was the second spiritual leader, ''Honseki'', of

Tenrikyo is a Japanese new religion which is neither strictly monotheistic nor pantheistic, originating from the teachings of a 19th-century woman named Nakayama Miki, known to her followers as "Oyasama". Followers of Tenrikyo believe that God of Origin, ...

after the death of

Nakayama Miki was a nineteenth-century Japanese farmer and religious leader. She is the primary figure of the Japanese new religion Tenrikyo. Followers, who refer to her as Oyasama (おやさま), believe that she was settled as the Shrine of Tsukihi from t ...

(Oyasama) in 1887, while Oyasama's son Shinnosuke became the administrative leader, the ''Shinbashira''. Having received the "grant of speech" from Oyasama, Iburi dictated the

Osashizu In the Tenrikyo religion, the Osashizu (Japanese: お指図) ("Divine Directions") is a written record of oral revelations given by Izo Iburi. It is one of the three scriptures (''sangenten'' 三原典) of Tenrikyo, along with the ''Ofudesaki'' ( ...

, additional divinely inspired instructions on the creation and maintenance of a Tenrikyo community. Iburi was born in

Murō, Nara was a village located in Uda District, Nara Prefecture, Japan. As of 2005, the village had an estimated population of 5,939 and a density Density (volumetric mass density or specific mass) is the substance's mass per unit of volume. The ...

in 1833, but was forced to leave when his family became despondent. He moved to modern-day Tenri, and sought out a wife. His first wife died in childbirth, while the second arranged marriage to a

gambling Gambling (also known as betting or gaming) is the wagering of something of value ("the stakes") on a random event with the intent of winning something else of value, where instances of strategy are discounted. Gambling thus requires three el ...

addict was quickly annulled. His third wife became gravely ill after childbirth which led him to seek Tenrikyo. He became a member after his wife was healed and went to see Oyasama every day, supporting her during times of religious persecution. Iburi presided over a period of rapid expansion for Tenrikyo, which saw it reach villages throughout Japan. In 1896, eight percent of all Japanese citizens were dues-paying adherents of Tenrikyo. Iburi petitioned the government to be separated from the

Sect Shinto Sect Shinto () refers to several independent organized Shinto groups that were excluded by law in 1882 from government-run State Shinto. These independent groups may have more developed belief systems than mainstream Shrine Shinto which focuses m ...

group Shinto Honkyoku; this petition was granted in 1908. It was Iburi's intention to continue the ''Honseki'' position by passing on spiritual leadership to a worthy successor, while the ''Shinbashira'' position was passed on in the Nakayama family. He chose a woman, Naraito Ueda, for this position. But she became ill, and in 1918 a rumor was spread that she was insane, so the ''Honseki'' position ended with Iburi, and the Nakayama family took the reins as central leadership.芹沢光治良著「死の扉の前で」 p. 75-76

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