Ōmoto

200px, ''Chōseiden'' (長生殿) in Ayabe
, also known as , is a religion founded in the 1890s by Deguchi Nao (1836–1918) and Deguchi Onisaburō (1871–1948). Oomoto is typically categorized as a Shinto-based Japanese new religion. The spiritual leaders of the movement have always been women within the Deguchi family, along with Onisaburō as its founding '' seishi'' (spiritual teacher). Since 2001, the movement has been guided by its fifth leader, Kurenai Deguchi.

Oomoto's administrative headquarters is in Kameoka, Kyoto (Onisaburo Deguchi's hometown), and its spiritual headquarters is in Ayabe, Kyoto (Nao Deguchi's hometown). Uniquely among Japanese religions, Oomoto makes extensive use of the constructed language Esperanto in order promote itself as a world religion. Oomoto has historically engaged in extensive interfaith dialogue with religions such as the Baháʼí Faith, Christianity, and Islam, since a key tenet of Oomoto is that all religions come from the same source (in Japanese: ).

Oomoto was brutally suppressed by the Japanese government in 1921 and again in 1935, since the government perceived it to be a threat to its authority. After World War II, Oomoto was fully legalized as a registered religious organization. Various other religions have also been founded by former followers of Oomoto, most notably Seicho-No-Ie and the Church of World Messianity.

History

In 1892, Deguchi Nao, a housewife from the town of Ayabe, Kyoto Prefecture, declared that she had a "spirit dream" during the Japanese New Year. She became possessed (''kamigakari'') by Ushitora no Konjin (艮の金神) and started to transmit the kami's words. According to the official Oomoto biography of Deguchi, she came from a family which had long been in poverty, and had pawned nearly all of her possessions to feed her children and invalid husband. After 1895, and with a growing number of followers, Deguchi Nao briefly affiliated herself with the Konkōkyō religion until 1897, since she did not yet have government approval for her religious movement.

In 1898, Deguchi Nao met Ueda Kisaburō, who had previous studies in ''kamigakari'' (spirit possession). In 1899, they established the ''Kinmeikai'' together, which became the ''Kinmei Reigakkai'' later in the same year. In 1900, Kisaburō married Nao's fifth daughter Sumiko and adopted the name Deguchi Onisaburō. Oomoto was thus established based on Nao's automatic writings ('' Ofudesaki'') and Onisaburō's spiritual techniques.

Since 1908, the group has taken diverse names — ''Dai Nihon Shūseikai'' (大日本修齋會), ''Taihonkyō'' (1913), and ''Kōdō Ōmoto'' (皇道大本) (1916). Later, the movement changed from ''Kōdō Ōmoto'' ("great origin of the imperial way") to just Ōmoto (大本, "great origin") and formed the ''Shōwa Seinenkai'' in 1929 and the ''Shōwa Shinseikai'' (昭和神聖会) in 1934.

, a teacher at , attracted various intellectuals and high-ranking military officials to the movement in 1916. By 1920, the group had their own newspaper, the ''Taishō nichinichi shinbun'' (大正日日新聞), and started to expand overseas. Much of its popularity derived from a method of inducing spirit possession called '' chinkon kishin'' (鎮魂帰神), which was most widely practiced from 1916 to 1921. Following a police crackdown, Onisaburō banned ''chinkon kishin'' in 1923. Today, in present-day Oomoto, only the ''chinkon'' (鎮魂) aspect is practiced as a form of meditation, but not the ''kishin'' (帰神) aspect of spirit possession.

In March 1920, the Ōmoto-affiliated magazine ''Shinrei'' published an edition of ''The Protocols of the Elders of Zion'' in Japanese for the first time.

Alarmed by the popularity of Oomoto, the Imperial Japanese government, which promoted ''kokutai'', State Shinto, and reverence for the emperor, condemned the sect for worshipping Ookunitokotachi above Amaterasu, the sun goddess from whom the Emperor of Japan claimed descent. This led to two major incidents when Oomoto was persecuted under the ''lèse-majesté'' law, the , and the Public Security Preservation Law of 1925. In 1921, the first resulted in the Oomoto headquarters being destroyed, and Onisaburo and a few of his followers were imprisoned.

