasama said:

I had been reserved since My childhood, and it had always been difficult for Me to
bring Myself to appear before company, but after I passed seventy I came to rise
and dance in company.
 In those days, Shoyashiki Village belonged to the Todo clan, whose fief in Yamato Province was
administered by the Furuichi Magistrate’s Office on the southern outskirts of Nara. The monks of the
Fudoin Temple had made complaints to the office, while Moriya Chikuzen-no-kami had made favorable
recommendations. In the meantime, rumors about the “living goddess of Shoyashiki Village” had
become increasingly vociferous. As a result, about 1866, the magistrate’s office summoned a party from
the Residence to question them about the actual state of affairs.
The party from the Residence stayed two or three days at an inn allotted for their lodging. But
after a series of hearings about the state of affairs, the authorities found nothing improper in their
activities, except for the fact that they had not obtained official authorization. The party consulted the
authorities about the steps to be taken to obtain authorization. They were advised to apply to the
Yoshida Administrative Office of Shinto.

神祇管領公認 Authorization from the Yoshida Administrative Office of Shinto

In June 1867, they applied to the Furuichi Magistrate’s Office 21 for a letter of introduction to the
Yoshida Administrative Office and obtained it.
With this letter, Shuji went to Kyoto, attended by Ryojiro Yamazawa and accompanied by Moriya
Chikuzen-no-kami himself, and applied to the Yoshida Administrative Office for permission to establish
a religious organization. It took them seven days to receive authorization, which was granted on July
23, 1867.
One can imagine how great their joy was when they finally received the sanction of the
authorities. They thought it would certainly serve as a springboard to further the spread of the teachings
of God the Parent. Above all, Shuji’s delight was indescribably great in proportion to the pains he had
taken in obtaining the authorization.
At first, Shuji thought of forming a procession on the way home. But he received information that
the priests of the Furu Shrine had dispatched some hired men to lie in ambush for Shuji’s party at the
gateway to the shrine in Kawarajo Village, declaring that they would show no mercy should Shuji and
his party trespass one step on the Furu Road, as it was the direct approach to their shrine. So Shuji
gave up his plan and, taking a bypath from Bessho Village to Toyoda Village, managed to return safely
to the Residence.
At the Residence, the practice of the hand movements for the Service went on day and night,
and the followers’ hearts grew remarkably brighter. But Oyasama said:

True, the Yoshida clan is apparently great. But in fact it is no more than one of the
branches of a tree. The time will come when it will wither.

About August of 1867, the public raised a clamor that talismans were falling. Then Oyasama
said:

21
See Appendix, pp. 75–76.
 To compare it to the human body, it is like vomit and diarrhea. When vomit and
diarrhea become excessive, the flesh itself will be drained. God is concerned.

People were in suspense, wondering what possibly could happen. Then, on January 3, 1868, the Battle
of Toba–Fushimi broke out.

明治元年 1868

On March 7 of the same year, Oyasama proceeded to the house of Chushichi Yamanaka in
Mamekoshi Village and stayed there until the 10th of the same month. Kokan also went there, staying
from the 9th to the 13th.
The Residence in those days was full of life with the practice of the hand movements for the
Service. But this does not mean that the opposition to and attacks against Oyasama and Her followers
had ceased completely. For instance, on the night of March 28, 1868, a large group of villagers broke
into the Residence during a practice of the hand movements for the Service and ran riot.
In September of 1868, the new era of Meiji was inaugurated.
In December of the same year, Jirokichi Yaoi (later re-surnamed Kita) of Izushichijo Village
began to follow the path.

かんろだいのつとめ The Service of the Kanrodai

In the year 1870, Oyasama taught the followers the song that begins with "Choto hanashi" (Just
a word) and its hand movements, and later, in 1875, She taught the song that contains the line
"Ichiretsu sumasu Kanrodai" (The Kanrodai which purifies all humankind equally) and its hand
movements, thus completing the hand movements for the Service of the Kanrodai. Following this,
Oyasama also taught the hand movements for the eleven different Services of Fertilizer, Germination,
and the others.
In 1882, Oyasama altered the phrase "Ichiretsu sumasu" (Purifies all humankind equally) to
"Ichiretsu sumashite" (All human equally purified), without altering the original hand movements. In
conjunction with this, the wording "Ashiki harai" (Sweep away evils) was altered to "Ashiki o harote"
(Sweeping away evils).

Appendix

A copy of the document which was presented to the Furuichi Magistrate's Office.

"Most Respectful Verbal Petition"

Petitioner: Zenyemon, Shoyashiki Village
 Formerly I was a farmer. When I suffered from rheumatism in my leg in my boyhood more than thirty
years ago, when my father Zenbei was living, we enshrined Tenrin-O-shin in our residence and have been
offering worship (parts omitted). However, this belief became known in every direction, and recently
worshipers come from various areas one after another. So in case objection should be made by Shinto
authorities, I fear we should have much trouble and difficulty. I wish, therefore, to become a disciple of the
Rev. Yoshida in Kyoto at this time. I humbly beg you to understand my apprehension, and write a letter of
introduction to the Rev. Yoshida with warm compassion. I should be most grateful to you if you would accept
my application.

June 1867

Shoyashiki Village
Petitioner Zenbei
Village Senior Shosaku
Same Heiemon
Village Head Jusuke

To Mr. Shozaemon Hattori

Note: At the end of the document, the petitioner is recorded as "Zenbei," but this is probably a scribe's error. It
should read "Zenyemon."
 Chapter Six – The Identification of the Jiba

明治二年 1869

In compliance with the will of God the Parent, Oyasama took up Her writing brush in January 1869 and
began to write down the truth of the parental love of God. These writings came to be called the
Ofudesaki (The Tip of the Writing Brush). It begins with the following verses:

Looking all over the world and through all ages, I find no one who has understood
My heart.

So should it be, for I have never taught it to you. It is natural that you know
nothing.

At this time, I, God, reveal Myself and teach the truth of all things in detail.
Ofudesaki I:1–3

God the Parent has pitied human beings, who have lived since the creation without knowing the Parent
and the Origin. So at this time God, the true Parent of all humankind, appears in the world for the first
time to begin the ultimate teachings for world salvation.

You are calling this place the Jiba, the Residence of God, in Yamato, but you may
not know the origin.

When you learn of this origin in full, a great yearning will come over you, whoever
you may be.

If you wish to know and will come to Me, I shall teach you the original cause of all
things.
Ofudesaki I:4–6

Here God the Parent reveals that the Jiba of Origin is the Parental Home of all human beings.

As God is revealed and teaches the truth of all things in detail, the minds of all in
the world will become spirited.

As I am in haste to save all of you quickly, I set out to make all minds in the world
spirited.
Ofudesaki I:7–8

The minds of all people become spirited on hearing the voice of the true Parent. Because now is the
time to hasten the single-hearted salvation of humankind, God will begin to make the minds of all
people in the world spirited. Thus, God expresses the parental love which seeks to lead us to the
Joyous Life.

秀司の結婚 Shuji's marriage

This time, I shall clean the Residence thoroughly. Watch, as I show you how.
Ofudesaki I:29

Shuji, close to fifty years of age, had never been legally married. In this connection, God the
Parent hastened to clean the Residence as a precondition to world salvation. Thus, God the Parent
instructed Shuji to take Matsue of the Kohigashi family as his bride because of the causality of their
souls, even though the marriage might be considered a mismatch from the standpoint of their ages.

This has always been the world of God, but it is the first time that I act as a go-
between.
Ofudesaki I:70

Oyasama went personally to the Kohigashi home in Byodoji Village. After gradually explaining about the
causality of the souls of Shuji and Matsue, Oyasama received the consent of Matsue's family, and, in
1869, the marriage was happily arranged and Matsue became a member of the Residence. Taking this
marriage as a basis, Oyasama taught the truth of husband and wife in part one of the Ofudesaki, which
concludes with the following verse:

I bring you together according to the causality of your previous lives and protect
you. This settles the matter for all time.
Ofudesaki I:74

三十八日間の断食 Thirty-eight day fast

From the end of April to the beginning of June of the same year, Oyasama fasted for thirty-
eight days, during which She took only small quantities of sweet rice wine, abstaining from all cooked
foods and cereals.

明治三年 1870

In 1870, the Yoshida Administrative Office of Shinto was abolished as a result of the Meiji
Restoration. The people at the Residence were struck with admiration, remembering that Oyasama
foretold its fall from power, and said, "Sure enough, it has come true!" But on the other hand, the
previous authorization of their faith by the same office became void.
 This was a great sorrow for them, and they often attempted to file a petition with the new
government. But each time they tried, Oyasama stopped them, sternly admonishing them:

Go if you think it necessary. But you will breathe your last before you arrive. Do
not go to make such a petition.

Thus, the project was abandoned. Here Oyasama teaches the fundamental truth of the path of single-
heartedness with God, reminding us that we can attain maturity only when we have borne up under
trials, relying single-heartedly on God the Parent.
Between 1870 and 1872, instances of miraculous salvation occurred one after another and the
teachings spread rapidly beyond the borders of Yamato Province to the neighboring provinces of
Kawachi, Settsu, Yamashiro, and Iga.
In January of 1871, Eijiro Matsumura of Kawachi Province began to follow the path.

七十五日の断食 Seventy-five day fast

In 1872, Oyasama became seventy-five. Beginning in the early part of June, She fasted for
seventy-five days. She abstained from all cooked foods and cereals, taking only a little rice wine and
raw vegetables in addition to water. After more than thirty days had passed from the beginning of Her
fast, She proceeded to Ichibei Matsuo's house in Wakai Village, walking the whole distance of about ten
miles. Her steps were so light and quick that Her attendant found it difficult to keep up with Her. Even
though She continued to fast while staying there for over ten days, She lost none of Her strength or
energy. And when the long fast came to an end, She carried a fourteen-gallon cask filled with water with
ease.
In September of that year, Oyasama said a separate fire and a separate pot should be used in
preparing Her meals. This was due to Her parental concern to visually further the truth that She was in
fact the Shrine of Tsukihi.

明治五年 1872

On June 18, 1872, Oharu, the wife of Sojiro Kajimoto, passed away for rebirth at the age of
forty-two.
That same year, the solar calendar was adopted in Japan. The third day of the twelfth month of
the lunar calendar was officially fixed as January 1, 1873.

明治六年 1873

かんろだいの雛形 Model of the Kanrodai

During 1873, Oyasama ordered Izo Iburi to make a model of the Kanrodai. It consisted of a
hexagonal pole and two hexagonal boards, one attached to the top of the pole and the other to the
bottom. The pole was about six feet in height and about three inches in diameter. The boards were
each about one foot and two inches between parallel sides and were about three inches thick. The
completed model was kept for a while in a storehouse at the Residence. It was set up at the Jiba of
Origin for the first time when a prayer service was offered for Kokan's recovery from an illness after the
exact location of the Jiba was identified in 1875. It continued to stand there as the symbol for worship.
Also in 1873, Shuji assumed the office of the headman of Shoyashiki Village, and Rihachi
Yamamoto and his son Risaburo, of Kawachi Province, began to follow the path.

明治七年 1874

In the next year, 1874, Oyasama, then seventy-seven years old, wrote from part three to the
first half of part six of the Ofudesaki. These verses express the extreme urgency of the intention of God
the Parent, indicate the approach of an important season, and strongly urge the maturity of people's
minds.

お節会 Sechi festival

It was a long-standing custom of the Residence for people to gather together with Oyasama
happily and enjoy eating rice cakes which had been offered to God on New Year's Day. As the years
passed, the quantity of rice cakes offered to God increased so that in 1874 it amounted to almost three
hundred pounds. This tradition, which is called the Sechi festival, has grown ever larger with the years.
In part three of the Ofudesaki we read:

At this time, after purifying the water, I desire quickly to take in the Shinbashira,
who is to settle matters within.
Ofudesaki III:56

Thus, God hastened to establish the Shinbashira.

Shinnosuke was nine years old at that time and was living with his family in Ichinomoto Village,
but he came to the Residence regularly. Oyasama loved him and treated him as a member of the
family, but he had not yet been registered as the family's adopted heir, partly because of his tender age,
but chiefly because God the Parent's intention was not clearly understood by some of the people
concerned. Therefore, Oyasama hastened to establish Shinnosuke as the central pillar of the faith both
in name and reality.

かぐら面お迎え Receiving the Kagura masks

Oyasama had, years before, asked Her own elder brother, Kyosuke Maegawa, to make the
masks for the Service. Artistic and skillful by nature, Kyosuke first made models of the masks with clay
and then pasted layer after layer of rice paper on them. When the paper dried and hardened, he
removed them from the clay and took them to a shop in Kyoto to have them lacquered. The finely made
masks of lacquered papier-mâché representing the truth of Tsukihi, were in the shape of a lion's head.
These masks were kept at the Maegawa home for some time.
 In part four of the Ofudesaki we read:

When do you think this day will come? On the fifth of the fifth month, it will definitely
appear.

Then a thanksgiving pilgrimage will begin. Look for it. People will come whether it be
night or day.
Ofudesaki IV:3–4

With the arrival of the seasonable time and in accordance with the wish of God the Parent, on June 18,
which was May 5 by the lunar calendar, 1874, Oyasama, attended by Shuji, Iburi, Nakata, and Tsuji,
went to the Maegawas' house to receive the masks.
When Oyasama saw the masks at the Maegawas', She exclaimed:

How finely they are made! With these, we shall be able to perform the Service joyfully.

Then Her attendants put on the masks for the first time and tried the hand movements for the Service.
After that, Oyasama said to the Maegawas:

I have caused you so much trouble. Please accept this as a token of My gratitude.

With this, Oyasama presented them with two manuscript portions of the Ofudesaki, together with ten
paper charms against insects. These manuscripts were part three and part four of the Ofudesaki. Each
has the following inscription on its cover: "This was given to us on the evening of June 18, 1874, the
year two thousand five hundred and thirty-four since the foundation of the Imperial rule, the year of the
Dog."
In addition, on the cover of part three, we find the following inscription: "When She came for
the kagura mask of Kunitokotachi, the mask which had long been kept by the Maegawa family, She
brought two volumes in Her own handwriting with Her and gave them to us, together with ten paper
charms against insects. On that evening, June 18, 1874, God's servants from the Nakayamas of
Shoyashiki Village performed the Kagura Service in its regular form." On the cover of part four is
inscribed: "An exterior volume. Written by God. Written in Her seventy-seventh year. We can imagine
the scene as Her attendants performed the hand movements wearing the masks for the first time and
respect the consideration with which the Maegawas wrote "an exterior volume" to distinguish it from the
original volume kept at the Residence.

かぐらづとめ The Kagura Service

The masks for the Service were thus completed. At the Residence, the Service was cheerfully
performed in its intended form on the twenty-sixth day of each month. The Kagura was performed with
the masks and the Teodori followed. In addition, the hand movements for the Service were practiced
every day after the morning and evening services.

By and by, when the sixth month comes, know that I shall grant the Proof Amulet.
Ofudesaki IV:5

Later, the Proof Amulet was given to pilgrims as proof of their return to Jiba.
Thus, preparations for the Salvation Service made steady progress, approaching God the
Parent's expectations, though the hand movements for the song Ichiretsu sumasu Kanrodai were not to
be initiated until the following year, 1875, and the Service performers were yet to assemble in full
number.
Written about that time in part five are the verses:

Perhaps you cannot foresee what is going to appear. From the high mountains, a
broad path will open.

I have been preparing to open this path, but those of you close to Me know nothing
of it.

Those who come here to summon or to investigate, come because it is God's intent.
Ofudesaki V:57–59

God the Parent's intention was to "open a broad path from the high mountains." Each summons and
investigation by the authorities was from the intention of God the Parent to hasten the salvation of the
high mountains.
Thus, in the Ofudesaki, God foretold the hardships of Oyasama which were to occur about
eighteen times during the next twelve years. God also revealed the truth of the divine intention behind
these occurrences. The mission to the high mountains was then beginning in the form of the detention
and imprisonment of Oyasama.

大和神社のふし Oyamato Shrine incident

One day in October, by the lunar calendar, 1874, Oyasama said to Gisaburo Nakata and Ichibei
Matsuo:

Go to the Oyamato Shrine and ask about their deity.

They both went to the shrine at once and asked the priests about their deity as they had been
instructed by Oyasama. A priest replied pompously that Oyamato was a historic grand shrine dedicated
to one of the deities in the ancient chronicles. "Then, what kind of protection does he bestow on us
humans?" asked the visitors. The priest could give no answer whatsoever. Whereupon, a priest named
Hara, after listening to Nakata and Matsuo, asked: "Who would express such foolish opinions? Maybe it
is that old woman of Shoyashiki. Indeed it is absurd! Do you have anything to prove what you say?"
"Yes," replied the two, taking out parts three and four of the Ofudesaki, "ours is God of Origin, God in
Truth," and they explained the various protections of God, repeating what they had been taught
regularly at the Residence. Then the priest asked to see the volumes for a moment. When they handed
them to him, he began to admonish them, saying: "You seem to be peasants. On arriving home, have
the old woman put her fingers into boiling water. If she is able to do so, we shall present you with a
magnificent shrine especially built for you by permission of the authorities in Tokyo. However, if she is
not, you had better return to your farming and stick to it." Then he continued his vehement censure: "To
assume the name of a god not found anywhere in the ancient chronicles is inexcusable and liable to
censure. The Isonokami Shrine itself is not exempt from censure, for it has allowed its own parishioners
to advocate such a heresy due to its inadequate supervision. At any rate, I give you fair warning that we
shall visit your place one of these days."
No sooner had the two returned to the Residence than a priest from the Oyamato Shrine arrived
by rickshaw. He pretended to be an inhabitant of the Shindachi district in Sahonosho Village. Feigning
sudden illness, he asked them to consult Oyasama as to the intention of God. But they refused his
request, telling him to worship at his pleasure and leave. The priest left it at that and went away.
But the next day, a party of five priests from the Isonokami Shrine came to the Residence and
confronted Shuji with questions. But Shuji, who felt that no good would come from dealing with them,
said that he did not know the answers to their questions. The priests persisted and pressed for definite
answers. At last, their patience exhausted, they cried out derisively, "Is it possible that a village official
like you could be so ignorant?" At this point, Chusaku Tsuji attempted to intercede, offering to
accompany the priests to another room, where they could continue their discussion with the two men
who had called at the Oyamato Shrine the day before. However, Oyasama stopped him and said She
would talk to them in person. She changed Her clothes and met with them. She explained the
providences of God the Parent in detail. "But," the priests asked, "if what you say were true, would not
all our learning be false?" To this, Oyasama replied:

I wish to teach the world of things not to be found in learning, ancient things
extending over nine hundred million and ninety-six thousand years.

The priests were dumbfounded and stood up to leave, saying, "We shall come back again."
Some time later, officers from the Tanbaichi Branch Police Station came to the Residence and
confiscated the silk cuttings, the mirror, the bamboo screens, and the metal lanterns, as well as other
things in the altar, and placed them in the custody of the village officials.

山村御殿のふし Yamamura Palace incident

Some days after the discussion between Oyasama and the priests of the Isonokami Shrine, the
Nara Prefectural Office served a summons upon Nakata, Matsuo, and Tsuji. When they presented
themselves, they were questioned separately by the staff in charge of temples and shrines. They were
also interrogated about how they had come to follow Oyasama. Then they were ordered by one of the
staff named Inao to bring Oyasama to the Yamamura Palace with them on December 23, since he
would proceed there himself.
The Yamamura Palace was the popular name for the Ensho Temple, for the temple was located
in the Yamamura district of Obitoke Village, Soekami County, Nara Prefecture. In those days, Princess
Bunshu, daughter of Prince Fushimi, lived there. The reason for selecting it as the place for the
summons seems to have been their anticipation that if Oyasama were actually possessed by an evil
spirit, that spirit would flee, awestruck, from such an august place and, consequently, from Oyasama.
Oyasama responded to the summons and, on the appointed day, left for the Yamamura Palace
with a light heart. She was attended by Chusaku Tsuji, Gisaburo Nakata, Ichibei Matsuo, a person
named Sato of Yanagimoto Village, and Jubei Ohigashi of Hata Village. On the way, at Kurumagaeshi
in Tabe Village, it so happened that Oyasama stumbled and fell, hurting Her lower lip. Caring nothing
about it, She said to Her worried attendants:

The lower grounds are gradually pressing upward.

At the Ensho Temple, the interrogations started at about two o'clock in the afternoon in a hall
called Entsuden, which contained a statue of the Buddha. Inao sat in the center of the hall with the chief
priest of the Isonokami Shrine and one other, who were to participate in the examination. Inao led the
interrogation. He asked what sort of deity She could be. But even before he had finished his question,
the majestic voice of God came ringing from Her, declaring:

To Me, God the Parent, all human beings are My children. I wish to save them all
without exception.

Then Inao said, "Well, if you are a true god, try and bring down punishment on me while I am making
my rounds elsewhere during the next four or five days."
At that instant, a solemn voice came from Oyasama:

Be aware that fire, water, and wind will all withdraw!

Then Inao said: "Ah! this must be some kind of nervous disorder. Take good care of Her." A doctor was
then called in to take Her pulse. But the doctor pronounced in great wonder that the pulse was as
strong as that of a youth of seventeen or eighteen, although the body was that of an old person.
After that, Inao proposed that the party display what light accomplishments they had. At this
Nakata borrowed a pair of folding fans from the temple and began to dance the Teodori joyfully to the
accompaniment of Tsuji's singing of the Mikagura-uta. When they performed the Teodori to the end of
the fourth song, Inao said that was enough. They tried to continue, saying that there were eight more
songs, but they were made to stop. Then they were treated to tea and cakes, after which they departed.
After that, the Prefectural Office kept a more vigilant watch on the Residence to hinder the worshipers
from entering.
 The next morning, the 24th, Oyasama wrote down the following words of God the Parent:

The seeds of your sincere devotion sown day after day, I have certainly accepted.

The seed which God truly accepts will never decay through all eternity.

When these seeds sprout in the course of time, it will be the talk of all ages to
come.

Ofudesaki, unnumbered set

On the 25th, the Nara Chukyoin22 served Tsuji, Nakata, and Matsuo with summonses. When
they presented themselves, the officials forbade them from believing in their god, saying that there was
no god by the name of Tenri-O and, if they must worship a god, then they had better worship the god of
the Grand Shrine, and if they wanted to do any work for the benefit of a religious institution, they should
render their services to the Chukyoin. In addition, the officials of the Chukyoin came to the Residence
and confiscated the silk cuttings, the mirror, and the bamboo screens.
In part six, written before and after this event:

There may be no one at all who knows the truth of the mind of Tsukihi of this
universe.
Ofudesaki VI:9

Here God the Parent is expressed as Tsukihi for the first time.

The true and real God of this universe is Tsukihi. The others are all instruments.
Ofudesaki VI:50

As we see in these verses and also in verse 55 of part six, which was dated the twenty-first day of the
twelfth month, God the Parent changed the word Kami (God) to Tsukihi (Moon-Sun) to clarify the truth
of God the Parent.

赤衣 Red clothes

Further, on December 26, Oyasama wore red clothes for the first time. God taught the truth
about the red clothes as follows:

Until now, since I kept Myself behind a bamboo screen, nothing was able to be
seen.

22
The Meiji Government established the Daikyoin in Tokyo as the central organ to control Shinto and Buddhist
activities. Chukyoin is its branch organ established in each prefecture.
 This time, as I have come out into brightness, everything will be seen quickly.

What do you think of these red clothes? Tsukihi dwells within.

Ofudesaki VI:61–63

By changing the word Kami (God) to Tsukihi (Moon-Sun) and by having Oyasama wear red clothes,
God made the truth of Oyasama being the Shrine of Tsukihi clearer and more visible. These changes
sprang solely from the parental love of God which intends to hasten the spiritual maturity of the
children.