From 1925 until 1933, Oomoto maintained a mission in Paris. From there, missionaries travelled throughout Europe, spreading the word that Onisaburo Deguchi was a Messiah or Maitreya who would unify the world.

In 1924, retired naval captain Yutaro Yano and his associates within the Black Dragon Society invited Onisaburo to embark on a journey to Mongolia. Onisaburo led a group of Oomoto disciples, including Aikido founder Morihei Ueshiba. They were captured by the forces of Chinese warlord Zhang Zuolin, but were released upon realizing they were Japanese nationals. After returning to Japan, Onisaburo established the secular organization ''Jinrui Aizenkai'' (人類愛善会), also known as ''Universal Love and Brotherhood'' (ULBA), to promote universal brotherhood and world peace. Religious organizations from around the world, including the Baháʼí Faith, Cao Dai, Red Swastika Society, and Universal White Brotherhood, joined this movement.

In 1935, the Second Oomoto Incident again left its headquarters in ruins and its leaders in prison. This incident was carried out far more intensively than the previous one in 1921, as the Japanese government sought to completely eradicate all traces of Oomoto shrines and materials. Oomoto was effectively outlawed until the end of World War II. With the Second Oomoto Incident, Oomoto became the first religious organization to be prosecuted under the Public Security Preservation Law of 1925.

After World War II, Oomoto reappeared as ''Aizen-en'' (愛善苑), a movement dedicated to achieve world peace which was led by Onisaburo Deguchi's eldest grandson Yasuaki Deguchi ( 出口和明). It was registered in 1946 under the Religious Corporations Ordinance. Yasuaki Deguchi considered Onisaburo rather than Nao to be the main founder of the religion, and thus used Onisaburo's ''Reikai Monogatari'' as its main scripture.

In 1949, Oomoto joined the World Federalist Movement and the World Peace campaign. In 1952, the group returned to its older name, becoming the religious corporation Oomoto under the Religious Corporations Law. Since then, Oomoto has opened various international branches, including Oomoto do Brasil (headquartered in Jandira, São Paulo, Brazil).

Spiritual leadership

Oomoto's spiritual leaders, all of whom belong to the Deguchi (出口) family are:

*Main Founder (active 1892–1918): Nao Deguchi (出口なお; 1837–1918); also referred to as the
*Co-Founder (active 1898–1948): Onisaburo Deguchi (出口王仁三郎; 1871–1948); also referred to as the
*Second Spiritual Leader: Sumiko Deguchi ( 出口すみ子; 1883–1952), Onisaburo's wife
*Third Spiritual Leader: Naohi Deguchi ( 出口直日; 1902–1990), Onisaburo's eldest daughter
**Alternate Spiritual Leader: Hidemaru Deguchi ( 出口日出麿) (1897–1991), husband of Naohi Deguchi
*Fourth Spiritual Leader: Kiyoko Deguchi ( 出口聖子; 1935–2001), Naohi's third daughter
*Fifth Spiritual Leader: Kurenai Deguchi (出口紅; 1956–present), Kiyoko's niece who has served as Fifth Spiritual Leader of Oomoto since 29 April 2001

Oomoto's spiritual headquarters, called Baishō-en (梅松苑), is in Ayabe, Kyoto, due to its association with Nao Deguchi's founding of the religion in Ayabe. However, its administrative headquarters, called Ten'on-kyō (天恩郷), is in Kameoka, Kyoto. Oomoto also has a mission center, called Tōkō-en (東光苑), in Taitō, Tokyo.

Scriptures

The two main scriptures (basic ''kyōten'' 根本教典) used in Oomoto are:
*'' Oomoto Shin'yu'' (大本神諭, 277 sections), composed during 1892–1918 (originally dictated by Nao Deguchi as the ''Ofudesaki''; reinterpreted and edited by Onisaburo Deguchi to become the ''Oomoto Shin'yu'')
*''Reikai Monogatari'' (霊界物語, 81 sections), composed during 1921–1934 (dictated by Onisaburo Deguchi)

Of the two, the ''Reikai Monogatari'' is by far the most commonly consulted and used scripture in present-day Oomoto.