お守り The Proof Amulet

From that time on, Oyasama always wore red clothes. After She had worn the clothes, they
were cut into small pieces and given to many people as the Proof Amulet. The Amulet was given one
per person. If the Amulet were kept on the person, God would sweep away any evil and would bless
that person with divine providence, reducing a great misfortune to a small misfortune and a small
misfortune to no misfortune at all.
Regarding the intervention by the Chukyoin:

They banned the name given by Tsukihi. What do you think of this regret of Mine?

Know that in truth the anger and regret of Tsukihi are not small matters.
Ofudesaki VI:70–71

Thus, out of the parental love and desire to open the way of single-hearted salvation quickly, God the
Parent expresses severe impatience which allows no delay.
Wearing the red clothes to clarify the truth that She was the Shrine of Tsukihi, Oyasama
bestowed the Sazuke on four followers.

First, I bestow the Grant of Breath to Nakata. Second, the Grant of Boiled Rice to
Matsuo. Second, the Grant of Boiled Rice to Matsuo. Third, the Grant of Hand
Dance to Tsuji, which is to be performed with an innocent heart like that of a three-
year-old child. Fourth, the Grant of the Kanrodai-Teodori to Masui, which is to be
performed in one accord, all firmly united.

In the Ofudesaki:

From now on, I shall save you from any pains, sufferings, or tumors by the Breath
and the Hand Dance.
 Though you have never known such salvation until now, from now on, try it and see!

No matter how serious the illness may be, I shall save you by the truth of Breath.
Ofudesaki VI:106–108

God the Parent taught that through the Sazuke, God will manifest free and unlimited workings, cut the
root of illness at the depth of the mind, and accomplish the marvelous true salvation which has never
existed before. This was the beginning of the bestowal of the Sazuke to save those suffering from
illness. Further:

Fifth, be careful in your everyday speech. Sixth, never use cruel words. Seventh,
help one another in everything. Eighth, maintain strict discipline at the Residence.
Ninth, remain here for ever and ever. Tenth, strive in ways that will bring peace.

Thus, using the form of a counting song, Oyasama instructed the people who served at the Residence
in the proper way of using their minds.
In that year, 1874, Yahei Nishiura of Sonowara Village, Yamato Province; Tokichi Izumita of
Osaka; and Rin Masui of Kawachi Province began to follow the path.

明治八年 1875

The next year, 1875, in accord with the will of God the Parent, Oyasama wrote from the middle
of part six to the end of part eleven of the Ofudesaki, hastening the construction of people's minds and
the completion of the Service.

ぢば定め The identification of the Jiba

About that time, at the Residence, the work on the interior of the gatehouse, whose ridge-beam
had been put in place during the previous year, was in progress. Together with this material
construction, the construction of the children's minds made steady progress. Therefore, God the Parent
hastened to identify the Jiba for the Kanrodai.
In part eight of the Ofudesaki:

Hereafter, bodily disorders will appear here and there. Know that it is the care
being given by Tsukihi.

When you come, compare your disorder with this place. If the condition is the
same, quickly begin the sweeping.
 Walk over where you have swept, and you will come to a standstill. There, the
Kanrodai. . .
Ofudesaki VIII:81–83

God the Parent will draw people to the Residence by causing disorders in their bodies. Those who
return are to sweep the ground. Then, walking about the purified ground, they will come to a spot where
they will stop. This spot is the Jiba, the place for the Kanrodai.
In part nine:

When you hear that Tsukihi has rushed out, quickly bring out the Kanrodai.

Prepare your minds for the place of the Jiba, the place where the Kanrodai is to be
set up.

If only this is surely settled, there will be no danger in anything at all.

Ofudesaki IX:18–20

It is essential to identify the Jiba, where the Kanrodai is to be set up. This is most important to bring
peace on earth. Once it has been identified, there will be no need for worry no matter what might
happen.
Thus, the identification of the Jiba, the place for the Kanrodai, took place in June 1875. The
day before, Oyasama had said to the people who had gathered at the Residence:

Since tomorrow is the twenty-sixth of the month, the Residence must be swept very
clean.

They obeyed Her orders and devoted special care to the sweeping.
Oyasama Herself was the first to walk the cleaned ground. When She came to a certain spot,
Her feet stuck fast to the ground. She was unable to move forward or to the side. She put a mark on the
spot and then asked the others to walk blindfolded. Kokan, Nakata, Matsuo, Masu Tsuji, Yosuke of
Ichieda Village, and others walked blindfolded, in turn. When they came to the same spot, they, too,
stopped as if they were drawn to the spot and held. The exception was Masu Tsuji. Masu tried again,
this time with her daughter Tomegiku on her back, and the result was the same as with the others. Her
feet stopped at the spot. In this way, the Jiba, the place for the Kanrodai, was identified at about noon
on June 29, which was May 26 by the lunar calendar, 1875.

かんろだい The Kanrodai

The Kanrodai is explained in detail in part nine of the Ofudesaki. The Kanrodai is to be placed at
the Jiba of Origin as proof of human creation and is shaped so as to represent the truth of the creation
and growth of human beings. It is to consist of thirteen hexagonal sections laid one atop another: first,
two sections, then ten sections, and finally, one more. The total height of the structure is to be eight
shaku and two sun.23 On this structure is to be placed a flat vessel with a capacity of five sho,24 which
will receive the Food of Heaven.
In part ten of the Ofudesaki:

By all means, Tsukihi will complete this path, holding fast to the mind of sincerity.

When this path has reached the high places, I shall do My free and unlimited
workings.
Ofudesaki X:99–100

About this time, Oyasama said:

Once again I shall go to a fearful place, but you need not worry about it.

Foreseeing a time of persecution and oppression, She expounded the sincerity of the parental love and
taught the attitude of mind for those who follow the path of single-heartedness with God. And assuring
them of the free and unlimited protection of God, She encouraged those close to Her who tended to be
swayed by every incident.

こかん身上障り The illness of Kokan

In the summer of 1875, Kokan, who had gone through many years of difficulties with Oyasama,
became ill. Her condition grew steadily worse.

I, Tsukihi, will take charge because she is causally related to the origin.

To explain what the causality is about: she is an instrument of origin in the

beginning of human beings.
Ofudesaki XI:29–30

According to the causality of Kokan's soul, God intended to have her remain at the Residence of Origin
forever and dedicate herself single-heartedly to God's work. But seen in the eyes of humans, she was a
woman. It was natural that those who were concerned about her recommended that she get married.
Kokan struggled between the intention of God and human sentiment.
In the first half of part eleven, God the Parent uses Kokan's illness as a basis to instruct people
earnestly not to be swayed by human thought, and to go through life following the words of God the
Parent completely and relying totally on God.
Further, in the latter half of part eleven, there are verses referring to Shuji and his wife:

23
Eight shaku and two sun is about eight feet and two inches.
24
Five sho is about 2.4 gallons.
 From this year forward, if you, husband and wife, live on for seventy more years,
neither falling ill nor weakening,

There can perhaps be no greater happiness. Look forward to it as coming true.

Ofudesaki XI:59–60

By putting a mark on their bodies and by the writings, God trains those who have affinities to the Origin
and who were drawn to the Home of the Parent as Service performers. And here, we find God impatient
for the completion of the Service of the Kanrodai, which is the fundamental path for the single-hearted
salvation of humankind.
From the summer of 1875, the illnesses of Shuji and Kokan coincided with the work on the
interior of the gatehouse. In addition, on September 24, Oyasama and Shuji received a summons from
the Nara Prefectural Office ordering them to appear on the following day.

奈良への御苦労 Hardship at Nara Prison

Without the least hesitation, Oyasama set out for Nara lightheartedly. Oyasama, attended by
Omasa, and Chusaku Tsuji, representing Shuji, who was ill at the time, appeared at the office. Genshiro
Adachi accompanied them as a village official. This was the first time that Oyasama underwent
interrogation and detention at Nara. There, questions such as the following were asked: "To begin with,
there is no such god called Tenri-O-no-Mikoto. On what authority do you base your belief?" "How are
illnesses cured?" The questions were no different from those asked at the Yamamura Palace except
that Chusaku was asked to make clear who was financing the building of the South Gatehouse then
under construction at the Residence. Chusaku replied that the funds were being furnished by the
Nakayamas themselves.
Oyasama was asked various difficult questions. She explained each point clearly, one by one.
But, concerning the construction of the gatehouse, the officials were not able to understand at all that
the material construction is a manifestation of the construction of the mind.

こかん出直 The passing of Kokan

On September 27, Kokan passed away for rebirth at the age of thirty-nine. On being notified,
Oyasama, still under detention, obtained special permission and returned to the Residence by rickshaw.
She went straight to Her daughter's bedside. Stroking her cold, lifeless body, Oyasama thanked her for
many years of service and said tenderly:

What a pity! Come back soon.

 As a result of the interrogations in September, Oyasama was fined twenty-five sen,25 though it
was not until December that notification of this was received.

表通常門竣工 Completion of the gatehouse

The work on the interior of the gatehouse was completed by the end of the year. Oyasama
moved from the north room with the raised floor to the gatehouse. She occupied the ten-mat room on
the west side of the gatehouse, where She conveyed the will of God the Parent day and night to those
who came.

明治九年 1876

The New Year ushered in the year 1876. The control of the authorities who had continually kept
the Residence under close surveillance became increasingly severe. Those close to Oyasama racked
their brains to find a way to enable even large numbers of followers to gather at the Residence without
having to worry about police intervention. As a result, it was decided to obtain a license to operate a
steam bath and an inn. But Oyasama denounced this severely, declaring:

God the Parent will withdraw along the way!

However, it was also obvious that if the situation were left as it was, it would cause trouble for
Oyasama. Because of his keen sense of responsibility as the head of the family as well as his sincere
concern for his parent, Shuji left for Sakai Prefecture26 early in the spring and obtained the license,
without regard to what might happen to himself. He was accompanied by Isaburo Masui.
However, such an act, based solely on human thought, could not possibly have been in accord
with the will of God the Parent.
On August 17, Chusaku Tsuji, Gisaburo Nakata, Isaburo Masui, and others went to Kosaka
Village, Yamato Province, at the request of Rihei Matsuda, to pray for rain.
During this year, Tsuchisaburo Itakura of Kawachi Province, Kajiro Ueda of Sonowara Village in
Yamato Province and his daughter Naraito, and others began to follow the path.

明治十年 1877

From the beginning of 1877, Oyasama Herself taught the three stringed instruments for the
Service. The first persons to be taught were Tomegiku Tsuji, the koto; Yoshie Iburi, the shamisen; and
Naraito Ueda, the kokyu. Tomie Masui was an alternate.

たまへ出生 The birth of Tamae

On February 5 of that year, Tamae, Shuji's daughter, was born at Byodoji Village.

25
Twenty-five sen is approximately $14 U.S. as of 1993.
26
On April 18, 1876, Nara Prefecture was abolished and was annexed to Sakai Prefecture.
 What are the thoughts of those within about the baby now conceived?

Never take this to be an ordinary matter. The intention of Tsukihi is profound.

Ofudesaki VII:65–66

Her name is Tamae. If you wish to see her quickly, thoroughly learn the hand
movements which Tsukihi teaches.
Ofudesaki VII:72

These verses, expressing the intention of God the Parent beforehand, show Oyasama's eagerness for
Tamae's birth. So, when informed of this event, She went to the Kohigashi home in Byodoji Village,
accompanied by Yuki Nishio and others, to celebrate the birth of the grandchild, Her heir.
On May 14, Yoshitaro Sawada of the Prefectural Branch Office in Tanbaichi, came to the
Residence and put seals on the articles in the altar, prohibiting their use. This occurred in the absence
of Shuji, who was at the Kohigashi home in Byodoji Village.
Not long after that, on May 21, Shuji received a summons from the Nara Police Station. When
he appeared, he was charged with the unlawful preparation of some herbal medicine and with giving it
to a certain Miyachi of Sugimoto Village. As punishment, he was fined and held in custody for forty
days. He returned home on June 29. In reality, the charge was a false one made by Miyachi, who had
prepared the medicine himself.
In February 1877, the Seinan Rebellion broke out. In part thirteen of the Ofudesaki, it is written:

All of you throughout the world are brothers and sisters. There should be no one
called an outsider.
Ofudesaki XIII:43

Those living in the high mountains and those living in the low valleys: their souls
are all the same.

Furthermore, the instruments you use daily are all things lent by Tsukihi. things lent
by Tsukihi.
Ofudesaki XIII:45–46

Human beings throughout the world are all the children of God the Parent and are, therefore, true
brothers and sisters. There is no one who is an outsider. Our souls have no distinction of rank or class,
and our bodies are lent to us by God the Parent. Further:

Unaware of this, the thought in the minds of all human beings is that there are the
high and the low.
 By all means, Tsukihi desires to make the truth of this matter clearly understood by
the whole world.

If only this is clearly understood, the root of rebellion will be cut off.
Ofudesaki XIII:47–49

God the Parent grieves over our folly in pitting ourselves against one another without understanding the
truth that we are all equal and that the body is a thing borrowed from God. God desires the blissful
peace of all brothers and sisters living together in harmony and teaches that the performance of the
Service of the Kanrodai is the Service to pray for world peace.
In this year, Yonosuke Okada (whose name was later changed to Yosaburo Miyamori) of
Kitahigai Village, Yamato Province, and others began to follow the path.
 Chapter Seven – Buds Sprout from Knots
After having reached the age of eighty, Oyasama often underwent the hardship of being taken to police
stations and jails, despite the fact that She had committed no crime. Oyasama continued to teach the
path of world salvation, and instances of miraculous salvation occurred one after another. In response,
the opposition of the public intensified and control by the authorities became more severe.
Nevertheless, the intention of God the Parent steadily spread far and wide, not only to the nearby
provinces of Kawachi, Osaka, and Yamashiro, but also to the most remote corners of the country. The
vigor with which the faith spread invited envy and jealousy ever more strongly. At the occurrence of
each miraculous salvation, the raised voices of opposition and attack converged on the Nara Police
Station and, subsequently, on the Residence and Oyasama.
Oyasama used the word "regret" to express Her extreme impatience with the inability of the
human mind to understand the will of God the Parent. Yet, She was not offended in the least and
considered the conduct of such antagonists to be that of Her innocent children. Thus, She went to the
police station in high spirits, regarding the situation as an opportunity to connect the road of salvation
from the high places of authority to the world at large, and even regarded those who opposed Her and
those who came to arrest Her as Her own beloved children.
Oyasama always said:

Buds sprout from knots.

Though the fires of persecution raged in full force, each detention was turned into an opportunity to
spread the teachings, and the intention of God spread even farther.
From the early 1860s, Oyasama began to urge the followers to form organizations of followers,
saying:

Form fellowships.

明治十一年 1878

There are some early indications of such organizations. The Shinmei Fellowship, headed by Shuji, was
formed about April 1878. Though small in scale, it was a society to unite the joy of the followers as God
the Parent had been urging. This fellowship was managed by Gisaburo Nakata, Chusaku Tsuji, Ichibei
Matsuo, and Kyujiro Nakao and drew its membership from the inhabitants of all the neighboring
villages.
It was also about this same year, 1878, that Oyasama began to bestow sugar candy called
konpeito, as a sacred gift, in addition to the roasted barley powder called hattaiko that had been
bestowed since the early days.

明治十二年 1879
 In part fourteen of the Ofudesaki, begun in June of 1879, it is written:

The mind of Tsukihi hastens day after day, but I cannot tell of it in words, even
should I so desire.

That is why I put the fragrance even into your dreams. Quickly ponder over it,
please.
Ofudesaki XIV:6–7

These verses express God the Parent's deep regret that, although God hastens for world salvation, the
minds of those close to Oyasama remain depressed, fearing the authorities, who do not understand the
heart of God the Parent. Never abandoning even those who cannot understand in words, God the
Parent hastens to impart the fragrance of the teaching to them, even if it be through their dreams. The
impending season and the impatience of the parental heart, with boundless love for the children, can
clearly be seen in these verses.
Further, in part fourteen of the Ofudesaki, God changed the word that expresses the truth of
God the Parent from Tsukihi (Moon-Sun) to Oya (Parent).

Until now, I taught you by the name Tsukihi, but from today I shall use another
name.
Ofudesaki XIV:29

Thereafter, using the word Parent, God clarified the divine nature: God the Parent is the Parent of all
humankind, inseparable from us; God is not only the Parent who created us but also the Parent through
whose being flows the warmth of parental love; and the heart of God the Parent is the single-hearted
parental love to save all the children.
In this same year, 1879, cholera was epidemic throughout the country. Then God the Parent
said:

Whatever I do to the body, it is not an illness but the care of Tsukihi.

The world is saying that it is cholera, but it is Tsukihi informing you of the regret.
Ofudesaki XIV:21–22

Here, God strongly urges human beings to reflect deeply, explaining that, although people are alarmed
by the cholera, it is in fact none other than the care of God the Parent to hasten the thorough cleansing
of the hearts of all humankind.
It was also in this year that Naraito Ueda was adopted by Oyasama, and Naokichi Takai of
Kawachi Province, Umejiro Izutsu of Osaka, and Unosuke Tosa of Awa Province, among others, began
to follow the path. Thus, the number of people coming to the Residence increased day by day, and the
path spread in all directions as the followers, encouraged by the will of God the Parent, became ever
more highly spirited.
However, opposition remained strong among the villagers, who complained of the
inconveniences caused by their relatives and friends who would come to the village due to their faith in
Oyasama. When it rained, umbrellas would have to be lent. At mealtime, food would have to be served.
When street stalls were set up, the village children would spend money. The villagers would say, "We
are greatly inconvenienced by all this, and we wish you would stop the Tenri faith, or else give us
compensation each year." Furthermore, when worshipers came to pray at night, villagers would
sometimes throw sand on them or deliberately bump into them, pushing them into a stream.

明治十三年 1880

From the beginning of 1880, God the Parent hastened the performance of the Service with
increased urgency. In part fifteen of the Ofudesaki, begun in January, God the Parent teaches that the
season to perform the Service has already come and that God is anxious lest the opportunity be
missed.

This time, whatever test I may put you through, resolve your mind firmly by it.
Ofudesaki XV:6

However trying your condition may be, the Parent will work to the utmost. Take
heart!
Ofudesaki XV:8

Though regret is so piled up within Me, I shall save all of you according to your
minds.

However high My regret is piled, I shall work, holding fast to the utmost.
Ofudesaki XV:16–17

The parental love, which never ceases working for our salvation, is thus expressed, teaching that it is
never too late; for even now, if we replace our minds, God will save us without fail.

I see many useful timbers ahead, appearing in the low valleys step by step.

Step by step, the Parent, who began this world, will enter all of these useful
timbers.
Ofudesaki XV:59–60

In this way, God eagerly awaits the spiritual maturity of Yoboku, useful timber, seeing a time when great
numbers of people will return to the Jiba from all parts of the world, yearning for their Parent.
転輪王講社 Tenrin-O-Kosha

The followers wanted to perform the Service in accordance with the wishes of God the Parent.
But they felt they could not perform it with the musical instruments, as God was urging, because of the
surveillance by the authorities. They thought, "If only we could establish a church of some kind, then we
could perform the Service without causing any trouble for Oyasama."
As if in answer to their thoughts, Kichijiro Yamamoto of Otogi Village suggested that they ask
Chuzaburo Yamanaka of the same village to use his connection with the Jifuku Temple at the foot of Mt.
Kongo to make a request for permission to establish a church. When informed of this plan, Oyasama
said:

If you do such a thing, God the Parent will withdraw.

Shuji knew well that such a plan could not possibly be acceptable to God. But compared with the arrest
and imprisonment of Oyasama, his life meant nothing to him. He felt compelled to take whatever
measures he could for the safety of Oyasama and those who gathered at the Residence. I will go, he
said, determined to set out, his life at stake. No one volunteered to accompany Shuji at first. However,
Yonosuke Okada could not bear to see Shuji, crippled as he was, go on such a journey alone, so he
volunteered to accompany him.
After crossing Imoga Pass and coming to Yoshino, the two proceeded toward the Jifuku Temple
in Kuruno at the foot of Mt. Kongo. Shuji rode in a rickshaw on level roads but got off to walk on
mountain paths. The crossing of the pass caused Shuji considerable difficulty. Even the small case
which held his writing brushes and ink had to be carried by Okada.
Shuji was successful in his contact with the Jifuku Temple and returned to the Residence three
days after his departure. As a result, the Tenrin-O-Kosha was formally inaugurated on September 22 by
a Buddhist fire rite in front of the gate and with sermons by Buddhist priests. These measures may have
been necessary to comply with the law, but it was a twisted, roundabout course.
On September 30, August 26 by the lunar calendar, the Joyous Service was performed for the
first time with the full set of instruments, including the koto, shamisen, and kokyu. Heedless of the
control of the authorities and their subordination to the Jifuku Temple, the followers performed the
Service with heartfelt cheer and joy, in accord with the intention of God the Parent, which hastens
single-heartedly for the performance of the Service.
Taking advantage of the inauguration ceremony, a membership list consisting of seventeen
parts was compiled. The fellowships in Yamato Province, having a total of 584 members, are recorded
in parts one through five. The fellowships in Kawachi Province and Osaka, consisting of a total of 858
members, are recorded in parts six through seventeen. The sum total of members was, therefore,
1,442.
However, compromising the teaching in order to conform with the law was obviously not a path
that would accord with the intention of God the Parent, and the followers were frequently admonished
by the severe words "regret" and "anger." The single desire of God was to purify the minds of all
humankind through the Service of the Kanrodai, the path to salvation. To this end, God the Parent
hastened the followers to apply themselves single-heartedly to the performance of the Service, urging
them to disregard the pressures of the outside world and to overcome their lack of determination.
That year, 1880, Shuji was held for one day at the Tanbaichi Branch Police Station along with
Kajiro Ueda. This was the last time that Shuji was to be held in custody, as he passed away for rebirth
in the spring of the following year.
Also in 1880, Shinnosuke, then fifteen, left the Kajimoto home to live at the Nakayama home,
the Residence of Origin.
It was also in this year that Otojiro Matsuda of Kawachi Province and Sakichi Uehara of Osaka,
originally from Bitchu Province, began to follow the path.

明治十四年 1881

秀司出直 The passing of Shuji

Having been ill since the end of the year, Shuji passed away for rebirth on April 8 of the following
year, 1881, at the age of sixty-one. In part twelve of the Ofudesaki, God reveals:

A body that had no disorder anywhere: Tsukihi bent it and caused you much trouble.

The time was thirty-nine years ago. Since then, I have given you worries, troubles,
and suffering.
Ofudesaki XII:118–119

God the Parent had put a mark on Shuji's healthy body as a means to begin this path. Thereafter, Shuji
underwent extreme hardships and, continually bearing the brunt of opposition and criticism, truly tasted
the bitters of life. After Shuji passed away for rebirth, Oyasama stroked him on the forehead and
thanked him for many years of hardship, saying:

What a pity! Come back soon.

When Oyasama returned to Her seat, She spoke in place of Shuji:

I have not gone anywhere. My soul is embraced by the Parent. I have simply cast
off an old garment.

Then She spoke in place of Kokan and Oharu.

The souls of the instruments of creation remain at the Residence of Origin forever and, being
reborn again and again, work for the salvation of all humankind.

かんろだい石出し Quarrying stone for the Kanrodai

 Oyasama clarifies the fundamental truth of the Service of the Kanrodai at the outset of part
sixteen of the Ofudesaki and urges the construction of the stone Kanrodai, the center of the Service,
from early 1881. On May 5, a search for stone was conducted in the hills around Takimoto Village, and
quarrying was begun a few days later with the hinokishin of many followers. On May 14, members of
the Meishin and Shinmei fellowships from Osaka joined in the quarrying, which became a lively affair.
Thus, the necessary quantity of stone was prepared in this manner.
The construction of the stone Kanrodai was then begun joyously, dispelling the gloom which had
arisen from trying to follow a path conforming to the law. In part sixteen, written about that time, it is
taught:

Though today you know nothing at all, look toward the morrow. A great broad path
will open.
Ofudesaki XVI:33

Here, God strongly encourages the followers, teaching that no matter how many difficulties might lie
before them today, a radiant broad path will come into sight even tomorrow if they are illuminated by the
parental heart, a light which nothing can obscure. Also at the end of part sixteen:

Now today, any and all things will appear. When the appointed time comes, Tsukihi
will come to lead you.

Today, the time has become sufficiently full. There is no knowing when I shall come
to lead you forth.
Ofudesaki XVI:75–76

Now ponder! From now you must replace your mind. It will not do, not to ponder
and resolve!
Ofudesaki XVI:79

Indicating that a serious moment will arrive in the near future, God the Parent urges the followers to
replace their minds and hastens their resolve.

十四年六月のふし The knot of June 1881

In a memorandum written by Shinnosuke, there is a reference to an incident that occurred one

day in June, before the tears had dried following Shuji's passing away for rebirth. It reads: "In June
1881, six police officers were sent to the Residence. They summoned Matsue to the room with the dais
and questioned her. Then they proceeded to Oyasama's living room and asked Her various questions.
However, finding nothing unusual, they left after admonishing Her. I had dreamed of this the previous
night."
十四年九月のふし The knot of September 1881

The hardships that occurred in September 1881 resulted from a mistake in reporting the lodgers'
names on September 16 and 17, 1881.
At that time, a steam bath and an inn were being operated under a license in Shuji's name, and
it was mandatory to report the names of all lodgers to the police. However, being busy at the time due
to a sudden increase in the number of worshipers who stayed overnight, they found no time to do so.
Shirobei Umetani, who had begun to follow in February, as well as Kyutaro Kishimoto and eleven
others, came and stayed on September 16, and Yokichi Hase and five others stayed on the night of the
17th, but these names were not reported. This soon became known to the police, who immediately
summoned Matsue and the others in charge. However, as Matsue had gone to Ichinomoto Village, they
summoned Ryojiro Yamazawa, who had been managing the household affairs of the Residence as a
guardian since Shuji's passing away for rebirth. He was required to write an account of the incident, 27
dated September 18, and was fined seventy-five sen28 on September 26. Masataro Kohigashi, Matsue's
brother, was also required to write an account explaining his delay in reporting that Matsue had been
away and was reprimanded for affixing Matsue's legal seal in her place.

十四年十月の御苦労 The Hardship of October 1881

On October 7 of the same year, Matsue, Masataro Kohigashi, Ryojiro Yamazawa, Chusaku
Tsuji, and Gisaburo Nakata were taken to the Tanbaichi Branch Police Station on the grounds that they
were gathering and misleading many people. They were ordered to submit written accounts and were
fined fifty sen29 each. Oyasama was also arrested, required to submit an account, and fined fifty sen.
In addition to Oyasama, Matsue, Shinnosuke, Tamae, and Hisa Kajimoto (later Hisa
Yamazawa), those who lived at the Residence were Nakata, Tsuji, Takai, and Miyamori. However, Tsuji
was mainly there at night and Takai stayed for about twenty days each month. Yamamoto was usually
away doing missionary work.
The "knot" of 1881 was the first incident with the authorities in the six years since the hardships
of 1875. Oyasama was already eighty-four at the time.
One day that year, Oyasama told Tamae, then a child of five years,

A child is pure and innocent. Dear, pass these out among them,

and had her distribute crests, made from the red clothes She had worn, to those present. Then She
added:

Though you receive these from God the Parent, there are some of you who will
have to return them, depending on the use of your minds.

For some time, Oyasama had been urging the followers, saying:

27
See Appendix, pp. 118–120.
28
Seventy-five sen is approximately $28 U.S. as of 1993.
29
Fifty sen is approximately $18 U.S. as of 1993.
 Compile a divine record.

Presumably, Oyasama was telling them to record the main points of the story She had been teaching.
Notes on the Story of the Creation of this World, compiled in 1881 and written by Ryojiro Yamazawa,
was one of these.
The construction of the stone Kanrodai made favorable progress from the spring of 1881, and
the first two layers were completed by early autumn. In part seventeen, God explains in detail the truth
of the Jiba of Origin and says that the Kanrodai is to be set up at the Jiba of Origin as proof of human
creation. If only this stand is completed, no prayer will go unanswered. To encourage people throughout
the world to purify their minds before its completion, God urges the sweeping of hearts, telling of the joy
of a bright future.
Immediately thereafter, however, an unexpected event occurred. The stonecutter, Shichijiro,
suddenly disappeared and the stone construction came to a halt.
On the surface, this incident seems to have happened by mere chance. But when considered in
the light of the verses in part nine, which teach that the Kanrodai will be set up upon the spiritual
maturity of humankind and the assemblage of the Service performers, it can be said that it was still too
early to purify the minds of humankind, still clouded by the smoke of the Buddhist fire rite. Thus, even
this unexpected "knot" was in fact an expression of the serious impatience of the parental heart, urging
the children, far too slow in their spiritual growth, to attain spiritual maturity rapidly.
In May 1881, Ihachiro Yamada of Kurahashi Village, Yamato Province, began to follow the path,
and in September of that year Genjiro Fukaya of Kyoto began to follow.
Around that time, the fellowships came to number more than twenty, including Tengen, Seishin,
Sekizen, Shinjitsu, and Shin'yu in Yamato Province; Tentoku, Eizoku, Shin'e, Seishin, Keishin, Kagura,
Tenjin (later Shusei), and Heishin in Kawachi Province; Shinjin, Ten'e, Shinmei, and Meishin in Osaka;
Shinjitsu, Asahi, and Shinsei in Sakai; and Meisei in Kyoto.
In December of that year, Shirobei Umetani of the Meishin Fellowship of Osaka, after consulting
with the Shinjin Fellowship, submitted to the Wako Temple at Amidaike, Osaka, the first application for
the authorization of a church. However, he received no response.

Appendix

Written Statement in Answer to Your Inquiry

Ryojiro Yamazawa
Commoner of Niizumi Village
Yamabe County, Yamato Province

Concerning the fact that Miki Nakayama, the mother-in-law of Matsue Nakayama, a commoner of
Mishima Village of Yamabe County of this province, wears red clothing and members of the family worship
reciting "Tenrin-O-no-Mikoto," I respectfully answer your questions and follows.
 In about May 1879, I suffered from a blockage in my throat, so I tried various remedies to regain my
health, but obtained no relief. Then I visited Tenrin-Sha to worship and also take a bath, whereupon I
recovered immediately and completely. For this reason, I came to worship once a month until about January
1880. However, as I made a vow during my illness that I would help them in some way, I took charge of their
steam bath for fifteen days a month from January of the same year. Meanwhile, in August of that year, when
Shuji Nakayama, the husband of Matsue Nakayama was still living, the Tenrin-O Fellowship was established
at the house of Shuji Nakayama as a branch of the Jifuku Temple of Kuruno Village of Uchi County of this
province. On that occasion, I was appointed manager of the Tenrin Fellowship and was also asked to be the
accountant of the fellowship by the director of the Jifuku Temple. I still have the written appointment in my
possession. And as Shuji Nakayama was bedridden with a leg ailment, I was entreated by him to be in
attendance at his house daily. After Shuji died on April 10 of this year, I was requested by his wife and other
relatives to manage all the household affairs.
While I was attendance at the house, the old mother told me that forty-four years ago She had been
taken as the Shrine of Tsukihi and that the mind of Tsukihi entered into Her body. She also taught that his
world and human beings were all created by Tsukihi, so the human body is a thing which God lends.
The moisture of the eyes comes from Tsuki-sama, or Kunitokotachi-no-Mikoto; warmth comes from
Hi-sama, or Omotari-no-Mikoto; skin and joining from Kunisazuchi-no-Mikoto; bones from Tsukiyomi-no-
Mikoto; the function of eating and drinking from Kumoyomi-no-Mikoto; and breathing from Kashikone-no-
Mikoto. The human body is a thing lent by all these six deities. So there is no such thing as illness in the
human body. But as there are dusts in the human mind—namely, covetousness, miserliness, hatred, self-
love, grudge-bearing, anger, greed, and arrogance—the Parent, Tsukihi, reproves such misuses and makes
them appear as illness. Whereupon, if anyone fifteen years of age or older prays to God and repents those
eight misuses of mind, every prayer will be accepted. She taught thus.
Old mother Miki said that the Kanrodai is the proof of the Jiba of Origin, where humankind was
created. Because this is humankind's original home, the Kanrodai, eventually to consist of thirteen layers, is
to be set up here. Since May 1881, two layers have been completed. This Kanrodai is made of stone. The
bottom stone measures 3 shaku and 2 sun across, and the upper stone measures 1 shaku and 2 sun, and its
full height at the time of its completion is to be 8 shaku and 2 sun. We have spoken nothing but the teaching
of old mother Miki and have never performed exorcism. In answer to your question, I thus explain the
situation as it is with this written statement.

September 18, 1881

Ryojiro Yamazawa
 Chapter Eight – Parental Love

神 Kami/God

To God, who began this world, all of you in the world are equally My beloved
children.

Because of My love for all My children, I exhaust My mind in every kind of way.
Ofudesaki IV:62–63

Human beings were created by God the Parent and live due to divine providence. Therefore, God and
humankind are truly Parent and children, and all human beings are brothers and sisters. Because of
this truth, God the Parent loves us children single-heartedly, now, as in the past.

月日 Tsukihi/Moon-Sun

In any concerns, never think that there is a human mind at this place.

Whatever I may say or write by the tip of My brush, it is none other than directions
from the mind of Tsukihi.
Ofudesaki VI:67–68

Oyasama's mind is the mind of Tsukihi. The mind of Tsukihi is the mind of God the Parent. Indeed the
mind of Oyasama is the mind of God the Parent, Tenri-O-no-Mikoto, God of Origin, God in Truth, who
created humankind and the world where neither had existed.

With you humans, also, your children are dear to you. Think of this and ponder,
please.

Day after day, the concern of the Parent is only about the means to save you.
Ofudesaki XIV:34–35

をや Oya/Parent

With the single word "Parent," it is taught that God the Parent and Oyasama are one in truth: that the
mind of God the Parent is indeed the mind of Oyasama, and that the mind of Oyasama is indeed the
mind of God the Parent.
To begin with, the word "parent" is a term used by children. It is not a word that can be applied
to one without a child. God the Parent's love for humankind is like the parental love we human beings
have for our own children. But God the Parent's love is the infinitely great and far-reaching, bright and
warm, single-hearted desire for the salvation of all humankind equally. We perceive this parental love in
the Ofudesaki, the Mikagura-uta, and the Osashizu. We witness it in instances of miraculous salvation.
And we cherish it in the image and in the footprints of Oyasama.

面影 Her appearance

Everyone who saw Oyasama in Her advanced age was awestricken and yet felt a heartwarming
intimacy at Her incomparable holiness and Her indescribable tenderness, wondrously fused into one.
Oyasama was of medium build, slightly taller than the average woman, always straight of
posture, and gave the impression of being slender. Her face was somewhat oblong, Her complexion fair
and healthy. Her nose was finely shaped and Her mouth was small. She was truly noble yet tender and,
while Her expression was always pleasant, Her countenance carried an air of divine majesty.
Gradually Her hair turned grayer with age and later it became as white as snow. She always
kept it neatly combed and arranged in the shape of a tea-whisk. Not a loose lock nor a stray tress could
be seen. Her kimono, waist sash, and tabi were red. Her clothing was always red, through and through.
Her eyes shone so bright and clear that it convinced people that Hers were eyes that could see into a
person's innermost heart.
Her legs and back were sturdy and She never became bent with age. When She walked, She
moved swiftly with an extremely light gait.
People who came to the Residence intending to ask Her about this or that found their doubts
and complaints disappear without a trace at the mere sight of Her, even before She said a single word,
and they became filled with joy and brightness in their hearts and immersed in an indescribable peace.
Oyasama's voice was usually gentle. But when the mind of the Parent was revealed through the
Timely Talks, Her voice resounded with such awe-inspiring majesty that it made one wonder if the voice
was really that of an old woman.
Oyasama spoke with great tenderness and politeness even to children, and we cherish Her
image as the Parent of the Divine Model who speaks to us gently; we revere Her as the Shrine of
Tsukihi, who revealed the will of God with resounding majesty at times deemed appropriate by God;
and we adore the parental love of Oyasama which is recorded in Her footprints as She sternly taught
the truth and tenderly led the followers toward growth.

おふでさきの意義 The significance of the Ofudesaki

God reveals in the Ofudesaki:

This is a world constructed on reason. So I shall press upon you everything with the
reason in verse.

I shall press, though not by force or word of mouth. I shall press by the tip of My
writing brush.

It is all very well if you err in nothing. But should you err, I shall inform you by verse.
Ofudesaki I:21–23
In consideration for us human beings who are apt to forget what we hear and so that the will of God the
Parent would be available for us in its exact form for all time, Oyasama recorded it with Her brush. That
Oyasama wrote in verse was also due to the deep parental love, so that anyone might find the divine
will familiar, easily memorized, and easily acceptable.
According to sources from that time, whenever God the Parent urged,

Brush, brush. Take up the brush,

Oyasama took Her brush in hand and the brush sped on, during the daylight hours of course, and even
in the dark of night, abruptly stopping when the revelation of God the Parent ended. The Ofudesaki,
written in this manner between 1869 and about 1882, comprises seventeen numbered parts. In all,
there are 1,711 verses.

十七号 Seventeen parts

Part I From the 1st month in the 2nd year of Meiji, the year of the Serpent (1869)

Part II The 3rd month in the 2nd year of Meiji, the year of the Serpent (1869)

Part III From January in the 7th year of Meiji, the year of the Dog (1874)

Part IV April in the 7th year of Meiji (1874)

Part V May in the 7th year of Meiji (1874)

Part VI From December in the 7th year of Meiji (1874)

Part VII February in the 8th year of Meiji (1875)

Part VIII May in the 8th year of Meiji (1875)

Part IX June in the 8th year of Meiji (1875)

Part X June in the 8th year of Meiji (1875)

Part XI June in the 8th year of Meiji (1875)

Part XII About the 9th year of Meiji (1876)

Part XIII About the 10th year of Meiji (1877)

 Part XIV From June in the 12th year of Meiji (1879)

Part XV From January in the 13th year of Meiji (1880)

Part XVI From April in the 14th year of Meiji (1881)

Part XVII About the 15th year of Meiji (1882)30

おふでさきの大意 Outline of the Ofudesaki

In outline, the will of God the Parent is recorded in the Ofudesaki as follows:

God the Parent, desiring to see the Joyous Life of humankind, created human beings at the
Jiba of Origin. Being the true Parent of all humankind, the only thought in the divine mind is the single-
hearted love for the children. All human beings are children of God the Parent and are, therefore,
brothers and sisters, and the essence of human life consists in helping and respecting one another.
The body of a human being is a thing lent by God the Parent, a thing borrowed, and the truth of
self is only the mind. Illness and disaster all come from the parental love of God who is leading us to
reflect on our misuse of mind and directing us onward to the Joyous Life. They are none other than
calls for our service, guidance, road signs, admonitions, regret, or anger. If we but replace the mind,
sweep away the dust, and settle true sincerity in our hearts, then, when we pray, God the Parent will
bestow any salvation freely and unlimitedly.
At this time, after waiting for the Causality of the Soul of Oyasama, the Causality of the
Residence, and the Causality of the Promised Time to conjoin according to the promise made at the
time of the creation, God the Parent is revealed in this world for the first time taking Miki as the Shrine
and teaches the path of single-hearted salvation.
God the Parent sets up the Kanrodai at the Jiba of Origin as proof of the creation of humankind
and the world and teaches the Service of the Kanrodai, which is performed with the Kanrodai at center,
as the fundamental means to single-hearted salvation. Further, as means for the salvation from illness,
God bestows the Sazuke. Universal salvation will appear by the Service, and any sufferer, however
serious the illness, will be saved by the Sazuke. Thus, this world will gradually change into the world of
the Joyous Life.
Therefore, the performers of the Service must all assemble quickly, unite their minds, prepare
the musical instruments, and perform the Service in one accord as soon as possible.

30
These dates are written on the cover of each part. It is assumed that the dates from 1874 are according to the
Gregorian calendar. January 1, 1874, corresponds to the thirteenth day of the eleventh month of the sixth year of
Meiji. There are no dates recorded on the covers of parts XII, XIII, and XVII. Therefore, the dates provided for
these parts are prefaced by the word "about" since they are based on assumption.
Thus, in order to fulfill the desire long held since the time of creation for the realization of the Joyous
Life on earth, God the Parent taught the Service of the Kanrodai. In order that its truths be understood,
God revealed the truths of the creation of the world. And, because the seasonable time was pressing,
God intensified the demands for the children's spiritual growth and hastened the completion of the
Service.
No matter to which page the Ofudesaki is opened, the verses are filled with warm parental
love, the parental love which leads us to the bright Joyous Life.
First, in part one:

As your minds become spirited step by step, there shall be rich harvests and
prosperity everywhere.
Ofudesaki I:9

In the very beginning, at the time of the creation of this world, God the Parent created
humankind in order to see us lead the Joyous Life and share in our joy. Indeed, the Joyous Life is the
very will of God the Parent. However, because of the immaturity of our minds despite our knowledge
and learning, and because we did not know the real truth of creation, the Origin and the Parent, we
heaped dust and causation upon ourselves and blamed the world for our misery.
It was out of the parental love that God guided and nurtured us for long ages since the
creation, enhancing our spiritual growth by appropriate training, given at the proper time and in keeping
with the place, as one would weed and fertilize a field, urging us to stand when we crawl and to walk
when we stand. It is truly out of single-hearted parental love for the children that at this time, the
promised time having arrived, God desires the appearance of the Joyous Life in this world once again
and begins the path of single-hearted salvation.

つとめ The Service

Out of this same parental love, God the Parent hastened the performance of the Service as the path to
the Joyous Life throughout the Ofudesaki.
Continuing in the Ofudesaki are the verses:

Hereafter, I shall teach you the hand movements of the Kagura Service and wait for
all to assemble and perform it.

When all are assembled and quickly do the Service, as those close to Me become
spirited, God, also, will be spirited.

When the mind of God is depressed over everything, the growth of all crops will be
depressed, too.
 The mind that causes depressed crops is pitiful. Quickly become spirited so that the
crops are not depressed.

If you wish that the crops grow spiritedly, do the Kagura Service and the Teodori.
Ofudesaki I:10–14

Thus, God the Parent awaits the performance of the Kagura Service. When all are assembled and
quickly perform the Service, God the Parent will be spirited. And when God the Parent is spirited, the
crops will grow in abundance. Therefore, God urges the performance of the Kagura and the Teodori
with the hope of a bountiful harvest.
Progressing to part two:

After the tea is picked and the plants are trimmed, the Joyous Service will follow.

From where do you think this Service comes? The people in high places will
become spirited.
Ofudesaki II:3–4

Thus, God teaches that after the tea is picked and the plants are trimmed, the season for the Joyous
Service will come, the minds of the people in high places will be spirited, and soon the broad path will
come into being.

Illness and pain of whatever kind do not exist. They are none other than the
hastening and guidance of God.

The reason for My hastening, if you should ask, is that I desire performers for the
Service.
Ofudesaki II:7–8

Here, we are given the understanding that, because of the urgency for the completion of the Service,
God puts a mark on the bodies of those who will be performers of the Service to draw them to Jiba.

Though you turn away those who come day by day, their number will only increase
step by step.

No matter how great a number of people may come, do not worry, for it is in the
hands of God.

Marvelous is the Kanrodai of this world's beginning. It will be the cause of peace in
Nihon.
Ofudesaki II:37–39
For fear of persecution, you turn away people who come yearning to be at the Home of the Parent.
Their numbers will only increase but do not worry, because God the Parent will answer for it. Here, God
the Parent teaches about the Kanrodai for the first time. When the Kanrodai is set up at the Jiba of
Origin, where the world began, and the Service is commenced, this world will become the ideal world of
the Joyous Life.
In part three of the Ofudesaki:

Truly, the hastening in the mind of God is to put in the central pillar quickly.

Though I desire to put in the pillar quickly, I cannot find where to put it because of
the muddy water.

Arrange to clear this water quickly. Purify it by using a filter and sand.

Do not wonder where this filter can be found. Your heart and mouth are the sand
and filter.

If you quickly understand this talk, I shall put in the central pillar at once.

If only the pillar is firmly established, the whole world will truly settle.
Ofudesaki III:8–13

Thus, in connection with the urgency for the completion of the Service, God the Parent hastens
preparations for the Kanrodai, which is to be the center of its performance.

Sweeping the innermost heart of everyone in the world, God is hastening to show
the central pillar.

Throughout the world, God is the broom for the sweeping of the innermost heart.
Watch carefully.
Ofudesaki III:51–52

While hastening preparations for the Kanrodai, God the Parent reveals here that, at the same time, it is
desired that the Shinbashira, who is to be the center of the faith, be installed. In order that this may be
accomplished, human beings are urged to replace their minds, using God the Parent as the broom to
sweep away their dusts. Thus, God urges us to introspect and to bring our minds into accord with the
will of God the Parent.

On the eleventh, the nine will be gone and hardship forgotten. I await the twenty-
sixth of the first month.
 By that time, the core will be settled and greed forgotten. Let all performers
assemble and prepare for the Service.
Ofudesaki III:73–74

Here, God the Parent strongly urges people toward spiritual growth, foretelling the day when Oyasama
will open the portals of the Shrine and step out into the world to effect salvation. Therefore, all
performers of the Service must come together and prepare for the Service quickly before that day
comes.

Day after day, the mind of God hastens to show you free and unlimited workings
quickly.

From now on, the performers will assemble and do the Service. This will truly settle
Nihon.

Since My aim is truly single-hearted salvation, there is nothing at all for you to fear.
Ofudesaki III:75–77

Since God the Parent desires that the free and unlimited workings appear as soon as possible,
performers of the Service, make ready to commence. Peace will assuredly come to the world by the
performance of the Service. Since salvation is the true purpose of the Service, do not fear any
persecution or interference whatsoever, God encourages.
In part four of the Ofudesaki:

How delightful it will be! So many people will assemble, coming to ask for the gifts of
heaven.

Day by day, disorders will befall you, and you will come again. But no one knows
how impatiently God waits.

Step by step, the performers of the Service will all assemble. Taking this as a sign, I
shall begin all My workings.
Ofudesaki IV:12–14

God the Parent expresses the joy that, soon, a great number of people will come, seeking the gifts of
heaven, and that, as soon as the performers of the Service have assembled, God will begin the
Service.

If the hand movements of the Joyous Service are learned day by day, how delighted
God will be.
 I impatiently await the performers of the Service to gather quickly. What are you
close to Me thinking?
Ofudesaki IV:23–24

God the Parent looks forward to that day with such great hope, so those close to God must become
one with the parental heart and quickly prepare for the performance of the Service.

Again, I impatiently await the coming Joyous Service. What it is, is the Kagura
Service.
Ofudesaki IV:29

The Kagura Service is indeed the Joyous Service for which God the Parent eagerly waits.

Truly be spirited and ponder. Then lean on God and do the Joyous Service.
Ofudesaki IV:49

God teaches us to trust single-heartedly in God the Parent and strive to perform the Joyous Service
spiritedly.

From now on, step by step, I shall teach you the Service unknown since this world
began and train you in its hand movements.

This Service is the path of salvation for the entire world. I shall enable even a mute
to speak.

Be firm day after day, you performers of the Service! Calm your minds and learn the
hand movements quickly!