Next in importance are two scriptures (''kyōten'' 教典) composed by Onisaburo Deguchi during the first decade of the 20th century, namely () and ().

There are also various other less commonly used texts, such as ''Izunome Shin'yu'' (伊都能売神諭, 37 volumes, composed during 1918–1919), and the ''Three Mirrors'' or ''San Kagami'' (三鏡, 844 chapters total) by Onisaburo Deguchi, which consists of the ''Water Mirror'' (水鏡, 249 chapters), ''Moon Mirror'' (月鏡, 212 chapters), and ''Jade Mirror'' (玉鏡, 383 chapters).

Sacred sites

Oomoto has numerous sacred sites, some of which are:

* Kutsujima (沓島), and nearby Kanmurijima (冠島) and Meshima (女島), considered sacred to Ushitora no Konjin (艮の金神)
* Takakuma-yama (高熊山) (354.9 metres) in Anao (穴太), Kameoka, Kyoto; Onisaburo Deguchi performed spiritual training for one week in a cave on the mountain during March 1–7, 1898
* Mount Hongū (本宮山) (92 metres) (also known as Tsuruyama 鶴山 or Maruyama 丸山) in Ayabe, located on the grounds of Baishō-en (梅松苑)
* Misen-zan (弥仙山) (664 metres) in Ayabe, where Nao Deguchi secluded herself in 1901
*Hachibuse-yama ( 鉢伏山) (1,221 metres) in Kami, Mikata District, Hyōgo, climbed by Onisaburo Deguchi just after World War II
*Ashiwake-yama (芦別山) (1,727 metres) in the Yūbari Mountains in Hokkaido, where the kami Kuni-no-Tokotachi-no-Mikoto (国常立尊) resides.
*Miyabaru-yama (宮原山), a mountain on Kikaijima (or Kikaigashima) in Kagoshima Prefecture, where the kami Toyokumonu-no-Mikoto (豊雲野尊) resides.

Festivals

Four major are held for each of the four seasons.

*, February 3, Ayabe
*, May 5, Ayabe
*, August 7 (traditionally the 12th day of 7th lunar month), Kameoka
*, or the Foundress' Festival, November 6, Ayabe

Art

Oomoto and its adherents promote the Japanese arts and culture, such as Noh theater, calligraphy, ceramics, and the tea ceremony. According to Onisaburo Deguchi, . This perspective was also shared by Oomoto follower Mokichi Okada, who founded both the Church of World Messianity and the MOA Museum of Art in Atami.

Use of Esperanto

The artificial language Esperanto plays a major role in the Oomoto religion. Starting from the early 1920s, the religion has published a large amount of literature in Esperanto. Onisaburo Deguchi reportedly introduced Esperanto back when he had interfaith dialogues with the Baháʼí Faith in 1921. Many Oomoto facilities in Kameoka, Kyoto have multilingual signs in Japanese and Esperanto. Today, Oomoto continues to publish numerous books, periodicals, pamphlets, and websites in Esperanto; some materials (translation of Japanese texts, etc.) are actually more extensive in Esperanto than in English.

The creator of Esperanto, L. L. Zamenhof, is revered in Oomoto as a kami. The Oomoto affirmation of Zamenhof's enshrinement as a kami is stated, in Esperanto, as follows:

The text above as translated into English is:

... e spirit of Zamenhof even now continues to act as a missionary of the angelic kingdom; therefore, his spirit was deified in the Senrei-sha shrine.

Doctrine

The , also known as the ''shinjin itchi'' (), states that:

The original Japanese text of the ''Ōmoto kyōshi'' is:

The fundamental ways to reach God are the called the :
*
*
*

are:
*
*. ''Oshie'' (doctrine) is summarized in the 2018 book ''Oomoto no oshie'' (大本のおしえ).
*
*

are:
*
*
*
*

A core Oomoto teaching is:
* – This was first mentioned as in Chapter 6, Volume 23 of the ''Reikai Monogatari''. This phrase encapsulates Onisaburo Deguchi's view of Shinto as a universalist religion, rather than as an isolationist religious tradition indigenous to Japan. In Seicho-No-Ie, a religion founded by Oomoto follower Masaharu Taniguchi, this is reworded as .

Beliefs and theology

Oomoto is essentially a neo-Shinto religious movement. Oomoto doctrine has also integrated ''kokugaku'' teachings and modern ideas on world harmony and peace.

God

In Oomoto, the one supreme God who created the universe is called Oomoto-sume-oomikami (Japanese: 大天主太神 or おおもとすめおおみかみ). ''Oomoto'' means the "Great Origin", ''sume'' means "govern", and ''Oomikami'' means God. All ''kami'' are considered to be manifestations of this one God. In an account from the ''Reikai Monogatari'', the universe began with the sudden advent of "ヽ", which is called "hochi". It then develops into "◉", called "su". This is the kotodama of "su" and is the great origin of God.

Kami

Members of Oomoto believe in several ''kami'' (minor deities or spirits). The most important are Ushitora no Konjin (the kami of Nao Deguchi's initial divine possession in 1892), Ookunitokotachi, and Hitsujisaru. Various religious figures from other religions, or even notable non-religious figures, are recognized as kami – for example, the creator of Esperanto, L. L. Zamenhof.

Cosmology

Oomoto's goal is the realization of the world of Miroku or ("the world to come"), which means heaven in the real world. It is expressed in various ways, such as (mentioned at the beginning of the '' Oomoto Shin'yu''), "purification of the world", "the opening of Amano-Iwato of the world", "the world of clear quartz", and so on.

Oomoto recognizes two realms, the physical world and the , both of which are interconnected. In turn, the spiritual world consists of three parts:
* ()
* ()
* ()

Nao Deguchi's prophecies stated that events which occur in Ayabe would also occur in Japan or throughout the world. The Japanese government's suppression of Oomoto, consisting of the 1921 and 1935 Oomoto incidents, is considered to have been an omen of World War II and the consequent destruction of Japan.

Meal prayer

In Oomoto, a prayer is often recited before meals, after which "'' itadakimasu''" is said. The prayer consists of three ''tanka'' poems (known in Japanese as the "Three-Poem Song" 三首のお歌) composed by Oomoto's second spiritual leader, Sumiko Deguchi (1883–1952). In 1976, Oomoto's third spiritual leader Naohi Deguchi adopted the prayer for use before meals. The prayer in Japanese, along with a literal English translation, is as follows.

The official Esperanto and Portuguese translations of the prayer, which do not always follow the exact meaning of the Japanese original, are:

Notable followers

One of the more well-known followers of Oomoto was Morihei Ueshiba, a Japanese martial artist and the founder of Aikido. It is commonly thought that Ueshiba's increasing attachment to pacifism in later years and belief that Aikido should be an "art of peace" were inspired by his involvement with the sect. Oomoto priests oversee a ceremony in Ueshiba's honor every April 29 at the Aiki Shrine at Iwama.

Onisaburo Deguchi taught a type of meditation and spirit possesssion technique called '' chinkon kishin'' (鎮魂帰神) to some of his most devoted followers, many of whom went on to establish their own religions. They include:

* Masaharu Taniguchi (谷口雅春), founder of Seicho-No-Ie, was a follower of Oomoto prior to founding his own religion.
* Mokichi Okada (岡田茂吉), founder of the Church of World Messianity ( ''Sekai Kyūsei-kyō''), was a follower of Oomoto prior to founding his own religion.
* Wasaburō Asano ( 浅野和三郎), a spiritualist who founded the
* Yonosuke Nakano (中野與之助), founder of Ananaikyo, was originally an Oomoto follower before founding his own religion.
* Yoshisane Tomokiyo ( 友清歓真), founder of Shintō Tenkōkyo, was originally an Oomoto follower before founding his own religion.

More recent Oomoto followers during the late 20th and 21st centuries include:

* Alex Kerr, American writer and Japanologist, worked for the Oomoto Foundation for 20 years starting in 1977.
* Bill Roberts, American writer active at the Oomoto Foundation
* Haruhisa Handa, founder of the religious organization World Mate
* Yamantaka Eye, visual artist, DJ and member of avant musical group Boredoms

Oomoto-inspired religions

Various religions have been inspired by Oomoto, many of which were founded by Oomoto followers familiar with () as practiced in Oomoto. Since Oomoto believes that , these other new religious movements are not seen as heretical, but are in fact even encouraged.