What do you think this Service is about? It is solely to bring peace to the world and
salvation to all.

When this path is clearly seen, the root of illness will be cut off entirely.
Ofudesaki IV:90–94

This Service has never existed since the beginning of this world. It is the fundamental means to world
salvation. Service performers should quickly learn the hand movements, for when the Service comes to
be performed correctly, peace will come to this world and the root of illness will be severed.
In part five:

This time, by all means, I shall sweep clean your innermost heart. Be forewarned!
 The reason for this sweeping of your innermost heart is that the intent of God is
deep.

Unless the sweeping is thoroughly accomplished, you will not understand the truth
of My heart.

When you have truly come to understand My mind, I shall teach you the hand
movements of the beginning of this world.
Ofudesaki V:26–29

God hastens to sweep the hearts of all humankind. When the sweeping is completed and God
ascertains our minds' sincerity, then the hand movements which lead to the coming of a joyous world
will be taught.
In the beginning of part six:

What do you think this path is? It is the true path that will settle this world.

When the distinction between fire and water in the high places is made, joyousness
will settle of its own accord.

Know that the distinction between fire and water will be made by the performance of
the Joyous Service at this place.

I shall do marvelous things, the same as My beginning of this world.

I shall begin a Service which has never existed since I began this world, and
assuredly settle the world.
Ofudesaki VI:4–8

This path is the only path that will bring about a true settling of this world. When the providences of fire
and water operate in harmony, each in its respective field, a peaceful world brimming with joy will come
into being. Desiring to realize such peace, God the Parent will carry out the Joyous Service at this
place, the Jiba of Origin, and will manifest the Joyous Life by divine workings just as in the creation of
human beings and the world.
Advancing to part seven:

Any salvation whatever is all through the Service. If only you do just as Tsukihi says.
..

If your mind is sincere, Tsukihi will assuredly save you.

 On salvation this time: this is the beginning of My salvation truly assured.

The mind of Tsukihi urgently hastens. You close to Me, also, prepare your minds for
the Service!

This preparation is not just for any one thing. The Service is for any and all matters.

The Service: it is not always the same. I shall teach you the hand movements for
each purpose.
Ofudesaki VII:83–88

Thus, from the desire for universal salvation, God the Parent urges that preparations for the Service be
made.

Joy in everything is all by the Service. I shall teach you every kind of marvel.

In preparing to teach you the Service step by step, I shall sweep clean everyone's
innermost heart.

Thereafter, your mind will become spirited day by day, and I shall teach you the
hand movements for every Service.

What do you think this Service is? It is from My single intent to save you in childbirth
and from smallpox.

What do you think this salvation is about? I shall teach the Service to free you from
smallpox.

By this Service which teaches the path quickly, all minds in the world will be purified.

How are you hearing this talk? It is solely about the preparations for the salvation of
the world.
Ofudesaki VII:94–100

In addition to the Service for Universal Salvation, God the Parent taught the hand movements for other
kinds of Kanrodai Services to answer specific prayers. These are: Safe Childbirth, Smallpox, A Child,
Cripples, Fertilizer, Germination, Insect Pests, Rain, Cessation of Rain, Harvest, and Rebellion. There
were, including the Service for Universal Salvation, twelve Kanrodai Services taught by God the Parent,
assuring good health, long life, rich harvests, prosperity, and lasting peace—thus nothing was left
undone in assuring the Joyous Life.
 The term "Salvation Service" appears in part eight:

Because of this, the Salvation Service cannot be performed. Oh, the regret in the
mind of Tsukihi!
Ofudesaki VIII:6

Part nine deals chiefly with the center for the Service, the Kanrodai:

To say what I shall speak about from now on: it will be solely about the Kanrodai.

What is called the Kanrodai at the present time is but a mere model.

From now on, I shall teach you clearly, step by step, solely about the preparations
for the Kanrodai.

Make the base of this Stand three shaku across and six-sided with a mortise at its
center.

Until now, I have taught you various things, but they are all preparations for setting
up this Stand.

If only this Stand has been put firmly in place, there will be nothing fearful or
dangerous.

Should anyone dare to stop what is ordered by Tsukihi, his own life will be stopped.

When you see it, you will be truly satisfied and know that Tsukihi's teachings are
indeed marvelous.

As soon as this Stand is completed, the Service will be done. Nothing will remain
that cannot be realized.

About this Stand: I do not say when or how, but when it is completed, the Service
will be done.

If only this Service is begun, nothing will remain that cannot be realized.

Watch! Tsukihi will surely bestow the Gift, the Food of Heaven, without fail.

In whatever matters, unless there is clear proof of the truth, it should remain
questionable.
 Ofudesaki IX:44–56

As we progress toward spiritual maturity, preparations for the Kanrodai will also proceed. And when the
Service performers perform the Service around this Stand, their minds as one, God the Parent will
bestow the Gift, the Food of Heaven, and answer any prayer whatsoever.

From now on, I shall teach you everything in detail step by step. Do not go against
My words.

Do not wonder what it is that I am saying. It is solely about the preparations for the
Kanrodai.

This Stand is to be made one block atop another. The uppermost is to be two shaku
and four sun.

Place a flat vessel on top, and I shall surely bestow the Food of Heaven.

On whom do you think the Food of Heaven is to be bestowed? It is to be bestowed

on the Parent who began this world.

There is no one who knows the mind of the Parent who is to receive the Gift from
Heaven.

On whom do you think the Food of Heaven is to be bestowed? It is to be bestowed

on the Parent who began this world.

There is no one who knows the mind of the Parent who is to receive the Gift from
Heaven.

After Tsukihi surely ascertains the mind, then the Food of Heaven will be bestowed.

Once Tsukihi has bestowed it, the rest is up to the mind of the Parent.
Ofudesaki IX:57–64

If preparations for the Kanrodai are advanced in accordance with the words of God the Parent, the
blocks placed one atop another, and a flat vessel placed on the uppermost block, then the Food of
Heaven will be bestowed on the Parent without fail. Then the Parent will bestow it on everyone in due
accord with one's mind, allowing one to live the full span of life in good health. Thus, this world will
become the world of the Joyous Life.
Proceeding to part ten, we find teachings dealing mainly with the Service of the Kanrodai.
 Step by step and day by day, the mind will become spirited. What a rich harvest will
appear in Yamato!

Day by day, hasten to begin the Service. You will escape any danger whatever.

However serious your illness may be, you will all be saved by the Service done
single-heartedly.

As to the Service to be done, it is none other than the Service of the Kanrodai.

What do you think this Stand is? It is the Parent of Nihon.

If you but sincerely think this to be true, Tsukihi will discern it and assure anything
whatever.

Since I, Tsukihi, give My assurance, there will not be even a single error in a
thousand.
Ofudesaki X:18–24

By the performance of the Service, rich harvests and good health are assured as well as the salvation
from any illness and the warding-off of all disasters. Such is the Service of the Kanrodai. It is indeed the
Service which is the root of the world of the Joyous Life. If we have faith in this truth, then God the
Parent will assure us of free and unlimited blessings.

How are you hearing this talk? It is about the Service of the Kanrodai.

Do not think of this Service as being trivial. I desire as many as thirty-six people.

In time, I shall need nineteen performers for the Kagura Service, including those for
the musical instruments.
Ofudesaki X:25–27

God the Parent teaches that ten people are to perform the Service with the Kanrodai as center and
nine, the musical instruments, and when Teodori performers and Gakunin are included, seventy-five
Service performers will be needed in all.

Truly settle your mind and ponder. I make this a firm request of you, My
intermediaries.

To construct this Stand, Tsukihi is making preparations for the performers step by
step.
 When the performers are fully assembled, the Stand, also, will be completed of its
own accord. Stand, also, will be completed of its own accord.
Ofudesaki X:28–30

Urging the intermediaries to settle their minds, God the Parent hastens to assemble the Service
performers, teaching that when the Service performers have assembled, the Kanrodai will come into
being of itself.
Further:

To explain what this path is about: Tsukihi will teach them the hand movements of
the Service, and then,

When Tsukihi takes them forth all over the world, the Stand will be completed of
itself.
Ofudesaki X:31–32

After God assembles the performers and teaches them the hand movements for the Service and then
takes them forth all over the world, the Kanrodai will come into being of itself. Thus, in order to hasten
the completion of the Service, and, while hastening the performers to assemble, God urges the
followers to practice the hand movements.

If only this is surely completed, the Service each month will be done without error.

If only the Service is done without error, the Gift of Heaven, also, will be given
without fail.

This path is a path of true sincerity and is difficult to follow. Everyone must ponder
well.
Ofudesaki X:33–35

When the Kanrodai comes to stand, then the Service each month will be performed without error. If the
Service is performed without error, then the Gift of Heaven will be bestowed without fail. If one's mind is
firmly settled, every blessing will be bestowed exactly as asked, God assures us.

You may not know where these performers are. Tsukihi will discern them and draw
them all forth.

No matter where these people may be, Tsukihi will do this by free and unlimited
workings.
 After the performers are assembled step by step, I shall discern their sincerity and
assign their roles.

To explain what the roles are to be: ten for the Kagura and others for the musical
instruments.

If only this assemblage is quickly completed, nothing will remain that cannot be
achieved.
Ofudesaki X:36–40

Although no one knows where these Service performers can be found, wherever they are, God the
Parent will freely draw them forth. After the performers have been assembled, one by one, God will
discern the sincerity of their minds and will assign them roles in the Service. First, the ten for the
Kagura will be assigned and then the performers for the musical instruments. When the required
number of performers is filled, nothing impossible to accomplish will remain. Thus, God assures us of
free and unlimited blessings upon the completion of the Service.
Entering part thirteen:

Tsukihi sincerely desires only to end the wars among those on the high mountains.

By what means can they be ended? If only you set forth on the Joyous Service. . .

Do not wonder from whose mind these words come. They are solely from the mind
of Tsukihi.

It is difficult to do this Service because of the high mountains, but God gives you
firm assurance.

This time, in all matters, I shall truly give you My firm assurance and shall work.
Ofudesaki XIII:50–54

God the Parent desires from the bottom of the heart that war should end. War arises from the haughty
pride of the human mind. From the desire to abolish war in this world by all means, God the Parent
begins the Service of the Kanrodai. The Service of the Kanrodai is the Service for world peace. But
human beings, who are children, are ignorant of this sincerity of God the Parent and, by their mischief,
interfere. But do not fear the persecution or the meddling in the least, for God the Parent gives you firm
assurance and will show free and unlimited blessings.
Entering part fourteen:

Do not wonder what this is about. I need musical instruments for the Service quickly.
 Now today, whatever you may do, you need not worry, for the Parent assures you.

Until now, because they know nothing, those in high places have always forbidden
and opposed Me.

This time, no one will be able to stand against Me. From anyone who is of mind to
defy, the Parent will withdraw!

On this matter, hasten to resolve your minds firmly and begin quickly.

Hasten to prepare everything for the Service. Fear nothing, for the Parent gives you
assurance.

On this matter, resolve your minds and ponder. I am in haste to assemble the
performers.

If you quickly unite your minds and do the Service correctly, the world will settle.
Ofudesaki XIV:85–92

Urging the followers to prepare for the musical instruments quickly, God the Parent continues to hasten
the assemblage of Service performers, telling the followers to settle in their minds a strong faith—the
unshakable strength of the mind of true sincerity—so that any persecution, however strong, will not
cause them to be fearful. It is promised that if we settle our minds with such resolve, God the Parent will
bestow free and unlimited blessings. And if all performers for the Service quickly assemble and perform
the Service correctly with their minds in one accord, God the Parent assures blessings that will bring
peace to the world. Thus, God the Parent assures world peace by the performance of the Service of the
Kanrodai.
Further, in part fifteen:

In this talk, whatever Tsukihi may say concerning any matter, do not oppose it.

From now on, the Parent will request just one matter of you. I shall speak of nothing
else.

What do you think this request is? It is solely about the Service.

This Service is the beginning of this world. If only this is realized. . .

Now today, you close to Me, let your minds not be opposed to the Parent's words on
any matter.
Ofudesaki XV:26–30
Using such words as the "request" of the Parent, God expresses at length the urgency of the hastening
parental heart, admonishing us earnestly that since the performance of the Service will lead to the
creation of the world of the Joyous Life, we must not turn away from the words of the Parent nor differ
from the parental heart but rather perform the Service quickly.
Continuing:

Today, I shall begin to tell you the real truth. Please understand it clearly.

This talk is solely about the great test from forty-three years ago.

What do you think this test is about? It is solely about the preparations to hasten the
Service.

What do you think about this Service? Prepare for the performers including the
musical instruments.

Ponder over this Service, whoever you are. If you dare to stop it, your life will be
stopped.

It is the same as the way I began this world. I began human beings that never
existed.

If only this is begun, I shall assure you any salvation whatever.

Ofudesaki XV:49–55

At this time, indeed, the real truth of the parental heart is revealed. Quiet your minds and listen
carefully. It is the Service which God has been testing and for which God has been hastening these
past forty-three years. And since the time for its performance is pressing, hasten the preparations to
assemble the performers and musical instruments. If anyone tries to stop its performance, the breath of
life will be stopped. Just as God the Parent created humankind from the formless chaos, so will God
provide any salvation whatsoever by the performance of this Service. Thus, God's demands for the
preparation of the Service increased in severity and in force.
Continuing:

Now a request. What do you think I request? Quickly assemble the musical
instruments and begin practice.

Though until this time I have continued to keep still on whatever matters,

Now today, by all means, you must quickly do the Service.

 Ofudesaki XV:72–74

Putting special stress on the practice of the musical instruments, God says that the time for the Service
has arrived and the performance must be commenced.
Further:

This path has truly been a path of hardship for forty-three years.

Though no one has known of it until now, this time I shall clear it all away.

To explain how it will be cleared away: I shall reveal everything solely by the
Service.

As to this Service, whatever the Parent may say about any matter, do not oppose it.

I request you earnestly, especially in this matter, so you will not be remorseful later.

If anyone dares to stop this Service, I shall withdraw even from the proxy at once.

You close to Me, what are you thinking about this talk? I cannot wait even for a
breath.

Quickly begin to bring out the musical instruments at least. I am hastening solely for
the Service.
Ofudesaki XV:83–90

The urgency of the hastening parental heart is recorded and taught earnestly yet impatiently, at times
severely, at other times cordially, always directing the followers toward spiritual growth and hastening
the performance of the Service so that the seasonable time would not be missed.
In part sixteen, God teaches the fundamental truth of the Kagura Service:

Until now, perhaps no one has known about the origin of human beings at the
beginning of this world.

At this time, by all means, I wish to teach everything about this origin clearly to the
world.

The origin is represented by the two members of the Kagura. Truly, this Service is
the beginning of this world.

What is called the Kagura this time is the Parent who began human beings.
 Ofudesaki XVI:1–4

The fundamental truth in the creation of humankind is displayed in the Kagura performance of the
couple, Kunitokotachi and Omotari. Receiving the truth of God the Parent, their performance is infused
with the truth of God the Parent, Tenri-O-no-Mikoto, the true Parent who created human beings.

There is no knowing what you may see in a dream. Hereafter, things will change
and your mind will be spirited.

You may dream of marvelous things. Take it as a sign and begin the Service.
Ofudesaki XVI:27–28

The seasonable time pressing as it was and the Parent's concern for the children growing more urgent,
God causes marvelous dreams which, when seen, are to be taken as a sign that the Service is to be
commenced. Thus, even through dreams, God orders that the Service be commenced quickly.

Tsukihi is the Parent who began human beings and this world which did not exist.

Be that as it may, the drum is being stopped by children who know nothing. Behold
My regret.
Ofudesaki XVI:53–54

God reproaches the children who, out of ignorance of the sincerity in the parental heart, attempt to stop
the work of God.

When Tsukihi works throughout the world, perhaps there is no one who knows how
to settle matters.

Therefore, I shall tell you how to settle matters. All of you in the world must ponder
quickly.

Concerning the Service: never think that I have any other intention. I have only the
single desire to save all of you.

Unaware of this, everyone is thinking that it is somehow evil.

As human beings are shallow, you speak about everything without knowing the
core.

Until today, I have said nothing and remained still. Behold this regret of Mine.
Ofudesaki XVI:63–68
When the storms of the regret and anger of God the Parent appear, no other path will cause them to
subside but the Service. Indeed, the Service is the one and only way to settle any accident or disaster.
Regrettably, the Service is being prevented and delayed. How the shallowness of the human mind
strains the limits of God's patience! Thus, by strongly calling on the followers to introspect, God
hastened the performance of the Service.

月日のやしろとひながたの親 The Shrine of Tsukihi and the Parent of the Divine Model

As we have seen, Oyasama continually hastened the completion of the Service throughout the
whole of the Ofudesaki and throughout Her life as well. Now let us consider the role of Oyasama from
two standpoints: that of truth and that of physical reality. On the one hand, as the Shrine of Tsukihi,
Oyasama revealed truth. On the other hand, as the Parent revealed on earth, She guided people by
demonstrating the teachings Herself in Her life so that they would thoroughly understand them. On both
points, Oyasama is the true Parent.

Beware, you grand shrines and high mountains whoever! There is no knowing when
Tsukihi will rush out.
Ofudesaki VI:92

On the one hand, because time was pressing, an ominous warning was issued to human beings,
"Tsukihi will rush out." On the other hand, God pleads with human beings:

And though each of you throughout the world has been pondering until now,

To My sorrow, no matter how deeply you have pondered, you have no mind to save
others.

From now, Tsukihi requests you, everyone in the world, to replace your mind firmly.

To explain what kind of mind it is to be: it is none other than to save the world
single-heartedly.

Hereafter, if all of you throughout the world save one another in every matter,

Know that Tsukihi will accept that mind and will provide any salvation whatever.
Ofudesaki XII:89–94
Please, people of the world, firmly replace your minds. Become the mind of single-hearted salvation. If
you human beings become of a mind to respect and help one another, God the Parent will assure you
any salvation whatsoever. Thus tenderly and warmly does God call upon us to replace our minds.
Further:

Whatever mind you may have had until now, replace it, even in the span of a night!

If you truly replace the mind in its entirety, Tsukihi will accept it, too, at once.
Ofudesaki XVII:14–15

God the Parent will never forsake us. If we but replace our minds, we shall be saved even in a single
night. Thus, the unlimited love of God is recorded in these verses directing us to replace our minds.
From the beginning, the relationship between God the Parent and human beings, who were
created by the divine intention, has been one of Parent and children, not one of estrangement. But
human beings, granted free will, used their minds in selfish ways for long ages since the creation,
accumulating dust upon dust. Between this human mind and the unchanging heart of Tsukihi, a rift
developed, causing one to think, at first glance, that perhaps there is no relationship between God and
human beings. Our present human world, in which the voice of the Parent cannot easily be understood,
is the result.
The difficulty of Oyasama's role in conveying the will of God the Parent and in leading people,
whose minds are in such a state, to the Joyous Life is beyond imagination. In the Ofudesaki we can see
this struggle as Oyasama saved people and taught them step by step, in accordance with the will of
God the Parent, to sweep their hearts free of dust, leading them toward the brightness of the Joyous
Life in which the children are one with the heart of the Parent. It is here that the parental love of
Oyasama, whom we adore as the Parent of the Divine Model, is brought to mind.

元の理 Truth of Origin

Oyasama, hastening the completion of the Service in this way, taught the truth of creation in
accordance with the spiritual growth of the followers, in good order, so that they would easily
understand the fundamental principles contained in the Service.
Beginning in part three:

I am God of Origin, who began the human beings of this world. Yet there may be no
one who knows Me.

I began to teach My providence in the muddy ocean, and you have come to prosper
step by step.
Ofudesaki III:15–16

Here, for the first time, is recorded the beginning of human creation.
 Continuing in part four:

This is the Residence where I began human beings. Because of this causality, it is
here that I descended.
Ofudesaki IV:55

The beginning of this world was a muddy ocean. Therein were only loaches.

What do you think these loaches were? They were the very seeds of human beings.

God drew them up and consumed them all, and through providence brought them
up into human beings step by step.

From that time on, God's providence has been by no means an easy matter.

Do not think of this talk as being trivial. I desire to save all people in the world.
Ofudesaki IV:122–126

Because of the Parent's desire to save all humankind, the creation of human beings and the world is
revealed. And in part six, because of the desire to convince followers of the truths of the Service, the
truth of creation is traced back to the beginning:

I shall begin to tell you solely of that which had never existed before, and teach you
the Service for universal salvation.

Among the ten performers of this Service, there are those who take the role of the
Parent of the beginnings of origin.

I drew forth Izanagi and Izanami and taught them the providence of how to begin
human beings.

At the origin were a fish and a serpent in the muddy ocean. I drew them up and
began the first couple.
Ofudesaki VI:29–32

Here, the origin of the ten performers of the Service is revealed.

In the beginnings of origin, this world was a muddy ocean. Therein were only
loaches.
 Among them were a fish and a serpent. Looking closely, I saw that they had human
faces.

Seeing this, an idea came to none other than the sincere mind of Tsukihi.

If I should add instruments to them and teach them My providence step by step,

These instruments being Kunisazuchi and Tsukiyomi, if I should put them into their
bodies,

And call together Kumoyomi, Kashikone, Otonobe, and Taishokuten,

Then, after holding counsel, God came to the firm decision to begin this world.

Since that time, the providence of God has been by no means an easy matter.
Ofudesaki VI:33–40

In the beginning, this world was a muddy ocean where only Tsukihi, God the Parent, dwelled. Now God
the Parent thought that living alone in such a muddy ocean was indeed tasteless. There, the thought
arose: to make creatures called human beings, and by seeing their Joyous Life, God the Parent, also,
would rejoice. Then God observed the muddy ocean carefully and first discovered a fish and a serpent.
Drawing them forth, God discerned their single-heartedness. Then God obtained their consent to be
used for human creation and received them, promising that when the years equal to the number of their
first-born had elapsed, God would bring them back to the place of conception, the Residence of Origin,
where they would be adored by their posterity, and thus received them.
Further, discovering other creatures usable as instruments, God called them forth, one after
another, and after obtaining consent from each, received them and, after consuming them to test the
flavor of their minds, used them as instruments and models, and proceeded to create human beings.
Then, according to the principle of their functions, God gave to each a sacred name.

I began human beings, taking a fish and a serpent as seed and seedbed.

Tsukihi entered their bodies and taught them the providence step by step.

The number of children was nine hundred million, ninety-nine thousand, nine
hundred and ninety-nine.

The children were conceived in three days and three nights, and there Izanami
stayed for three years and three months.

The first children born were five bu tall and grew taller gradually.
 By this providence once taught, the children were conceived in the same body three
times.
Ofudesaki VI:44–49

An orc was put into the fish, and God entered the fish as the spirit of the Moon. This became the model
of man, the seed. A turtle was put into the serpent, and God entered the serpent as the spirit of the Sun.
This became the model of woman, the seedplot. Then God consumed all the loaches in the muddy
ocean and, after testing the flavors of their nature, used them as seeds and, in three days and three
nights, at the Jiba of Origin, seeded nine hundred million, ninety-nine thousand, nine hundred and
ninety-nine children. The mother, after staying at the Residence of Origin for three years and three
months, gave birth to all of the children in seventy-five days. These first children were half an inch (5
bu) tall. But they grew taller gradually and, in ninety-nine years, reached a height of three inches (3
sun). After being reborn twice, they grew to three and a half inches (3 sun 5 bu), then to four inches (4
sun). Then they all passed away for rebirth.
Afterward, by the providence of God the Parent, the children were reborn eight thousand and
eight times as worms, birds, and beasts. Then they all passed away for rebirth again, except for a she-
monkey. She conceived ten human beings at a time, five male and five female, who were born half an
inch tall and grew gradually to eight inches (8 sun), to one foot and eight inches (1 shaku 8 sun), and to
three feet (3 shaku). During their growth, the muddy ocean began to develop highs and lows, beginning
formation. By the time the children grew to be humans five feet (5 shaku) tall, the earth and the
heavens, mountains and oceans, everything was complete. The sun and the moon shone brightly in the
sky, and the humans, who had swum around in the ocean in search of food, went onto the nearest land
to dwell. The nine hundred million and ninety thousand years of life until then were spent in the water.
After going onto land, they received training in wisdom for six thousand years and in letters for
three thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine years. Then the promised time arrived and the day to
reveal the truth of creation dawned. Thus, God taught the reason for beginning the final teaching.