* Ananaikyo
* Shintō Tenkōkyo
* Seicho-No-Ie
* Shōroku Shintō Yamatoyama
* "Divine light" (''johrei'' / ''okiyome''-practicing) religions
** Church of World Messianity and related splinter groups such as Shinji Shumeikai
** Mahikari movement religions (including Sukyo Mahikari and World Divine Light)
* World Mate, founded by Haruhisa Handa in 1984

Many of these religions have meditation and divine healing practices derived from Oomoto's . They include:

* in Ananaikyō
* in Shintō Tenkōkyo
* in Seicho-No-Ie
* in Sekai Kyūseikyō
* in Mahikari
*''seishin tōitsu'' in Asano Wasaburō ( 浅野和三郎)'s spiritualist organizations

Various practices and teachings in Makoto no Michi are inspired by Oomoto, including similar spirit possession practices. Makoto no Michi's sacred geography is derived from that of the ''Reikai Monogatari'', in which Japan is viewed as a of the world. Hokkaido is viewed as the equivalent of North America, Honshu as Eurasia, Shikoku as Australia, Kyushu as Africa, Taiwan as South America, and so on; these equivalences stem from their common mythical origins during the creation of the world. The geographic equivalents of the main Japanese islands and Taiwan with the world's continents are identical in both Oomoto and Makoto no Michi.

Further reading

*
*
*
*
* ''The Great Onisaburo Deguchi'', by Kyotaro Deguchi, translated by Charles Rowe,
* Hino, Iwao (日野巌). ''The Outline of Oomoto''. Kameoka, Japan, 1968.
* Murakami, Shigeyoshi ( 村上重良). ''Japanese Religion in the Modern Century''. Translated by H. Byron Earhart. Tokyo, 1980. Originally published as Kindai hyakunen no shukyo.
* Yasumaru, Yoshio ( 安丸良夫). ''Deguchi Nao''. Tokyo, 1977.
* Oomoto Overseas Department 海外宣伝課 (ed.) (1933). ''Kio estas Oomoto?''. Kameoka: Tenseisha. .

Publications from the Oomoto Foundation:
* (originally published in Japanese as ''Kyojin Deguchi Onisaburo'' in 1967)
*
* (originally published in Japanese as ''Ikigai no Tankyu'' in 1966 by Kodansha, Ltd.)
* (based on the Japanese book ''Kaiso-den'' by Sakae Oishi)
*
*

Notes

References

External links

;Official websites

Oomoto official website
*

(old version)
*

*

*


Oomoto Brazil official website


Oomoto Shinto Rengoukai
(大本神道連合会)

;Online scriptures and encyclopedic materials

Books from Tenseisha
(天声社), Oomoto's publishing house

reikaimonogatari.net
– texts of various Oomoto scriptures edited by Hiroaki Iizuka

Onipedia
(), a wiki encyclopedia of Oomoto curated by Hiroaki Iizuka

The Moon of Onisaburo Deguchi
an English-language website dedicated to Onisaburo Deguchi and his works

;Others

Oomoto
(at www.tryte.com.br)
*
Bankyo Dokon
– Seventy Years of Inter-Religious Activity at Oomoto'', Oomoto Foundation, 1997
*

– A Biography of the Foundress of Oomoto'', Based on Kaiso-den by Sakae Ôishi, translated by Charles Rowe and Yasuko Matsudaira, Oomoto Foundation, 1982

''Nordenstorm, L. Ômotos mission på esperanto. En japansk ny religion i förändring från kiliastisk Maitreyaförväntan till religionsdialog. (The Ômoto-Mission in Esperanto. A Japanese new religion changing from chiliastic Ma-itreya-awaiting to religious dialogue.)''
Esperantoförlaget/Eldona Societo Esperanto. Stockholm, 2002. In Swedish with summaries in English and in Esperanto.

{{Authority control

Religious organizations established in 1892
Japanese new religions
1892 establishments in Japan
Shinto new religious movements
13 Shinto Sects
Esperanto history
Organizations based in Kyoto Prefecture
Ayabe, Kyoto
Kameoka, Kyoto
Esperanto in Japan
New religious movements established in the 1890s