This is the Residence where I began this world. Therein lives the original Parent of
human beginnings.

Discerning this, Tsukihi descended from the desire to teach about all matters.
Ofudesaki VI:55–56

Thus, the soul of the Parent who teaches, is the soul of the mother in human creation, and this place is
the Residence of human origin. God the Parent, discerning these affinities to the origin to be true,
waited until the fulfillment of the promised time and became openly revealed in this world for the first
time. Thus, God taught the fundamental principle for beginning the final teaching for world salvation.
In part eleven, using the truth of creation as the basis, God reveals in greater detail the
reasons for beginning the path of world salvation at this time.
 The very beginning of this world was at Shoyashiki Village of Yamabe County in
Yamato Province.

There, at the place known as the Nakayama Residence, appear instruments of

human beginnings.

These instruments are Izanagi, Izanami, Kunisazuchi, and Tsukiyomi.

Discerning this, Tsukihi descended and began preparations to train them in all
matters.
Ofudesaki XI:69–72

In the Residence of Origin, now known as the Nakayama Residence, located in Shoyashiki Village,
Yamabe County, Yamato Province, reside those who are charged with the performance of the Service
by virtue of their souls. After making certain of this truth, God the Parent descended to train them in all
matters.
Continuing in part twelve:

Among the instruments used in the beginning of human beings at this Residence,
Izanagi and Izanami,

Tsukiyomi, Kunisazuchi, Kumoyomi, and Kashikone are the primary instruments.

Then, the one called Otonobe is the primary instrument for the crops.

Next, the one called Taishokuten is the scissors of the world.

Ofudesaki XII:142–145

Thus, calling up the sacred names of the instruments in creation, God indicated to certain individuals in
the Residence their connection with the truths to be symbolized in the Service.
In part fourteen:

Everywhere in the world, people are the same: they only have depressed minds.

From now on, firmly replace the mind and become the mind of joyousness.

The reason Tsukihi began human beings was the desire to see you lead a joyous
life.
Ofudesaki XIV:23–25
Disclosing that the Joyous Life is indeed the true aim for which this human world was created, God
continues in part sixteen:

There is perhaps no one anywhere, still, who knows the origin of human beginnings
in this world.

This time, by all means, I wish to teach all of this truth clearly to the entire world.

Listen! This origin is the venerable Kunitokotachi and Omotari.

After looking through the muddy waters, these personages drew a fish and a
serpent to them.
Ofudesaki XVI:10–13

The addition of the word "venerable" to the sacred names of Tsukihi, God the Parent, indicates the
difference in principle between Tsukihi and the instruments of creation. We can see another example of
the warm concern in the parental heart by the way God teaches that Tsukihi is indeed the true Parent.

かんろだい The Kanrodai

In part seventeen, from the outset:

Until now, no one has known what path this is. From this day on, you will
understand the path.

What do you think this path is about? It is solely about the Kanrodai.

What do you think this Stand is? It is the prime treasure of Nihon.

What is the thinking among all of you about this? Perhaps no one knows its origin.

At this time, by all means, I truly wish to teach everything about this origin to the
world.

ぢば Jiba

This origin is exactly the center of the bodies of Izanagi and Izanami.

There at the Jiba, I began all the human beings in this world.

The Jiba in Nihon is the native place of all people in the world.
 As proof of My beginning of human beings, I shall put the Kanrodai into place.

If only this Stand comes to completion, there will be nothing that cannot be realized.

Until then, the heart of everyone throughout the world must be swept clean.

In this sweeping, there will be no discrimination. Know that Tsukihi is discerning you.

Wherever you may be, Tsukihi will accept all of you in accordance with your minds.
Ofudesaki XVII:1–13

God the Parent, in all earnestness, hastens for the establishment of the Kanrodai. The Jiba for the
Kanrodai is the place of human conception at the beginning of creation and is, therefore, the home of all
humankind. Because such an affinity to the origin exists, God places the Kanrodai here as the proof of
human creation. If only the Kanrodai is completed, God will answer any prayer whatever. Indeed it is
because God desires the Kanrodai as soon as possible that God urged us first to cleanse our heart and
replace our mind, and hastens the settling of our mind. If only the mind is replaced, vivid divine
providence will be shown immediately. Thus, God clearly taught the truth concerning the Kanrodai, the
center of the Service, recording, at the same time, the free and unlimited power of divine grace.

Until now, no one has known the Jiba of Origin, where I began the human beings of
this world.

This time, by all means, I wish to teach this truth clearly to the entire world.

Therefore, I began to set up the Kanrodai. It is for the place of the true origin.

The reason I began such a thing is that I desire to save the whole world.
Ofudesaki XVII:34–37

Because of God's single-hearted parental love, desiring nothing but the salvation of all humankind at
any costs, God originates the Kanrodai to teach us clearly about the Jiba of Origin, the place of creation
of human beings and the world, about which no one has ever known before.

ぢばに神名 The divine name bestowed on the Jiba

Further, from the deep forethought in the parental heart, the divine name, Tenri-O-no-Mikoto, which was
to have been bestowed on the Shrine of Tsukihi, was instead bestowed on the eternally unchanging
Jiba of Origin, clearly giving us an everlasting, concrete symbol for our faith.
 Furthermore, in teaching the divine truths, God uses many metaphors such as path,
construction, timber, sweeping, and broom. Needless to say, this is from the parental forethought to
help us understand but, at the same time, we can see, in their use, the intense desire in the parental
heart to lead us from our present state of life to a life of joy yet a day earlier.
In the Ofudesaki, even the changes in the name of God the Parent are from the parental heart.
These changes occurred progressively by parts, from Kami (God) to Tsukihi (Moon-Sun) to Oya
(Parent), so that we might grasp the essence of Tsukihi, God the Parent, naturally, as our own spiritual
growth progresses.
Oyasama, as the Shrine of Tsukihi, while teaching the will of God the Parent in such a way, was
Herself the living proof of the will of God, showing to all humankind the Divine Model of the Joyous Life.

I speak of nothing difficult. I do not tell you to do anything difficult or to do something

without a model to follow. There is the path of the Divine Model for everything. It will
not do that you cannot follow the path of the Divine Model.
Timely Talk, November 7, 1889

We perceive the bright, warm, and boundless parental heart contained in the Divine Model, whose sole
concern is the salvation of all humankind. This parental heart is the very heart of Tsukihi.

Whatever is done, it is all by Tsukihi, truly from My single intent to save you.
Ofudesaki VI:130
 Chapter Nine – The Hardships of Oyasama
Over steep mountains, through tangles of thorns, along narrow ledges, and through
brandished swords, if you come,

Yet ahead through a sea of flames and a deep abyss, you will arrive at a narrow
path.

After following the narrow path step by step, you will come to a broad path. This is
the trustworthy main path.

This talk is not someone else's concern. It is a matter of your own and your single-
heartedness with God.
Ofudesaki I:47–50

Even though the construction of the stone Kanrodai was at a standstill, the deep emotion
caused by its bright prospect carried over into the new year, 1882. On the other hand, from the
beginning of that year, Oyasama repeatedly said:

A sign for a sign! A sign for a sign!

十五年二月の御苦労 The Hardship of February 1882

The followers, made uneasy, wondered what was going to happen, when, in February, the Nara
police served summonses on Oyasama as well as on Matsue, Ryojiro Yamazawa, Chusaku Tsuji,
Gisaburo Nakata, Isaburo Masui, and Risaburo Yamamoto. As a result, Oyasama was fined two yen
and fifty sen,31 and the others, one yen and twenty-five sen32 each. At that time, an officer said to them:
"No matter how hard we try to control you, you will not listen. Then continue your belief with all your
might. We shall use all our might to stop you. It will be a contest of endurance."
Before this incident, in September of the previous year, Izo Iburi's wife and children had moved
into the Residence, and on March 26 of the present year, 1882, Izo, himself, left Ichinomoto Village and
moved into the Residence, thus marking the start of their devotion at the Residence as a family.

かんろだいの石取りい The seizure of the Kanrodai stones

Without warning, on May 12, Yukinari Uemura, inspector of the Osaka Prefectural Police and
chief of the Nara Police Station, accompanied by several officers, came to the Residence, removed the

31
Two yen and fifty sen is approximately $146 U.S. as of 1993.
32
One yen and twenty-five sen is approximately $72 U.S. as of 1993.
two completed sections of the stone Kanrodai and confiscated these together with fourteen other
articles including some of Oyasama's clothing.

List of Seized Goods

1 stone Kanrodai: two sectioned and hexagonal; the top stone measures two shaku and four sun33
across; the bottom stone, three shaku and two sun34 across; both are eight sun35 thick.36
1 kimono, muslin, quilted, crepe
1 kimono, calico, quilted
1 kimono, muslin, crepe, lined
2 kimono, same material, unlined
2 undergarments, same material
1 kimono, calico, unlined
1 waist sash, crepe
1 bed
1 set of bedding, printed calico, one large piece and one small piece
1 seat cushion
2 undergarments, red

The above articles are seized as evidence for the crime of bewitching people by prayers and
charms during October 1881.

May 12, 1882

At Mishima Village, Yamabe County

Yamato Province

Yukinari Uemura
Police Inspector, Osaka Prefecture

Witnesses:
Matsue Nakayama, commoner
Mishima Village, Yamabe County

Ryojiro Yamazawa, commoner

Niizumi Village, Yamabe County

33
Two shaku and four sun is about two feet and four inches.
34
Three shaku and two sun is about three feet and two inches.
35
Eight sun is about eight inches.
36
This measurement of the base stone, recorded as three shaku and two sun from side to side, is in error. The
stone, in fact, measures about three shaku as prescribed in the Ofudesaki (IX:47).
 In this way, the construction of the stone Kanrodai, which God the Parent had looked forward to
for so many years, was not only stopped but the stones were taken away

Despite this, it was taken away by My children who knew nothing. Behold My regret!
Ofudesaki XVII:38

What do you think My regret is about? The matter of the Kanrodai is My greatest
regret.
Ofudesaki XVII:58

It is thus taught that the reason such people who cannot understand the intentions of God the Parent
have taken away the stones for the Kanrodai is because of the slowness of all humankind, the children
of God, to grow spiritually, and because of the dust piled up in their hearts.

Hereafter, unto all places in the world however far, in the high mountains as well as
in the low valleys,

Know that I shall sweep the heart of each of you in the world step by step.
Ofudesaki XVII:61–62

Therefore, God gives strong warning that, hereafter, the hearts of all people throughout the world will be
swept without regard to position or rank, thus urging in earnest the spiritual growth of the followers.
Then God, giving sign for sign, taught the verse "All humankind equally purified" and hastened
for the construction of the minds of all human beings.
After the two stone sections of the Kanrodai were taken away, a pile of pebbles was made.
Many followers took one of these pebbles home, after replacing it with one they had cleaned and
brought with them. There were many instances of marvelous healing when the pebbles were rubbed on
a painful or ailing part of the body.
From about this time, Oyasama gave Timely Talks more frequently and ended the Ofudesaki
with the following verse:

I earnestly request each and everyone of you to ponder deeply over these
teachings.
Ofudesaki XVII:75

The desire in the parental heart is that everyone, whoever, will refer to the Ofudesaki and ponder
deeply so that we can come into accord with the will of God the Parent, not missing the seasonable
time, and, with the mind firmly settled, live the Joyous Life in high spirits. Thus, while teaching
benevolently of the determination and readiness necessary for the future, Oyasama continued training
the followers through the Timely Talks. Thus did Oyasama hasten for the completion of the Salvation
Service. Now that the Kanrodai was taken away, the control by the police, which had been concentrated
on the performance of the Service, was directed at Oyasama Herself.
On June 18 of that year, 1882, Oyasama went to the home of Eijiro Matsumura in Kyokoji
Village, Kawachi Province, for three days, to visit Matsue's elder sister, Osaku, in connection with her
illness.
Shinnosuke, who had been officially adopted into the Nakayama family on September 23 of the
previous year, became its legal successor on September 22 of the present year.

毎日のつとめ The Service being performed daily

The pressures exerted by the police continued to increase after the removal of the Kanrodai, but
Oyasama, paying no heed, remained steadfast in urging the performance of the Salvation Service. The
Service was performed daily from October 12 through October 26 with Oyasama seated in the north
room with the raised floor.
About that time, an incident involving some followers of shallow faith erupted in Senboku
County, Osaka Prefecture. It became a police matter and was called the "Abiko Incident."
The followers at the Residence, greatly worried, requested that the will of God the Parent
concerning this matter be revealed. The divine words were:

Sah, over the mountains and across the seas, over the mountains and across the
seas, over here and over there, the name of Tenri-O-no-Mikoto will resound, will
resound.

At this, the clouds of worry were cleared away.

Further, on the evening of the Chrysanthemum Festival, September 9 by the lunar calendar,
Tokichi Izumita, in an excess of zeal, argued hotly with a police officer in Osaka. At that very hour on
that very same night, the following revelation was given at the Residence:

Sah, sah, inside the Residence, inside the Residence, the filth is unbearable,
unbearable. God will clear it all away, clear it away. Sah, everything is sufficient;
there should be no complaints. The first six of My ten providences are operating.
The Path will spread sufficiently in the Eight Directions. Sah, there is One who will
not be lowered. Who knows when or where God will take Her?

The followers were wondering why, despite their daily performance of the Service, the police did
not come to take them away, while, unbeknown to them, an order for their arrest was en route from the
Osaka prefectural authorities to the Nara Police Station as the result of the two incidents.
At the Residence, on October 26, while the Service was in progress, one of the Service
performers, Hanzaburo Maegawa, accidentally tripped over Tomegiku Tsuji's koto and fell. That same
day, Risaburo Yamamoto mistook the glutinous rice, used for rice-cake offerings, for the usual rice and
cooked it for the meal. Vaguely uneasy because of these two incidents, the followers were hoping that
nothing further would happen. But, on the very next day, the 27th, an officer from the Nara Police
Station arrived with Hidejiro Adachi, a fellow villager, for investigation.
This time, articles ranging from the mandala and all of the implements for the Service to the
paper lanterns in front of the altar and the framed pictures in the parlor were removed and hauled to the
house of the village representative. Those who happened to be present were Kajimoto, Umetani, Kita,
Masui, and others.

十五年十月の御苦労 Hardship of October 1882

Two days later, on October 29, Oyasama was summoned to the Nara Police Station along with
Ryojiro Yamazawa, Chusaku Tsuji, Gisaburo Nakata, Risaburo Yamamoto, and Seizo Morita. The party
started out for Nara before daybreak, Oyasama riding in the rickshaw of Mizukuma of Osaka and the
other five going on foot, taking a bypath.
At the police station, Oyasama and the others were sentenced to detention. Shinnosuke and
many others, who had gone to the police station to accompany Oyasama home, stood waiting at the
gate. Oyasama and the other members of the party finally emerged led by an officer and proceeded to
the north. Shinnosuke's group followed at first but the party went directly through the gates and entered
the prison.
Only seventeen at the time, Shinnosuke, accompanied by Takai, would leave the Residence
early each morning at the break of dawn to go to the prison to deliver things to Oyasama. After he did
all he could do, it would always be after nightfall that he would start home from Nara.
Umetani and Kajimoto also went to deliver things to Oyasama. Hanzaburo Maegawa did too.
And so did Gonjiro Sawada and Masa Nakayama. Of course, everyone walked. Also, a never-ending
stream of followers visited Oyasama daily bringing gifts.
On the day before Her return, someone threw a bag of tonic medicine into the steam bath with
the intent of causing trouble. Fortunately, it was discovered quickly, and nothing came of it.
This was the longest hardship due to imprisonment that Oyasama had undergone in the seven
years since 1875, and, although not a drop of prison water or food passed Oyasama's lips, She
returned to the Residence in good health on November 9.
On the day of Her release, there were one hundred and fifty or sixty rickshaws and one
thousand and several hundred people out to greet Her. After resting briefly at an inn called Yoshizen,
Oyasama started home in a long procession of rickshaws, greeted on the way by hundreds of well-
wishers. It is said there were no rickshaws in all of the Nara–Tanbaichi region available for hire on that
day.
On the way, Oyasama's party crossed paths with Izo Iburi in front of the Monju Temple in Nara.
Izo was being taken to the Nara Prison as a result of a summons, having been held the previous day at
a branch police station in Obitoke. As he passed the other group, he shouted in a loud voice, "I am
going!" Matching his voice in volume, his daughter, Yoshie, who was in Oyasama's group, shouted:
"Please take your time. Do not worry about the household!" Izo, greatly relieved, calmly allowed himself
to be led away. The allegation that led to Izo's arrest was that he had not properly reported that his
apprentice, Otokichi, was temporarily staying with him. Izo was sentenced to ten days' detention, until
November 18.
After Oyasama returned home, this time it was Chuzaburo Yamanaka of Otogi Village who was
summoned and sentenced to the same length of detention.

まつゑの出直 The passing of Matsue

On November 10, the day after Oyasama's return, Matsue, who had been briefly ill, passed away for
rebirth at the age of thirty-two.
The steam bath, which had been registered in the name of Osato Iburi since April 1 of that year,
was closed down on the very day when the incident involving the tonic medicine took place. Also, the
operation of the inn was ended on or about November 14.
Concerning the closing of both the bath and the inn, Oyasama said:

God the Parent has taken them away because the filth was unbearable,
unbearable.

And concerning the detentions, She said:

It is God the Parent who comes to fetch and it is God the Parent who summons.
From knots growth will occur.

Further:

You need not worry. At this Residence, you have only to do as God the Parent says
to do.

Thus She teaches that one should not simply be frightened by events which occur before one's eyes
and do nothing, but, rather, should perceive the will of God in all events as they occur, and strive
spiritedly in those seasonable times, assured that from knots buds will sprout.
At the same time the businesses were ended, the followers who had accumulated dust until
then all received physical disorders. Seeing this, the followers understood what Oyasama had meant by
saying repeatedly, "A sign for a sign," that, indeed, this is the meaning of the sweeping of the
Residence.
The issue of their relationship with the Jifuku Temple also was cleanly settled when they
received a document from the temple, dated December 14, indicating that they would vacate the
premises no later than the posted date.37
Those who resided at the Residence at the time were Oyasama, Shinnosuke, Tamae, and Hisa,
and those who served included Nakata, Yamamoto, Takai, Miyamori, Masui, Tsuji, Yamazawa, Iburi,
Kajimoto, Umetani, and Kita.

37
See Appendix I, pp. 216–217.
 During Her imprisonment in 1882, Oyasama did not eat any of the food supplied by the prison.
When Her fast extended over one week, the jail-keeper became concerned and said to Her, "Old
woman, hold out your hand." Oyasama held out Her hand and, just as She was instructed, gripped the
jail-keeper's hand. When the jail-keeper asked if that was all the strength She had, Oyasama, with a
smile, exerted Her strength. So great was Oyasama's strength that the jail-keeper's hand began to
smart with pain. Awestruck, he quickly said, "Oh, that's enough, enough!"
In his records, Shinnosuke wrote:

In those days, the police came as often as three times during the day and three
times during the night. Moreover, we were ordered not to allow even relatives to
stay overnight. If it was discovered during one of their night rounds that a relative
was staying over, we were severely reprimanded. If worshipers were discovered by
them during their day rounds, they were summarily taken to the station and
reprimanded. Therefore, we posted signs at all entrances: "Worshipers are refused
entry." But followers came to worship. Some even tore down the signs. There was
not a single day when worshipers did not come. There was not a day when the
police did not come either.
Construction on the Resting House of Oyasama was begun in November
1882.
For about three years, 1882–1884, I was only able to drowse, reclining on
the bench with my clothes on. That was because the police came at all hours of the
day and night to investigate, and I had to show them through all the rooms of the
house and to every corner of the premises. Worst of all, they even examined desk
drawers, chests, cupboards, and the like. Rarely did they come alone. The only
residents in the Nakayama house were Oyasama, Tamae, Hisa, and myself.

Thus Shinnosuke, though only a youth between the ages of seventeen to nineteen, had to deal with the
police as the bearer of all responsibilities for the Residence because he was the only male at the
Residence and was the legal head of the family.
In 1882, the number of followers increased greatly. Notable among them were Chuzaburo Koda
of Kitahigai Village, Yamato Province, who began to follow in March, and Komakichi Komatsu of Osaka,
who began to follow in the summer.
Thus, although the force of opposition was strong that year, the teachings of God the Parent,
regardless, began to spread rapidly. The following is a list of fellowships revised as of March of that
year: Shinsei (Kyokoji Village), Tenjin (Onchi Village), Shin'e (Hozenji Village), Kagura (Oihara Village),
Keishin (Osakabe Village), Seishin (Kokubu Village), Shintoku (Asuka Village), Sakaki (Ota Village),
Isshin (Nishiura Village), Eishin (Umetani Village), Heishin (Hirano Village), Shinjitsu (Hokeiji Village,
Kaichi Village, Kurando Village, Higai Village), Ten'e (Osaka), Shinmei (Osaka), Meishin (Osaka),
Shinjin (Osaka), Shinjitsu (Sakai), Shin'yu (Kurahashi Village), Seishin (Sahonosho Village), Shinjin
(Ossaka Village), and Shin'e (Sakurano-cho, Sakai).
 Of these fellowships, five were formed in Yamato, ten in Kawachi, four in Osaka, and two in
Sakai. Those not included in the list but known to have existed prior to March 1882 are: Tengen,
Sekizen, Tentoku, Eizoku, Asahi, Shinsei, Meisei, and others. Leading members of these fellowships
were more widely distributed, in such places as Yamashiro, Iga, Ise, Settsu, Harima, and Omi, while
followers could be found as far away as Totomi, Tokyo, and Shikoku.
As the opposition and the control by the police intensified, the faith of the followers grew white-
hot and the path flourished. As for Oyasama, the followers deeply felt that She had suffered so much
hardship that they must find some way to make life easier for Her if only slightly. Their sincerity in this
desire led to the construction of the Resting House.

明治十六年 1883

With the arrival of 1883, the police, increasing their oppressive measures still further, ordered
that no one was to be allowed to assemble. In particular, the incidents that arose in March, June, and
August of that year cannot be forgotten easily.

十六年三月のふし The knot of March 1883

On March 24, a police officer, on one of his rounds, came in suddenly. At the time, Chuzaburo
Koda happened to be copying the Ofudesaki in the front room. Tokichi Izumita and several others were
also there. The officer demanded, "Why are you here?"
The followers answered: "We are people who have received a blessing from God the Parent
and have come here to give thanks. We were about to leave, having just been told that worship here is
not allowed."
Then the officer asked Koda, "What are you doing?" Koda responded: "I am a friend of the
family and have long heard that there were writings by the old woman here. Being a member of the
Committee on Agricultural Affairs Information, I am copying these writings to see if there is any useful
information I might report to my superiors." Chuzaburo had, in fact, presented such a proposal, dated
March 15, to the Ministry of Finance.38
Then the police officer told him to call the head of the household. But Shinnosuke had gone to
appear at the Nara District Court. When the officer was told of this, he said, "When he comes home, tell
him to present himself at the police station and make sure he brings this book and a written account of
what occurred here today." When Shinnosuke came home and was given the message, he was
perplexed. He feared that if he took the Ofudesaki and it were impounded, that would be the last of it.
He discussed this with Omasa and the others and came to the firm decision to guard the writings to the
end. Deciding he would say that the book had been burned by Omasa and Osato, he presented himself
at the station with only his written account.

38
See Appendix II, pp. 217–218
 Chief Makimura asked, "Did you bring the book Koda was copying?
Shinnosuke replied: "The officer who visited us said, 'Such things ought to be burned.' So my
aunt, Omasa, and Osato Iburi, who were in charge of the house during my absence, burned it as
instructed."
Officer Shimizu, sitting close by, stood up and said, "Chief, shall I go and search the house?"
Shinnosuke's blood ran cold. But the chief said, "That is not necessary." He continued, "What
are the names of those who were at your house and where are they from?"
Shinnosuke answered: "I do not know. I was away at the time."
The chief said, "It is unjustifiable for you not to know who came to your house," and detained
Shinnosuke overnight. Afterward, a report was taken from each, Shinnosuke, Omasa, and Osato.

Written Account
Yesterday, the 24th, at about 10:00 a.m., an officer of this station, while patrolling his beat, called
at our house. There being worshipers present, we were ordered to submit a written account, so I offer
this, the plain truth.
In compliance with your injunctions, we have been strict in refusing worshipers. In addition, we
have posted signs of refusal at the entrances. Therefore, there is no one who comes to worship any
longer.
On the 23rd of this month, I appeared at the Nara District Court. Having been absent from the
house, I have no knowledge of whether or not there were worshipers. Upon my return home, I learned of
the order to submit a written account.
According to the household members, Chuzaburo Koda of Higai Village, Shikijo County, Yamato
Province, requested to see the writings derived from Tenrin-O-no-Mikoto. They allowed it. Of the five or
six others, who were strangers, they know nothing of their names or where they were from. On being
told by the patrolman to burn such writings concerning Tenrin-O-no-Mikoto, mentioned above, a member
of the household and Sato, wife of Izo Iburi, immediately burned the writings the forementioned
Chuzaburo had been reading.
I offer this as a written account of the plain truth.

March 25, 1883

Mishima Village, Yamabe County

Shinjiro Nakayama

Messrs. Tanbaichi Branch Police Station

御休息所棟上げ The raising of the ridge-beam of the Resting House of Oyasama

In May of that year, 1883, the ridge-beam of the Resting House was raised in the midst of such
severe oppressive measures.

十六年六月のふし The knot of June 1883

On June 1, which was April 26 by the lunar calendar, the police were requested by Shinnosuke
to keep worshipers from entering. Three police officers arrived but the worshipers were too numerous to
control. Two more officers, in plain clothes, arrived in the afternoon. Then, at about three o'clock, the
five of them went to a restaurant called Uoiso in Furu Village. They returned a bit drunk and went
directly to the altar. Then, on the pretext of having found a one sen copper coin39 in an offering tray,
mixed in among some rice-cake offerings, they called for Shinnosuke.
The situation is described by Shinnosuke in his records:

The officers said they found a one sen copper coin in the rice cakes proving that I
had allowed worshipers to enter while they were making rounds elsewhere. (The
number of worshipers had dwindled while the officers were away.) I responded,
"After you left, there were so few worshipers that I stood guard at the gate myself
and did not allow anyone inside." (In fact I allowed no one to enter.) The officers
became angry and threw the rice cakes into the wall plaster and put the shrine and
even the ancestral tablets into the hibachi and burned them. Further, to cover up
their blunder, they made me write an account which they took back with them.
Further, the written account was drafted by the officers. Of course, the draft was
verbal.

Thus, Shinnosuke describes the situation briefly and simply, but the conditions of the times are vividly
brought back.

Written Account
House # 5
Shinjiro Nakayama

I, the above-mentioned, on May 31, 1883, filed a petition stating that the following day, June 1,
being the 26th day of April by the old calendar, is a Tenrin-O festival day; and that a great number of
people from near and far provinces who have not heard of the new regulations will come to worship; and
that I, as the head of the household, must bar the worshipers from entering but will have difficulty doing
so alone. Therefore, yesterday, the 31st, I requested a detachment of officers be sent from this branch
station so those foolish worshipers might be cautioned.

39
One sen (copper) is approximately $0.53 U.S. as of 1993.
 The officers arrived at nine o'clock this morning. Not only did they patrol outside where the
worshipers gathered but also unguarded areas within the premises as well. I was holding a service for
the spirits of our ancestors when they arrived. They cautioned me to stop and to put the articles away.
But when they returned in the afternoon, they found that I had left the articles in the same place. Not
having obeyed their precaution, the officers confiscated the ceremonial articles. I stand corrected, and,
in order that I shall not protest their confiscation, I stood witness to their destruction by fire.
Moreover, if any such articles exist on the premises by our oversight and are found on routine
inspection, I shall allow their immediate confiscation, and, further, I shall not protest such action. This
written account stands in witness thereof.

June 1, 1883

Mishima Village, Yamabe County

Shinjiro Nakayama

Messrs. Tanbaichi Branch Police Station

雨乞づとめ The Service for Rain

Since the beginning of 1883, the police had been keeping the Residence under strict
surveillance. Not a day passed when the police did not come day and night.
That summer, there was a great drought in the entire Kinki region. The drought continued so
long that the usually wet rice fields in Mishima Village showed cracks. The leaves and stalks of the rice
plants had turned brown and were on the verge of dying. The villagers confined themselves in the
village shrine and prayed for rain for three nights but to no avail. Then the villagers came to the
Residence and requested that they be allowed to make a prayer vigil there. Shinnosuke refused,
explaining to them in detail of the many years of strict police control disallowing worshipers or the
performance of the Service, and that should the Service be performed, Oyasama would be taken away.
But the villagers, having nowhere else to turn, requested that, if they could not be allowed to make a
vigil, a Service for Rain be performed, if need be, on the ground of the village shrine, and they refused
to leave the Residence for a day and a night. Furthermore, they said that, if the police arrived, they
would tell them that they, the villagers, had requested the Service themselves and that no trouble would
be brought to the members of the house. They repeated their pleas over and over again.
Shinnosuke, moved to compassion, consulted Oyasama, who said:

Whether it rains, is God. Whether it does not rain, is God. It is all God's free
working. I shall bestow rain if your minds so deserve. Sah, set about, set about.

Then, after discussing the matter with the village representative, Keiji Isonishi, it was decided
that the Service performers would first assemble on the grounds of the village shrine. Accordingly, the
Service performers made preparations and left the Residence at about four o'clock on the afternoon of
August 15 and proceeded toward the village shrine. The day had been bright and clear since morning;
not a speck of cloud was in the sky.
Shinnosuke and Izo Iburi remained at the Residence and prayed fervently at the place for the
Kanrodai. The performers of the Service for Rain on that day were: Chusaku Tsuji, Gisaburo Nakata,
Kaji Nakata, Isaburo Masui, Naokichi Takai, Risaburo Yamamoto, Yonosuke Okada, Gonjiro Sawada,
Tohei Hakata, Kaji Murata, Jukichi Nakayama, Yahei Nishiura, Yoshie Iburi, Tomegiku Tsuji, Otokichi,
and others.
Both the men and the women wore crests sewn on the backs of their Service garments. The
crests were of a twelve-petaled flower design, three inches in diameter, made from one of Oyasama's
red kimono.
After the two lion masks, eight other masks, and the nine musical instruments had been
distributed to the respective Service performers, they assembled on the grounds of the village shrine
and then proceeded around the southern limits of Mishima, first to the southeast corner, then commonly
known as Ushihagiba, and there, performed the Service for Rain, in one accord and with their souls put
into it, to the repeated chants:

Sweeping away evils, for the rain's unfailing we pray, Tenri-O-no-Mikoto, Namu
Tenri-O-no-Mikoto, Namu Tenri-O-no-Mikoto.

Next, they proceeded westward toward the southwest corner, to a place just north of the Furu
Road, where they performed the Service again. About that time, a dark spot of a cloud appeared in the
eastern sky. The performers continued on to the northwest corner, and, as they began to perform,
clouds as black as India ink rose above the mountains in the east and quickly covered the entire sky. A
piercing downpour accompanied by thunder began, developing into a storm. The joy of the Service
performers and villagers alike was beyond description. The performers continued the Service to the end
despite the rain which was so heavy that it made one wonder if it would even pierce their masks. They
continued on, furthermore, to the northeast corner and proceeded with the Service in their drenched
Service wear, emptying the rain water that collected in their sleeves, time and again, as they performed.
The Service completed, the performers were resting on the grounds of the village shrine, when
the villagers, in their great joy, asked to be allowed to give thanks at the place for the Kanrodai. So they
all returned to the place for the Kanrodai, and, while they were giving thanks, several police officers
came running from the Tanbaichi Branch Police Station. They demanded, "What are you doing?" "We
performed the Service for Rain at the request of the villagers," was the reply. Then the police said to call
the village official. Come he did, but when the question, "Did you or did you not request a service for
rain?" was put to him by the police, perhaps overawed by the tense atmosphere, he answered, "I don't
know. . . . I did not ask them to . . ." evading the responsibility. At this, all those who participated in the
Service for Rain were arrested on the spot soaking wet.
In the meantime, someone had violated the water rights of the river running through Mishima,
and two of the officers had to rush off to Takimoto Village upstream where a quarrel had broken out. So
the Service performers were led away by the remaining officer, all of them bound, the first and the last
by their hands, the others by the cord passing through their waist sashes, and proceeded, thus, west on
the Furu Road toward the Tanbaichi Branch Police Station.
What struck everyone with awe in this episode was that the neighboring villages such as
Toyoda, Morimedo, and Kawarajo, all within very close proximity, received only a few spatters that could
hardly be called rain at all.
At the police station, the interrogation progressed. To explain the Kagura, the doctrine had to be
explained. And in explaining the doctrine, the fact that it was taught by Oyasama, as was inevitable,
surfaced. In addition, the kimono worn by Yoshie and Tomegiku, being of red calico and embellished
with a design, attracted the attention of onlookers, leading the police to suspect that Oyasama Herself
had taken part in the Service.
At the Residence also, the followers were feeling somehow uneasy when, at about nine o'clock
on the evening of that day, an officer suddenly arrived and was about to arrest Oyasama. Omasa, who
was close by at the time, demanded, "Why are you taking my old mother away?" and, in the heat of her
query, unintentionally touched the officer's trousers. He retorted: "You dare to ask the reason?
Preposterous! To take your old mother away for questioning of course! Why did you strike me? I shall
take you in with your old mother," and took them both.
As the interrogation progressed, Oyasama revealed:

Whether it rains, is God. Whether it does not rain, is also God's free working.

Notwithstanding, the police charged everyone with interfering with the water supply by the
Service for Rain, causing the rain which should have fallen on all nearby villages to fall in the confines
of Mishima only, and, further, with obstructing traffic by performing the Service on the roadside.
Oyasama was fined two yen and forty sen,40 Tsuji, Nakata, and Takai, sixty-two sen and five rin,41 and
the others, fifty sen42 each. In addition, Omasa was fined one yen43 on the charge of striking a police
officer. The followers were released at two o'clock in the morning but Oyasama was held in custody for
the night, Her hardship extending until ten o'clock in the morning when She was released.44
The following week, on about August 21, in answer to a request by Osakabe Village, Kawachi
Province, a Service for Rain was performed at the house of Matsuda. The performers at that time were
Takai, Masui, Tsuji, Miyamori, Hakata, and others. The police arrived on the scene then also, but the
performers all managed to flee to Oihara Village. Takai, however, dropped his purse. The police picked
it up and, searching through it, found a receipt for a fine paid at the Tanbaichi Branch Police Station.
Takai alone was summoned and fined one yen and fifty sen.45
Concurrently, at Hozenji Village, Kawachi Province, Risaburo Yamamoto assembled heads and
leading members of some fellowships and held a Service for Rain. This time, all went well.

40
Two yen and forty sen is approximately $112 U.S. as of 1993.
41
Sixty-two sen and five rin is approximately $30 U.S. as of 1993.
42
Fifty sen is approximately $26 U.S. as of 1993.
43
One yen is approximately $44 U.S. as of 1993.
44
See Appendix III, pp. 218–219.
45
One yen and fifty sen is approximately $72 U.S. as of 1993.
 Thus, 1883 was a popular year for the Service for Rain. Police oppression was severe but
whether they were arrested, verbally abused, or fined, the followers' zeal increased and the measures
served only to vitalize the movement greatly.

十六年十月のふし The knot of October 1883

On October 16 of that year, two police officers came to the Residence. Saying they wished to
pursue a line of questioning, they took Oyasama away. In addition, they took a folding screen that was
near Oyasama and a blanket they found in a closet, and, saying that those articles were used in a
crime, put a police seal on them and carried them off to the house of the village head, Keiji Isonishi.

御休息所竣工 The completion of the Resting House of Oyasama

The interior of the Resting House of Oyasama was completed that autumn. The structure was
eighteen feet by twenty-four feet and contained two rooms, one four-mat and the other eight-mat.
Oyasama, on November 25, which was October 26 by the lunar calendar, at night, after
waiting until the proper time in accordance with the directions of God the Parent, moved from the South
Gatehouse into the new Resting House.
That evening, following Her meal, Oyasama changed Her clothes and waited quietly for the
proper time to arrive. An intermediary announced that all preparations had been made. The followers
who had come out to welcome Her had already lit their lanterns and stood arrayed in the garden.
But Oyasama said simply,

Oh, all is ready? Let us move when the time comes,

and remained seated on the dais.

Preparations had been made. The followers stood waiting, asking themselves: "Will it be
now? But Oyasama awaited the proper time intently. Human thought would have been to move and be
done with it quickly. But Oyasama was One whom nothing would divert when the will of God the Parent
was before Her. This bearing of Oyasama evokes the vivid image of the Shrine of Tsukihi.
Many hours passed. Then Oyasama said:

Sah, the time has arrived. Let us move. Come, Tama-san.

It was about midnight when She said this to Her granddaughter, Tamae. Her passage was lit on both
sides by followers who filled the garden, holding lanterns emblazoned with the names of their
fellowships such as Shinmei and Meishin, standing in wait. Oyasama, now in Her eighty-sixth year,
stepped out into their midst bathed in the light of their paper lanterns, leading Her seven-year-old
granddaughter, Tamae, by the hand while Tamae's other hand was held by Hisa Kajimoto, another
granddaughter, and walked quietly forward. A few claps were heard from the crowd in attendance and,
as Oyasama proceeded through the crowd, the sound of clapping mounted resoundingly.
 Many years later, Tamae recalled: "At the time, not knowing what it was all about, I went along
with Grandmother, holding Her hand. When I think about it now, the distance was short, but that night I
thought it was very long."
Arriving at the Resting House, Oyasama proceeded to the raised room and sat down quietly.
Then She beckoned to Shinnosuke and Tamae,

Come here. Sit here,

and had them sit on Her right and left.

Then the greetings from the followers began. The door opened and closed as each group
entered and left, their names announced by an intermediary: "Now, it is the Shinmei Fellowship. Now, it
is the Meishin Fellowship." The greetings continued, seemingly without end, and thus the night passed.
When the followers saw Oyasama enter the Resting House built by their sincerity, and
especially after witnessing that Oyasama had waited until the time fixed by God before entering, their
hearts flamed with deep emotion, unconcerned even by the frost on that cold night.
That year, 1883, saw the Path extend to distant provinces. Notable among those who began
to follow during this year were Kunisaburo Moroi of Totomi Province, in February, and Yonosuke
Shimizu of Kobe, in May. Also in that year, Kichisaburo Uemura of Kurahashi Village, Yamato Province,
and Hanbei Terada of Osaka began to follow the path.

明治十七年 1884

With the advent of the new year, 1884, Oyasama entered Her eighty-seventh year.

十七年三月の御苦労 The Hardship of March 1884

Police control continued to be as severe as ever from the beginning of the year. On March 23,
which was February 26 by the lunar calendar, around midnight, two police officers suddenly came to the
Residence accompanied by Chusaku Tsuji. Chusaku had just left the Residence and was on his way
home to Toyoda Village. Chusaku had just left the Residence and was on his way home to Toyoda
Village. As he was hurrying east on the road north of the woods of the village shrine, he was stopped by
the two officers. Because he explained that he had gone to the Residence on business and was just
returning, he was brought back to the Residence for questioning.
At that time, Chuzaburo Koda was present, in the room adjoining Oyasama's living room. There
were offerings in the room. Further, Koda had been writing a manuscript which he called Koki. The
officers drew their sabers and threatened, "Be you the rust on this blade!" The next day, one of the
officers returned to arrest Oyasama and Koda, using the offerings and the manuscript as evidence.
Oyasama said to the arresting officer:

What have I done wrong?

The officer answered, "You know nothing of it, but your associate is evil and, therefore, I must take you
both." Then Oyasama said:

Is that so? Then I shall go after My meal. Hisa, please serve this gentleman, too.

Then, after eating and changing clothes, She left with the police officer with a smile on Her face.
At the branch police station, with the offerings and writings found earlier as evidence, Oyasama
was sentenced to twelve days' detention, Koda to ten days', and they were taken to the Nara Prison
under escort. Thus, it came to be that Oyasama was to undergo the hardship of imprisonment again,
this time from March 24 to April 5. During Her imprisonment, Shinnosuke, Her intermediaries, and other
followers did their utmost in delivering things to Oyasama and in managing the Residence in Her
absence.
On the morning of Her release, when Oyasama came through the gateway at ten o'clock, the
great mass of followers who had come out to greet Her in front of the prison gate clapped their hands
and bowed in reverence.
As was Her custom, Oyasama went directly to Yoshizen for a bath and Her midday meal, after
which She received Her followers and treated them to sake and food. Then She started out for the
Residence in Chobei Murata's rickshaw. The rickshaws following in procession, carrying those who
came to accompany Oyasama home, numbered in the hundreds. At every point on Her route, people
were massed at the roadsides to greet Her. In the vicinity of Sarusawa Pond especially, many people
were massed; they clapped their hands and bowed in concert as She passed.
The police who had been dispatched to control the crowd, dashed about with drawn sabers,
warning the crowds that they were not allowed to pay obeisance to a human being as if she were a god.
But their efforts were in vain, for as soon as the officers moved away, the people resumed their clapping
and bowing, muttering among themselves that whoever had been saved by Oyasama from a hopeless
illness could not help but worship Her, even in the face of imprisonment.
Oyasama arrived home without incident at two o'clock in the afternoon.

毎月二十六日の御苦労 Three months of consecutive Hardship

In each of the three months that followed, April, May, and June, Oyasama was taken by the
police without charge and held for three days surrounding the Service day, the 25th, the 26th, and the
27th of the month (lunar calendar), after which She was released, without having been interrogated,
and returned home. From this, we can surmise clearly how keenly the nerves of the police were put on
edge by the increase of worshipers, daily and monthly, and by the spread of the teachings of God the
Parent which could not be stopped.

十七年八月の御苦労 The Hardship of August 1884

On August 18, an officer came on routine patrol and, while searching through a desk drawer,
found an Amulet. Using it to make a charge, he arrested Oyasama and took Her to the Tanbaichi
Branch Police Station. Oyasama was sentenced to twelve days' detention and was taken to the Nara
Prison. She entered the prison at about three o'clock in the afternoon. Thus Oyasama, at the advanced
age of eighty-seven, underwent the hardship of imprisonment again, this time from the 18th to the 30th
of August, in a cramped and filthy cell, when the heat of summer was at its height.
It was not the first time She underwent such hardships and just as She had often said,

From a knot, buds will sprout,

each time Oyasama was imprisoned, the number of people who came out to greet Her greatly
increased.
On the days of Her release during this period, several hundred rickshaws would be out to greet
Her. It is said that people came from all over the nation and that their number was in the tens of
thousands. But when the gate of the Residence was approached, officers were on guard and would not
let the others take even a step inside. And so the followers had to be content to accompany Oyasama
to the gate and watch Her receding figure wistfully. Then, paying their respects toward the Jiba for the
Kanrodai from outside the gate, they would disperse to return to their homes, some to nearby villages,
others to distant provinces, each filled with deep emotion.
In February of that year, Shobei Masuno, originally of Choshu, presently of Kobe, began to
follow the path.
Many followers had been thinking for some time that the hardships of imprisonment befell the
aged Oyasama only because the church had not been sanctioned. During the past two or three years in
particular, the thoughtless acts of followers, who did not know east from west, had all resulted in
troubles for Oyasama. To let this situation continue could not be justified. A petition for church sanction
had to be made. Thus, a firm resolve to take action arose among the followers.
On April 14, Risaburo Yamamoto and Gisaburo Nakata left the Residence for Kyokoji Village to
attend a meeting on this matter. On the 18th, another meeting took place at Sahei Nishida's house in
Osaka. In attendance were Shinnosuke, Yamamoto, Nakata, Matsumura, and Umetani, from the
Residence, and members of the Meisei Fellowship from Kyoto. Since they were unable to reach an
agreement on the points of discussion, it was decided that the members from the Residence would
return and make an inquiry of Oyasama first and then discuss Her answer among themselves before
making a decision on the procedure.
During that period, the Meisei Fellowship was spreading the teachings as moral philosophy and
thus escaped persecution. Following their example, a petition was submitted on May 9, 1884, to
establish an organization under the name "Tenrin-O-Sha: Institute for the Study of Practical Ethics," with
Umetani as its head. The reply was issued on May 17: "This office has no authority to grant such a
request; therefore, the petition is denied (however, we have no objection as to your purpose)." And so
an office of Tenrin-O-Sha was opened in the Junkei section of Osaka.
At about the same time, mainly by the efforts of the followers of Chapter One and Chapter Two
of the Ten'e Fellowship, another institute for the study of practical ethics was established in the
Kitasumiya section of Osaka, its representatives being Miyoshi Takeuchi and Seizo Morita. In
September, Takeuchi planned to broaden the scope of the organization and to re-establish it under the
name "Tenrin Church of Japan." He proposed the plan first to the Ten'e and Shinjin fellowships and then
to other fellowships in Osaka and even to more distant fellowships in Hyogo, Totomi, Kyoto, and
Shikoku.
In this way, as the Path extended, the oppression grew more severe, and as the oppression
grew severe, so grew the impatience of the followers to obtain legal sanction for the church, until finally,
a sign reading "Church Establishment Office" was put up at Chobei Murata's house, which had become
a regular stopover for the followers.

明治十八年 1885

With the arrival of 1885, Oyasama entered Her eighty-eighth year. Her Eighty-eighth Year
Celebration was held that year in the two adjoining rooms south of the north room with the raised floor.
During the celebration, Oyasama put both Shinnosuke and Kikutaro Maegawa, both twenty, on Her
back, and walked around the rooms three times, astonishing all who were present.
Now the plans, which Takeuchi had proposed and others had supported, developed into a
nationwide movement to establish the church. On March 7, 1885, a meeting was held at the Church
Establishment Office. In attendance were: Shinnosuke, Narikatsu Fujimura, Yonosuke Shimizu, Tokichi
Izumita, Miyoshi Takeuchi, Seizo Morita, Risaburo Yamamoto, Ka'ichiro Kitada, Umejiro Izutsu, and
others. Fujimura proposed that they discuss the advisability of deciding the head of the church and its
directors by vote, whether or not a monthly salary system should be adopted, and other items.
The discussion became heated and a conclusion could not be reached. In addition, Izutsu had a
violent stomachache and collapsed. At this point, they made an inquiry of Oyasama, who said:

Sah, sah, indeed the Shinbashira is thin at present. But when flesh is added to him,
no one knows how great he will become.

Her words awakened them instantly. They now understood that as long as they continued such
discussions with Takeuchi, Fujimura, and the like, they would never be in accord with the will of God the
Parent.
Nevertheless, a full-fledged movement to establish the church did begin around that time. In
March and April of that year, the Shinto Headquarters was approached for religious instructor
appointments for Shinnosuke and nine others by a petition to the Patriarch of Shinto with a letter of
recommendation from the Omiwa Church sent in accompaniment. In addition, in April and again in July,
the civil authorities in Osaka were approached with a petition for church establishment. In their first
attempt to obtain civil authorization, a petition for permission to form the Tenrikyo Church, dated April
29, was filed with the governor of Osaka Prefecture. Four books on the doctrine were submitted in
accompaniment: The Twelve Songs, Ofudesaki Part IV, Ofudesaki Part X, and The Story of Creation.
As for the Shinto authorizations, Shinnosuke was appointed as a religious instructor on May 22.
On May 23, permission was granted for the establishment of a sixth-degree church to be directly
supervised by the Shinto Headquarters. The other religious instructor appointments were also received.
A letter accepting these appointments was sent to the Shinto authorities on June 2.
 In Shikoku that year, Unosuke Tosa and others also received their appointments through a
connection made with the Shusei sect of Shinto. In their case, too, it was to lessen the pressures and
the interference thrust upon them by the public.
Civil authorization for the formation of the Tenrikyo Church, however, was not such an easy
matter. A notice was received from the governor of Osaka Prefecture, dated June 18, rejecting the
petition to wit: "Request difficult to grant."

十八年六月のふし The knot of June 1885

On June 20, Kenkai Murashima, head priest of the Konzo Temple in Iwamuro Village, as well as
Osamu Murata and others kicked in the front gate and forced their way inside the Residence. Their
violence being too excessive, Shinnosuke was about to bring charges against them. But Akio
Komamura of Tanbaichi Village interceded and apologized for them so Shinnosuke dropped the matter.
On July 3, a second request was made to the civil authorities. The petition, addressed to the
governor of Osaka Prefecture, read, "Request to Establish the Shinto Tenrikyo Church." The request
was submitted with the stipulation that Baron Kunihae Imazono would be in charge.
On October 8, after having made certain of Shinnosuke's attendance, the heads of the
fellowships were called to a meeting at the Church Establishment Office. Narikatsu Fujimura and
Masamoto Ishizaki, who attended the meeting as interested parties, suddenly stood up and left while
discussions were in progress and went to the restaurant Uoiso in Furu Village. After a while, someone
arrived with a message from them that they wished to speak with Shinnosuke, Yonosuke Shimizu, and
Shobei Masuno, and that the three of them please come to the restaurant. Suspicious of trickery, the
three did not go. Then Fujimura returned and listed his complaints to Shimizu. Ishizaki, however,
vanished that night.
A notice arrived, dated October 28: "Request difficult to grant." The petition was rejected again
by the prefectural authorities. At this time, an inquiry was made of Oyasama who said:

The core is thin. When the flesh of sincerity is added, he will grow stout.

In the eyes of God the Parent, the question was not at all matters of legal authorization and the
like. That which God the Parent earnestly urged was the Service that leads to the Joyous Life. In reality,
the severe persecution and interference were none other than manifestations of the hastening of God
the Parent. But people did not understand this. They focused their eyes only on superficial matters,
absorbed only with human thoughts. Thus, they made fruitless appeals, over and over.
Oyasama often said, "Shinnosuke the Shinbashira," clearly indicating the core of the Path.
Despite this, the attempts to appoint someone without such divine destiny to that post of responsibility,
however temporary and whatever the reasons for haste, show how far off the mark their minds were.
To paraphrase: Think this point over carefully and ponder first where one's thoughts are to be
directed. To add flesh to the core means for you to add the flesh of your sincerity to the Shinbashira. If
you add the flesh of your sincerity to Shinnosuke in accordance with the will of God the Parent,
although he is still young and inexperienced, he will become a splendid Shinbashira.
 Thus, Oyasama taught the path of single-heartedness with God that is unmixed with human
thought.
In that year, Narazo Hirano, originally of Kawachi Province, then residing in Koriyama, Yamato
Province, began to follow the path.

明治十九年 1886

With the arrival of 1886, Oyasama entered Her eighty-ninth year.

最後の御苦労 Her last Hardship

On February 18, a large group of followers of the Shin'yu Fellowship came to the Residence for
worship. They requested that they be allowed to perform the Twelve Songs but the request was denied,
for the police were enforcing their restrictions very strictly and, should the police arrive while the Twelve
Songs were being performed, troubles would fall on Oyasama at once.
Then, at Chobei Murata's house, which had become a place of lodging for the followers and
whose front gate bore the sign "Tofu Shop," Kichisaburo Uemura and some others, buoyed by their high
spirits, began to perform the Teodori on the second floor. This became known quickly to the Ichinomoto
Branch Police Station, and several officers came to the house without delay. They quickly dispersed all
the followers assembled and then went to the Residence. Ordering the front and back gates to be
closed, they barged into Oyasama's living room and began a search which included even the closets
and chests. Finally, they found a piece of cloth to be made into Amulets on which words were written.
With this as evidence, they arrested Oyasama and Shinnosuke as well as Masui and Nakata, who
happened to be there.
The officers alleged that it was because Oyasama wore red clothes that people gathered to Her,
compelling the followers to make black, formal garments for Her, which they delivered to the station. All
during the time She was at the station, Oyasama wore these black garments over Her red clothes.
The night wore on and at about two o'clock on the morning of the 19th, Oyasama's interrogation
began. She was sentenced to twelve days' detention. According to the records of Shinnosuke, who was
with Her in detention at the time:

Oyasama, having gone to the police station, was questioned at about two that night.
She explained about Her divine inspirations, about the divine providences for the
human body, about the dusts, and about the truths concerning the Amulet. Further,
She said:

Of the Amulet, God orders Me to bestow it. The boy in My family knows nothing
about it.

At about three o'clock in the morning, Masui and Nakata were questioned. Both answered that they had
received divine blessings and therefore told others about it in return for the obligation. From about four
o'clock, Shinnosuke was questioned. He replied: "It is I who bestow the Amulets. I am a religious
instructor and bestow them according to religious law. My old mother knows nothing about it.
Shinnosuke was justified because he and nine others had, in fact, been registered as religious
instructors in the previous year.
The group spent the rest of the night on the wood floor of the interrogation room. Oyasama sat
in the northeast corner of the room. Hisa sat by Oyasama in attendance. Shinnosuke sat in the
southwest corner. One officer sat on guard in the center of the room, in a chair, relieved in one hour
shifts. Masui and Nakata had been put into cells.
Oyasama motioned to Shinnosuke and said:

You must be lonesome. Come over here.

Shinnosuke had Hisa explain to Her that this was a police station and that he was not permitted to go.
Then Oyasama said,

Is that so?

and said no more.

By the time the intense questioning had been completed, dawn arrived before anyone even had
a chance to doze. The sun rose above the mountains in the east but the officer on guard, unnoticing,
dozed on. The lamp on his desk continued to burn uselessly.
Oyasama arose quickly, approached the lamp, and blew it out. The officer was awakened with a
start by Her slight puff of breath and shouted, "Old woman, what are you doing?"
Oyasama, with a smile on Her face, said:

The sun is already up but your lamp was still lit. It is wasteful, so I put it out.

From early in the morning, Oyasama was made to sit next to the desk sergeant in the wood-
floored room alongside the road where She could be seen by passers-by. This was from their attempt to
punish Her by embarrassment. In addition, other arrested offenders were purposely made to sit beside
Her. But Oyasama was unperturbed by it all and carried on in Her usual manner without change.
At night, when it came time for Her to sleep, Oyasama took off Her black, quilted garments and
used them to cover Herself. For Her pillow, She used Her clogs, wrapping them with Hisa's waist sash.
Then She rested. In the morning, She awoke at Her usual hour, and, after completing Her toilet, sat
straight all day without relaxing Her posture. Thus, throughout Her detention at the Ichinomoto Branch
Police Station, there was not a day when Oyasama did not carry on as usual.
Hisa sat beside Oyasama during the day and by Her pillow at night. Each night, she shaded
Oyasama's face with both hands until dawn. Although Hisa continued to serve Oyasama night and day,
she experienced no fatigue.
For meals, Oyasama did not accept any food served by the police station. Hisa tried to slip
Oyasama the food which had been forwarded to her by the followers but was prevented from doing so
by the officers. For drink, only boiled water delivered from the Kajimoto house in an iron pot was offered
to Her; the followers felt that nothing should be given to Oyasama that was not prepared with sincerity.
It was also a precaution to ensure that nothing untoward would come to Oyasama to endanger Her life.
During the day, passers-by would say, "Look at that old woman," or would point at Hisa and say,
"Such a young girl as that, to be in such a place when she's old enough to be thinking of marriage."
There were others who came to the grid to levy a barrage of insults. Years later, Hisa said: "I did not
think anything of it. How could I have left Her alone in a place like that?"
Nothing She saw or heard ever bothered Oyasama. In fact, one day, She saw a cake peddler
passing by and said to Hisa:

Oh, Hisa, buy a cake.

Hisa asked, "What will You do with it?" Oyasama said:

That officer is so bored that he is dozing off. So I want to give it to him.

Hisa replied: "This is a police station. It is not permitted to do so." Then Oyasama said,

Is that so?

and said no more.

Even while at the police station, the words of God were revealed when the time came to do so.
When this occurred, the officers would say: "The blood has gone to her head. Take her to the well-side
and douse her with water. But each time, Hisa would stop them with every ounce of strength. Not once
did she allow Oyasama to be doused.
One day Oyasama began a revelation:

At each knot, at each knot, buds will sprout. . . .

The officer shouted, "Hey!" Hisa attempted to stop Oyasama, "Grandmother, Grandmother. . . ."
Suddenly a voice rang out majestically:

There is no grandmother here. I am the General of Heaven!

So different was that voice, filled with austere dignity, inconceivable that it came from the usually gentle
Oyasama, that Hisa trembled in fear before the presence of God. Hisa was taught the truth of Oyasama
being the Shrine of Tsukihi, a truth surpassing by far the ties of blood.
Further, at each time of revelation, came the words of God:

At the Residence, those who come to stop, as well as those who must go forth, all
are actions of God the Parent.
Concerning Oyasama's hardships:

God the Parent takes Her along.

Concerning the restrictions and the interference by the police:

At the Residence, those who come to stop, by their coming, dig up buried treasures.

Further, each time Oyasama was held in detention or imprisoned, She said:

From a knot, buds will spring forth.

Thus, as each event occurred, Oyasama taught the followers the true intent of God the Parent on which
the visible events were based and, by opening their minds to the parental heart, cheered and
encouraged the followers who otherwise would have remained bewildered and dismayed.
It is said that the winter that year was the coldest in thirty years. Oyasama, despite Her
advanced age of eighty-nine years, and despite having to sleep on a cold wooden floor, cheerfully
endured the hardship of detention with the bright and warm mind of Tsukihi. The thought of it brings
tears. To speak of it chokes one's throat. These are the footprints of the Divine Model for which we are
grateful, for which, perhaps, we are undeserving—a path which only the Parent could have undertaken,
to teach humankind how to reconstruct this world, said, until now, to be only a transient world of
suffering, into the world it should properly be—the world of the Joyous Life.
While Oyasama was undergoing this hardship, Shimizu, Masuno, Umetani, and others stayed at
the house of Matsujiro Kajimoto and went day and night to the police station to ascertain Oyasama's
well-being. Shimizu and Masuno were assigned to deliver Hisa's food and to report back on Oyasama's
condition each time. There was a stream of followers calling at the Kajimoto house daily to inquire
about Her. Iburi, Takai, Miyamori, and others were assigned to remain at the Residence and to manage
it.
Oyasama, having undergone the hardship of detention in this way, was released from the
Ichinomoto Branch Police Station on March 1. The people who came out to greet Her on that day had
increased greatly in number from the previous year. They filled the entire area in front of the station,
and it is said that the procession of people and rickshaws following Oyasama home extended from the
station to the Residence in an unbroken line. At the time of Her arrival at the Residence at nine o'clock
in the morning, however, four police officers, dispatched from the Ichinomoto Branch Police Station,
were standing on guard at the gate and would not allow the followers to take even a step inside.
On May 25, 1886, Shinnosuke received a summons from the Ichinomoto Branch Police Station.
When he appeared, he was told that a copy of the Mikagura-uta had been confiscated from Motoyoshi
Ibaraki in Osaka. Ibaraki said he had received the copy at the house of Shinjiro Nakayama, Mishima
Village, Yamato Province. (Shinjiro was Shinnosuke's legal name.) The case was reported to the
Ichinomoto Branch Police Station by the Osaka Police. Shinnosuke was made to submit a written reply
to the charge.
On May 28, three people came to the Residence to investigate: Bishop Toyomichi Furukawa,
representing Masakuni Inaba, the Patriarch of Shinto, accompanied by Bishop Masao Utsumi, and the
head priest of the Omiwa Church, Moriyoshi Kojima. That day, they were given an explanation of the
teachings by an intermediary. The next day, the 29th, they met Oyasama and asked Her various
questions to which She responded, dwelling on the teachings at length.
Afterward, Bishop Furukawa called Shinnosuke over and said: "She speaks because something
makes Her speak. Therefore, you who are close to Her must take great pains to see that She does not
run afoul of the law." Then the followers were made to submit a written acknowledgment to follow five
outlined points.46 Signers were: Shinnosuke, Izo Iburi, Chusaku Tsuji, Isaburo Masui, Risaburo
Yamamoto, Naokichi Takai, and Chuzaburo Koda.
Continuing on, the Kagura Service and the masks were explained by an intermediary, and the
priests watched a performance of the Teodori on the second floor.
On June 16 that year, the chief of the Ichinomoto Branch Police Station and an officer abruptly
came to the Residence by rickshaw. Immediately upon entering, they ordered the rickshaw man to
close the front gate and then barged into Oyasama's living room and began their search. This time,
nothing was found out of order.
In Shinnosuke's records is written:

This year, on July 21, Oyasama said:

It will grow dark in the four directions until nothing can be seen. When this
happens, it will not do to be hazy about the hand movements of the Service. So
practice the hand movements of the Service!

Giving warning in advance of the grave time close at hand, as it indeed was, Oyasama urged the
followers to be firmly resolved and to prepare for that day by learning the hand movements of the
Service of the Kanrodai, which is fundamental to the path of single-hearted salvation and for which
Oyasama had toiled since 1838.
On the night of August 25 of that year, a member of a gang of gamblers in Miwa Village, Ichitaro
Toshima, alias Kiyaten, and several of his friends, came knocking at the front gate, shouting that they
were from the Nara Police Station. Unaware that it was a lie, the people opened the gate. Then the
intruders forced their way inside over the people's objections and declared, "We shall burn down this
village." They then went to the well and, making "the final toast of their lives," as they said, they stormed
into the house. Followers, who were upstairs in a meeting, heard the noises and the threats, and ran
downstairs to defend the house. Villagers also, learning of the ruckus, began to assemble, lanterns in
hand.
Some of the intruders were readying to force their way into Oyasama's living room but Hirano,
Yamamoto, Masui, Miyamori, and others fought them off successfully. The villagers also joined in the

46
See Appendix IV, p. 219.
fray, some exchanging blows with the intruders, others wrestling with them while others ran off to inform
the police. It was bedlam.
Officers dispatched from the station arrived after a while. They began their questioning but the
responses of the offended parties were so mild that the intruders were released after only a verbal
reprimand.
The following day, Hirano and Toshima met and, after speaking with each other, found that they
had once been acquaintances. Hirano reprimanded him and gave him four yen47 for his fare back. Then
Toshima confessed openly: "I heard that you had returned to Koriyama, so I made plans to carry the old
mother off. It was a great mistake."
That year, 1886, Junshichi Masuda of Koriyama, Yamato Province, Kanzo Nakadai of Tokyo,
and Heiichiro Ueda of Okanishi Village, Yamato Province, among others, began to follow the path.

If you do not follow the path of the Divine Model, there is no need for a Divine
Model. It will not do to change the Divine Model. . . . There is no path but the path of
the Divine Model.
Timely Talk, November 7, 1889

Despite the causality of Her soul and despite Her being the Shrine of Tsukihi, in order to save
humankind who would not walk the path of salvation merely by being taught, Oyasama stood at the
forefront Herself and bore every hardship to demonstrate, by Her own life, the Divine Model by which all
humankind could achieve salvation.

If you do not follow the path of the Divine Model, there is no need for a Divine
Model.

The Divine Model, which was set forth by Oyasama in Her life for the long period of fifty years is,
indeed, the only path by which we, the children of God, can proceed straight forward to the Joyous Life.
There is no path but the path of the Divine Model. It is because Oyasama left us such trustworthy
footprints in going through every kind of hardship cheerfully and spiritedly that we human beings can,
ourselves, rise, strengthened, from the depths of any illness or trouble with peace of mind.
Oyasama is, indeed, the Parent of the Divine Model.

Appendix I
Notice of Change

Hitherto, an office of this temple was established in the home of Shinjiro Nakayama. For our own
reasons, we hereby terminate the forementioned office as of the 14th of this month by acknowledgement
of the abbot and the priest assigned to the office. All previous documents on this matter are voided. All
written orders are returned. Should any difficulties arise in this matter, we shall not trouble you with
them. this note is submitted to you for your records.

47
Four yen is approximately $300 U.S. as of 1993.
 December 14, 1882

Jifukuji Yanaizu, Moto Kongozan

Kuruno Village, Uchi County
Yamato Province

Gikan Kawabata
In behalf of the Reimei

Masanori Kimura
Priest

To Mr. Shinjiro Nakayama

Mishima Village, Yamabe County
Same Province

Appendix II
A Personal Request
Since my youth, I have worked diligently in farmwork, producing crops of superior quality year after
year. Further, I have experimented with seeds for a higher yield and have been dealing in them with
others. The (Meiji) Restoration took place in the meantime. The new government held a competitive
exhibition of cotton and sugar in Osaka which I attended as the appointed representative of the former
third district. An agricultural commission was formed on that occasion and I was appointed to a seat on
the commission. I was also appointed to a seat serve as a member of the communications committee. A
second exhibition was held in Tokyo at which an agricultural affairs commission was formed. Again, I
was appointed as a member. I was then sent to Niigata Prefecture as an instructor in farming methods. I
completed my assigned duties after two years and returned home.
At that time, instances of marvelous salvation were being accomplished by the eighty-six-year-old
mother of Mr. Nakayama of Mishima Village, Yamabe County. After investigating the phenomena, I was
truly amazed.
Tsukihi, God's self, appeared after waiting for the fixed time and saves people from all illness.
However serious the illness, if people repent of their wrongs, accept the teachings of the Way of Heaven
as the truth, do not break the codes of human conduct, follow the teachings as relayed by the
intermediaries of God, and pray with a governed mind, they are healed.
At present, people from sixteen or seventeen provinces come to worship daily. The Osaka
prefectural authorities have claimed without investigation that such a God as Tenrin-O-no-Mikoto does
not exist and have barred people from coming to be saved. Nevertheless, people from distant provinces
coming to worship increase daily. Such worship practices had been permitted in the feudal period by Mr.
Yoshida of Kyoto. If people are barred from worship now, the anger of God will increase, bringing
unforeseen punishment and suffering.
 Upon research of the origin of this deity, I have found that Tsukihi appears as Tenrin-O-no-Mikoto
and effects marvelous salvation. I believe this to be true. The words of the mysterious God are written in
the Ofudesaki. When I read the Ofudesaki, I was convinced that it was not the work of a human being,
for there are things in it that are impossible for a human being to know.
By the single-hearted salvation performance of the Service, the ill and the infirm are saved.
Farmers will be saved first: charms for germination, charms for good harvest, charms to make the
fertilizer effective, charms to ward off insects, and for matters not included in the foregoing, God will hear
all prayers.
In the Ofudesaki of this God, the fall of the Tokugawa Shogunate was foretold the previous year.
The intermediaries knew of it. The coming of the foreigners was foretold in the same way. Everyone
knew of it, but no one said anything for fear of the authorities.
At this time, as I am a member of the committee to communicate agricultural affairs, I think it is best
that this means for the salvation of all people and the increase of the harvest be spread for the welfare
of our future generations and for the good of the empire. I forward my opinions to you for these reasons,
without any wish to be discourteous.
In support of the above, I include four articles herewith:
Part six and part ten of the Ofudesaki of God, which has seventeen parts.
The Twelve Songs of the Service
I have written the foregoing because I believe this God is the God to be revered.

March 15, 1883

Chuzaburo Koda
Higai Village, Shikige County
Yamato Province, Osaka Prefecture

To the Ministry of Finance

Tokyo

Appendix III
Receipt

Fine: Two yen, forty sen

Received from Miki Nakayama, commoner of Mishima Village, Yamabe County, Yamato Province

August 15, 1883

Tanbaichi Branch Police Station

Appendix IV
 Acknowledgement

1. The god of worship is to be one contained in the Shinto regulations.

2. The doctrine of creation is to be based upon the two books of the ancient chronicles.
3. Man is the lord of all creatures. Man is not to be confused with the souls of fishes and shells.
4. No one is to be prevented from taking medicine, alleging that it is an order from God.
5. Priests are to be appointed by the recommendation of Shinjiro Nakayama and reported to the
Patriarch of Shinto. However, in order to receive acknowledgement for such appointments by local
authorities, we are to remain affiliated with Omiwa Church.

We shall obey the above articles strictly as ordered. If, by chance, we do not, we shall not object to
any measures that are taken to reprimand us. We submit this acknowledgement with our joint
signatures:

Shinjiro Nakayama
Izo Iburi
Isaburo Masui
Risaburo Yamamoto
Chusaku Tsuji
Naokichi Takai
Chuzaburo Koda

To Bishop Toyomichi Furukawa

Representing the Patriarch of Shinto
 Chapter Ten – Portals Opened
Despite all that occurred both inside and outside the faith, the Path continued to expand.

明治二十年 1887

The year 1886 ended, and, on New Year's Day, 1887, in the evening, as Oyasama came out of Her
bath, She staggered momentarily. When She was asked at the time, She said:

It is a sign that the world is going to move.

Nothing serious happened that day. On the following day, Oyasama did not feel well and this caused
the followers to worry, but She recovered without any further trouble this time.
But on January 4, Her health suddenly took a critical turn, and the followers made an inquiry
regarding the intention of God through Izo Iburi at the Resting House of Oyasama in the room adjacent
to Oyasama's living room. The divine words were:

Sah, sah, the time is fully ripe and pressing. I have already told you everything but
you have not understood at all. No matter how much I explain, there is no one who
understands. This is My regret. You must reflect deeply on the life of doubt which
you lead. Sah, if the words of God were false, this path would not have continued
for forty-nine years until now. What I have told you until now has been shown. With
this in mind, reflect. Sah, shall I withdraw? Shall I end it all?

Import: You have not listened to the words of the Parent from your innermost hearts. This is truly
regrettable to the Parent. You think about all things in terms of ordinary human understanding and have
continued living in doubt. Just as you are doing now, you have not listened obediently to the words of
God the Parent. You cannot become single-hearted from your innermost being. This is truly regrettable.
If what God the Parent had said were false, would this Path have continued for forty-nine years, from
1838? Compare and ponder well which is correct, the path of God the Parent, or the path of common,
human thought. If your level of spiritual growth is so low that you cannot understand, then the Parent
may draw Her last breath.
Then Oyasama stopped breathing, and Her body suddenly became cold, shocking everyone.
Realizing that this was due to their error of not performing the Service, which Oyasama had long
hastened, on the excuse of police oppression, the followers began to perform the Service in apology
every day, from the following day, January 5, although without the required number of musical
instruments, and, in deference to the police, behind locked gates, in secrecy, at night. Although
Oyasama's condition improved somewhat, She still did not eat. On the night of January 8, the followers
who gathered were those who had participated in the discussions to establish the church during the
previous year, whose purpose it was that the Service could be performed openly. A discussion was held
by these followers, and they arrived at a decision to put two-parts weight on worldly affairs and eight-
parts weight on the affairs of God and to put their hearts into the performance of the Service, thus
fulfilling the dictates of the Divine Records. The time was five o'clock on the morning of the following
day, January 9, when the decision was made.
Their resolve may have been accepted, for Oyasama began to feel better from the morning of
that day, January 9, even taking a bit of food. Then the following words came directly from Oyasama:

Sah, sah, do you think that I have become feeble with age or that I am having
difficulty because of illness? I am not ill, nor am I feeble. I have taught you
completely, step by step. Ponder over it well.

Import: By no means have I become weak with age nor am I ill.I have taught you everything completely.
It is indeed the time for you to become resolved. I am hastening the Service, the path of single-hearted
salvation, by showing you a disorder in the body of the Parent.
But on the following day, January 10, Oyasama's health appeared to have failed again.
Then at about three o'clock in the afternoon, after a discussion, the followers made an inquiry in the
room adjacent to Oyasama's through Izo Iburi as to what they should do to restore Oyasama to health,
and whether they should also perform the Service during the day instead of just at night as they had
been doing.

Sah, sah, I have already taught you everything up to now. I shall not tell you to do
this or that any longer. The path from forty-nine years ago. . . . Has not every kind of
path been passed through? Surely you must have understood. Surely you must
have been saved. There is no one who reflects deeply, even now. From near and far
you have been drawn. No one understands the circumstances. No longer shall I
direct you to do this or that. It will be up to the mind of each person. I shall not direct
you any further.

Import: I have already said all that need be said. What is necessary now is for each of you to grasp
firmly what I have said and make your own decisions. It does no good to ask God the Parent about
everything repeatedly just to tide over a problem; it only makes your minds dull later. In these past forty-
nine years, a model for every possible situation has been shown. Were there not days when all of you
returned to Jiba in high spirits and days when all of you were heavy of heart, having to see the Parent
off to the hardship of imprisonment? Also, are there not many, many who were saved? Because the
Path has come through all that, it continues yet today. Look back and reflect on how this Path was trod
and let each of you gain from it a firm understanding in your hearts of what is being urged by the
disorder shown in the body of the Parent. Further, let the understanding not be based just on individual
thought but let it be refined through sincere discussion becoming of one mind for the one path—
gathering firmly together as to one staff.
Those present were startled by the declaration, "I shall not direct you any further," and, after
informing Shinnosuke, immediately began a meeting. Those involved were: Kikutaro Maegawa,
Matsujiro Kajimoto, Isaburo Masui, Chuzaburo Koda, Naokichi Takai, Chusaku Tsuji, Shirobei Umetani,
Shobei Masuno, Yonosuke Shimizu, and Kunisaburo Moroi.
 After the meeting, it was reported to Shinnosuke that everyone was in favor of following the
dictates of the path of God the Parent, which was to perform the Service. Shinnosuke replied that he
wished to deliberate on the matter further. The situation being so grave, when he thought of both
Oyasama's condition and the imminence of police oppression, which had continued, he could not
readily answer.
That night, after nine, another meeting was held by the following people: Chuzaburo Koda,
Isaburo Masui, Shirobei Umetani, Shobei Masuno, Yonosuke Shimizu, Kunisaburo Moroi, and
Hidenobu Nakano. Then they waited for Shinnosuke's reply. Still there was no reply. Then they asked
Maegawa and Kajimoto for their advice. Thereupon, the two offered to go to the Shinbashira to ask his
opinion. They consulted with Shinnosuke but the group's proposal to perform the Service throughout
that night in accordance with God the Parent's directive was not affirmed because of the threatening
posture of the police, and it was decided instead that Shinnosuke would inquire of Oyasama on this
point. It was almost dawn of the 11th. When day broke, they all rested.
Perhaps the followers' sincerity was accepted by God the Parent, for Oyasama felt better that
day and sat up in bed and had Her hair dressed.
On the following night, the 12th, the followers waited for Shinnosuke's reply as they had done
for two days. Then deep in the night, at three o'clock on the morning of the 13th, the reply finally came
that an inquiry would be made. Then Shinnosuke, accompanied by Kajimoto and Maegawa, went to
Oyasama's bedside and made his inquiry. The following words came directly from Oyasama:

Sah, sah, all things, things about which you ask, if you do not understand I shall tell
you. Listen carefully, listen carefully. Everyone must understand well. It will not do, it
will not do. I have told you before. I shall tell you something difficult. Ponder over
only the one matter. At this time you must understand what I say about whatever
matters.

Import: You people do not understand no matter how often I tell you. Listen carefully. I shall not listen to
your excuses any longer. I have been teaching you for forty-nine years. If you had discussed thoroughly
from that time, nothing would be difficult now. If you had worked on it with your minds put in order, you
would be able to perform the Service.
At this, Shinnosuke replied: "You said, 'I have told you before.' Is this about the performance of
the Service? There is a problem with the performance of the Service."

Sah, sah, it may be difficult to do at this time. But difficulties will serve to settle
things truly. Long, long, long have been these forty-nine years but you have
understood nothing. If you had, there would be nothing difficult.

Import: You may think, at first, that it is difficult to perform the Service right now. But the sincerity with
which you undergo these difficulties is what is accepted by God the Parent. Think about the things
which have occurred from 1838 to this day. There is nothing at all which is difficult.
At this, Shinnosuke replied, "It is difficult to perform the Service because of the civil law." Then:
 Sah, sah, such a reply. . . . About the problem with which your reply is concerned,
over the past forty-nine years, has not the way of sincerity been shown? Has not the
truth been shown? Do you or do you not understand the situation?

Import: Such is your answer, but ever since the beginning, this Path has been nothing but the single
and straight path of sincerity. Do you or do you not understand that your path is to replace the mind and
to advance toward the world of the Joyous Life with the mind of sincerity? What must be settled first is
the mind of joy rather than the problems of civil law. If all of your minds become joyfully spirited and you
advance onward, a path will open of itself.
At this Shinnosuke said, "Please give us a directive that will uphold both the directions of God
and the laws of the country."

It should be clear. Reflect on how this path was made step by step from the origin.
Sah, sah, what you are going through at this time. . . . Your attempt to find a way to
separate matters is wrong. It will not do, it will not do this time. Sah, I say at once, at
once, carry out what I have been telling you. Now, now!

Import: For forty-nine years, I have been teaching you and showing you in the Divine Model step by
step. Now that the time has arrived, you must do exactly as I have said in any case. Perform the
Service whatever may come.
At this, Shinnosuke, requesting a postponement, said: "We shall practice for the performance of
the Service every night. Please give us an extension until we learn the proper movements for the
Service."

Sah, sah, once you have heard what I say, you must set it firmly in your minds.
There are many other paths. Even after considering all matters, you must still follow
the one path. Simply to stop is wrong. The path of order, the path of order.

Import: The most important point is for you to become resolved after listening carefully to the words of
God the Parent. When you consider the future, there may be a necessity for various preparations, but
at this very moment when there is no time for hesitation, your firm resolve is of primary importance. If
only your minds are resolved, a path will open in time. You must not stop the Service just because of
the law. Ponder over the path of order.
At this, Shinnosuke said, "We wish to build an institute and practice the Service so we shall be
able to perform it in accordance with Your direction at this time."

Since you are unable to set your minds at ease, you say, "discussion, discussion for
the time being." But I say, "Now!" Because I say, "Now," you must do it now. Time is
pressing. Do you understand?
Import: No matter how much I explain, you children do not understand. You take "order" to mean the
order according to civil law; that is why you say such a thing. But now, at this very time, the Parent's
body is in a very critical state. What are you thinking about when there is no time for hesitation?
Thus, Oyasama taught the proper attitude to face this situation.
At this, Shinnosuke asked: "You say 'Service, Service' with great urgency. Through the affliction
of Oyasama, are You urging us to determine the Service performers, or to perform the Main Service at
any cost?"
It was at this point that their minds finally approached union with the will of God the Parent
concerning the meaning of this moment of crisis. The questions put to God the Parent were: What are
You urging us to do? Is it to assemble people, that is, to decide on the Service performers? Or is it to
perform the Main Service, that is, the Service of the Kanrodai? Which of these are You urging by
Oyasama's condition? At this, the words of God were:

Sah, sah, with each of you, to settle the mind is to settle the Service performers. If
there are no difficulties, the mind cannot be truly set. It depends on your heart, on
your mind. Ask Me until you fully understand. Once I give the order, I shall not
rescind it.

Import: God the Parent is urging the resolution of your minds so that the Service performers might be
determined. If you resolve your minds in response to the present knot, I shall decide the Service
performers in response to your resolution. The resolution of minds will come to be because of this
difficulty. Unless there is difficulty, the mind cannot truly be resolved. The rest is up to you, to your
minds and to your hearts. Understand this well, and if you proceed in single-heartedness with Me and
single-heartedly perform the Service, it will be good. If you are still not satisfied, ask Me until you are
able to understand. I shall teach you everything. Once I give an order, it will not be withdrawn. Ask
before it is too late.
At this point, the request for Oyasama's recovery was pressed further. They were taught as
follows:

Sah, sah, any matter, even the matter about which you ask, I shall tell you if you do
not understand. Listen carefully and understand. Each of you must understand this
well. It will not do, it will not do, it will not do any longer. I begin to say something
difficult. Ponder it with a single mind. The present situation, you must understand
what kind of situation it is. You have come through forty-nine years without
understanding My will. Now the time has come when it will spread all over the world,
all over the world.

By this time, dawn was approaching.

Import: You have understood nothing until now. But from now on, ponder with a single mind. Consider
everything in terms of the Service. The Parent began the path of the Divine Model, undergoing
hardships and trials for the long period of forty-nine years while you have merely followed, knowing
nothing. But now the time is indeed pressing. I shall go out into the world. Salvation will spread
throughout the world.
At this, Shinnosuke requested, "If You permit us to establish Church Headquarters, we shall do
as God directs."

Sah, sah, without difficulties, you would not be able to set your minds at this time.
Sah, at this time, now, you three, especially, must set your minds firmly. About what
you ask, I shall leave it to you. You must not forget ever.

Import: You might not succeed with just one try, but I permit you to try. But before that, the three of you
(Shinnosuke, Maegawa, and Kajimoto) must come together, discuss the matter thoroughly, and come to
a firm agreement. This is important. Never forget that the three of you must come together as a single
mind.
Shinnosuke offered his gratitude for the permission to establish the church. Then:

Sah, sah, the three of you, firmly unite your minds and reply to Me quickly whether
you are of a mind to comply at this time or not.

Import: I give permission for the matter in the future but what about the Service which I am telling you to
do immediately? At a time when I am urging you by the critical condition of Oyasama, what resolve do
you propose to make? The three of you, unite your minds and give a firm reply.
At this, Shinnosuke said: "You taught us that the souls of the instruments and models of human
creation were born at this Residence, that You descended to this Residence because it is the Jiba
where the creation of human beings and the world began, and that the souls of the rulers and our souls
are the same. If we are asked about these points, how are we to answer? We do not know. We cannot
defy the law."
They were taught kindly and in simple terms:

Sah, sah, because Tsukihi exists, the world exists. Because the world exists, things
exist. Because things exist, your bodies exist. Because your bodies exist, law
exists. Although the law exists, to resolve your minds is primary.

Import: In the beginning was God the Parent, and this world came to be. In this world, various lands
came to be. Thereon, human beings came. Human beings borrow their bodies. And laws are what they
are to keep society orderly. Even though there are laws, whether to abide by them or not depends on
the mind. That is to say, the mind is what is most important. If you understand this order, listen firmly to
God the Parent and settle the mind of sincerity, the true mind which communicates with God the Parent.
This, above all, is the most important thing.
At this, Shinnosuke inquired further: "As for ourselves, we are ready to comply. But we are
worried about the physical condition of Oyasama. If the worst should occur, will You grant Your divine
protection?" He thus explained that they had fully understood the truth of the fundamental order but,
because they were worried about Oyasama's physical condition, they wished to make sure that God
would stand firm on their behalf if the worst should occur.
In response:

Sah, sah, where there is sincerity, you shall receive sincerity. You may not know
what My sincerity is. It is My providence—fire, water, and wind.

Import: If there is sincerity in your mind, then the sincere providence of God the Parent will be given.
God the Parent will assume charge when the moment of crisis is at hand. Fire, water, and wind all
preside over this world at the will of God the Parent.
Thus God clearly assumed the responsibility.
Further inquiry was made, and in reply:

Sah, sah, you are to purchase My sincerity. Purchase My sincerity with your own
sincerity.

Import: If one prays with sincerity, one will be given sincere providence. To receive the free and
unlimited blessings of God the Parent, what is required is for all of you to strive for the objective with
total sincerity.
From January 13, there was some relief in Oyasama's condition. She got up from bed at times,
and sometimes even went out into the garden.
From the night of January 18, the Service was performed every day. And on January 24, New
Year's Day by the lunar calendar, Oyasama felt very well. She got up from bed, faced everyone, and
said:

Sah, sah, you have discussed thoroughly, thoroughly. For the first time since this
Residence began, you have discussed thoroughly. It has been accepted fully.

Her satisfaction and Her overflowing parental love are clearly evident in Her words. It can also be
assumed that Her words were addressed to the followers who gathered to give Her their New Year's
greetings. Due to Her recent condition, the followers were able to advance the development of their
minds by various approaches, and thus, Oyasama gave greetings of satisfaction on New Year's Day.
Import: For the first time since the Residence began, you have discussed thoroughly. I have accepted
all of your minds fully.
The daily performance of the Kagura and the Teodori which had begun on the night of January
18 was continued until the night of February 17. Despite the cold of midwinter, the performers doused
themselves with cold water in rites of purification as they prayed sincerely for Oyasama's recovery.
Oyasama continued to feel better, and about February 13, She put on Her clogs, went into the
garden, and walked about, seemingly fit.
However, on the night of February 17, in retrospect, the last night Oyasama was to be physically
manifest in this world, Her condition worsened. An inquiry was made through Izo Iburi. Then:
扉を開いて Opening the portals

Sah, sah, I shall begin to level the ground completely. Sah, sah, with the portals
opened, opened, I shall level the ground all over the world. Sah, I shall step out to
level the ground. Sah, sah, shall I open the portals and level the ground? Shall I
close the portals and level the ground?

Import: In the eyes of God the Parent, all human beings are brothers and sisters. From the standpoint
of the soul, there is not the least bit of difference between the high and the low. If all people in the world
meet with one another on the level of equality, as true brothers and sisters, the world of the Joyous Life
will begin. In other words, God wishes to bring the minds of all people to the same level. Should this be
done with the portals opened or closed?
At this, all who were present replied, "Please open the portals and level the ground." At that
moment, the fan used for the invocation flew open. Then:

The approaching confrontation. . . . You may not know what confrontation it is. I
draw everyone, everyone, everyone to Me. I draw anything and everything to Me.
Drawing everything to Me, I shall open the portals to the whole world, open, open,
open. Everything will be entirely changed.

Import: The truth of God and the truths of the world have finally come to a confrontation. To open a path
to world salvation, God has drawn all kinds of people and all kinds of affairs to the Residence of Origin.
While drawing forth all kinds of people and affairs, I shall open the portals and step out to save the
world. Then the state of the Path will change completely.
Following this, another request was made for church establishment, "May we proceed with
worldly matters?" Then:

It will not do, will not do, will not do.

Import: Do not mistake the issue. There are more pressing matters at hand.
Dawn broke on that fateful day, February 18, which was January 26 by the lunar calendar, the
day of the Service. This day, on which the Service performance had taken place each month, was
especially significant because now, through Oyasama's condition, God the Parent was urging the
performance of the Service. A great number of worshipers from neighboring villages and districts had
assembled. Moreover, the police were keeping strict watch. A single mistake would result in the arrest
of the ailing Oyasama. Caught in this dilemma, the disciples could not decide what to do. They made an
inquiry as to the will of God. Then:

Sah, sah, on any matter whatever, you must listen and understand well, understand
well, understand well. Sah, sah, each and every matter. . . . Sah, I have instructed
you night after night, night after night, night after night. On this one matter, I told you
 to do it now, to do it at once. I instructed you to do it immediately. Sah, now, at this
time, I am in haste. Some of you say, "Respond to God's will at once." Others say,
"Be prudent." Still others say, "Wait awhile." Sah, sah, concerning the one thing, do
you fear the law, the law? Do you fear God or do you fear the law? It is useless to
hesitate. The Service must be performed at any cost. I have told you this many
times before. I am not instructing you in something new at this time. Which path will
you take? Do not ask Me such a question. You should understand by this one
instruction.

Import: The answer to the problem is no different from what I have been telling you over and over
again. I told you long ago. Listen! When I say, "Now," begin immediately. Listen! When I say, "Now,"
begin immediately. Now hurry and begin. You ask Me to wait while you make petitions to the authorities.
This is not the time for such leisure! Are you afraid of the law? Are not the words of the Parent
precious? Where are you putting the emphasis in your faith? You must think carefully. I have instructed
you thoroughly from long ago where the thought of God the Parent lies. It has already been explained.
The present, appointed time is not the time to be making inquiries. This much said, you can surely
understand.
Having received these words, all followers were reaching a firm resolve when, at about noon,
Oyasama's condition grew extremely critical. Now their resolve was firm. Shinnosuke said to them,
"Only those should perform who are willing to risk their lives no matter what measures the police use to
stop the Service." Thus prepared, those who were to perform the Service put on two sets of
underclothing and two pairs of tabi, in preparation for their arrest. Then at about one o'clock in the
afternoon, the Service with the musical instruments included was begun boldly. The performers were:
Singers—Tokichi Izumita, Narazo Hirano; Kagura—Shinnosuke, Kikutaro Maegawa, Masajin Iburi,
Risaburo Yamamoto, Naokichi Takai, Isaburo Masui, Chusaku Tsuji, Chuzaburo Koda, Iso Ueda,
Yonosuke Okada; Teodori—Yonosuke Shimizu, Risaburo Yamamoto, Naokichi Takai, Isaburo Masui,
Chusaku Tsuji, Yonosuke Okada; musical instruments—koto, Tamae Nakayama; shamisen, Yoshie
Iburi; tsuzumi, Kiyoshi Hashimoto.
Tamae, just a child then, who had been told by Shinnosuke to take part in the Service that day,
also performed. Those assigned to the management of the Residence were Shirobei Umetani, Shobei
Masuno, and Matsujiro Kajimoto. There was a total of nineteen people.
The Service was performed with the Kanrodai at center. A great number of worshipers had
assembled at the time of the Service that day. It is said that their number swelled to several thousand
and the bamboo placed as a fence on the south and east sides of the Place for the Service to keep the
worshipers back was finally smashed to bits. The Service was begun at about one o'clock that day but
not a single police officer came. Thus, the Service was performed without mishap, which to the
followers was a miracle indeed.
However, just when the last line of Song Twelve, "all the members of carpenters have
assembled," was ending, Oyasama, who had been listening to the cheerful sounds of the musical
instruments contentedly, showed a slight change. Hisa, who was close by, asked, "Do You wish some
water?" Oyasama gave a faint reply:
 Um.

When the water was offered to Her, She took three sips. Then, to the query, "Grandmother?"
there was no reply. Not having changed Her position, Her head was to the north and Her face to the
west; Oyasama lay quietly, with one hand resting against Hisa's breast and the other upon Her own, as
if peacefully asleep. Hisa, greatly alarmed, called out loudly: "Is there anyone around? Please go call
Shinnosuke quickly." Informed, Shinnosuke came running immediately. Tamae and Omasa followed,
running.
When Tamae arrived, Shinnosuke shouted, "Tamae, come quickly."
Tamae had misgivings about his shouting when Grandmother was asleep. Then she was told by
Hisa, who was beside Oyasama, "Dear, Grandmother has come to this." Leading Tamae's hand to
Oyasama's face, Hisa continued, "Cold, isn't She? Grandmother isn't speaking anymore." After being
told this, Tamae understood for the first time and burst into tears. Shinnosuke comforted her, telling her
not to cry, and then relayed the news to everyone immediately.
The Service safely completed, the elated performers were returning from the place for the
Kanrodai, when they heard the news. They cried out pathetically in a single voice, filled with deep
sadness. Utter silence followed; not even a cough was heard.
Oyasama had withdrawn from physical life at the same time the Service had ended, at about
two o'clock in the afternoon, as if asleep. She was in Her ninetieth year.
Her followers felt as if the very ground on which they stood had crumbled away, as if the sun
and the moon had ceased to shine, as if the world were enveloped in darkness. Separated from their
true Parent, whom they had adored and yearned after for so many years and held irreplaceable in their
hearts, they cried sorrowfully as if their very bodies and minds would melt away. Furthermore, having
always been taught that the life span is one hundred and fifteen years, the followers believed that, while
others might not, Oyasama Herself would surely live to be one hundred and fifteen. This, they firmly
believed themselves and taught to others as well. Moreover, since the Service was performed that day,
they were buoyed in high spirits and confident that divine protection would surely be received. Now,
however, they fell into a state of utter shock and despair. Everyone did nothing but cry, their heads
bowed, without even the strength to speak. Then, realizing that nothing would come from this, they
regained their senses and made an inquiry for divine directions through Izo Iburi on the second floor of
the storehouse. The following words came:

教祖存命の理 The truth of the Everliving Oyasama

Sah, sah, I shall level the ground. Has everyone assembled, has everyone
assembled? Listen and understand well. All that I have said until now was put into a
container of truth. But now God has opened the portals and stepped out. Because
of My love for you, My children, the Parent shortened Her life by twenty-five years to
step out and save the world from now. Observe well. Observe well what the path
has been and what the path will become. When I asked whether I should open the
 portals or keep them closed to level the ground, you answered, "Please open the
portals and level the ground." I have done as you wished. Sah, there was a thing I
had intended to give to My children but I was not able. I shall bestow this truth on
you step by step hereafter. Remember this well.

Import: Now I shall begin to make the ground of this world level. What I have said thus far was put into
a container of truth. But now at last, God the Parent has stepped out through the opened portals of the
Shrine. Everything will change. All because the children are so dear, to enhance their spiritual growth, I
have cut short the twenty-five years of life that was to be, resulting in the sudden withdrawal. At last,
from now on I shall hurry about the world to save humankind. Watch carefully. Observe well how things
will change from what they are. Yesterday, when I asked whether I should open the portals and level the
ground or close the portals and level the ground, didn't you answer, "Please open the portals and level
the ground"? God the Parent has answered precisely in accordance with your request. I had wanted to
give gifts to My children, but I was not able to. From now into the future, I shall gradually bestow the
Grants.
Upon hearing this explanation, everyone was struck with regret, but what was said yesterday
could not be taken back today. When the reply was given to God yesterday, no one had the slightest
notion that it meant Oyasama would withdraw. But when it was further explained that even after
Oyasama had withdrawn from physical life, She remains alive in spirit and continues to work, the
followers finally found solace in the realization: "Of course. That is the way it is. Oyasama will work for
the salvation of all humankind just as She did before but without a physical body."

Sah, sah, I am still living here. I have not gone anywhere, not gone anywhere. You
must look at the path of daily life and ponder.
Osashizu, March 17, 1890

Oyasama, whose parental heart is dedicated solely to the salvation of all Her children,
underwent every kind of difficulty and trial in high spirits to open a path of salvation for all humankind,
and, in order to hasten their spiritual growth, cut short Her own physical life by twenty-five years. But
the heart of Tsukihi remains alive now and forever at the Residence of Origin, providing for the growth
of all humankind to spiritual maturity. Indeed, the miracles of salvation which occur daily stand as proof
of the continuing life and work of Oyasama.

To Tsukihi, all of you in the world are My children. Love for you fills Me: this is My
single heart.
Ofudesaki XVII:16