# Oomoto

Oomoto (大本, Ōmoto, lit. "Great Source" or "Great Origin"), also known as Oomoto-kyo (大本教, Ōmoto-kyō), is a religion founded in the 1890s by Deguchi Nao (1836–1918) and Deguchi Onisaburō (1871–1948). Oomoto is often categorized as a new Japanese religion based on Shinto. 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.

## History

Deguchi Nao, a housewife from the tiny town of Ayabe, Kyoto Prefecture, declared that she had a "spirit dream" at the Japanese New Year in 1892, becoming possessed (kamigakari) by Ushitora no Konjin (艮の金神)) and starting to transmit his 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. Deguchi was certainly not an otherwise famous figure, and independent accounts of her do not exist. After 1895, and with a growing number of followers, she became a teacher of the Konkōkyō religion.
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 Sumi 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 ("great origin") and formed the Shōwa Seinenkai in 1929 and the Shōwa Shinseikai (昭和神聖会) in 1934.
Asano Wasaburō, a teacher at Naval War College (海軍大学校, Kaigun Daigakkō), 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. A great amount of its popularity derived from a method of inducing spirit possession called chinkon kishin (鎮魂帰神), which was most widely practiced from 1919 to 1921. Following a police crackdown, Onisaburō banned chinkon kishin in 1923.
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 Ōmoto, the Imperial Japanese Government, which promoted kokutai and the Imperial Way, 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 Ōmoto was persecuted under the lèse-majesté law, the law of censorship on newspaper [ja] and the Public Security Preservation Law of 1925. In 1921, the first Ōmoto Incident (Ōmoto jiken) resulted in the Ōmoto headquarters being destroyed, as well as Onisaburo and two adherents being jailed. In 1924, retired naval captain Yutaro Yano and his associates within the Black Dragon Society invited Onisaburo on a journey to Mongolia. Onisaburo led a group of Ōmoto 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 he returned to Japan, he organized religious allies like Jinruiaizenkai to promote a universal brotherhood and world peace. Foreign religions from Korea, China, Russia, Germany and Bulgaria, including the Red Swastika Society, joined this movement. This was followed in 1935 by the second Ōmoto Incident, which again left its headquarters in ruins and its leaders in jail; Ōmoto was effectively outlawed until the end of World War II. With the second Ōmoto Incident, Oomoto became the first religious organization who was prosecuted under the Public Security Preservation Law of 1925.
After the war, the organization 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 Ōmoto joined the World Federalist Movement and the world peace campaign. In 1952 the group returned to its older name, becoming the religious corporation Ōmoto under the Religious Corporations Law. At present time, the movement has its headquarters at Kyoto Prefecture and has a nominal membership of approximately 170,000. There is a temple for religious services in Ayabe, and a mission in a large park on the former site of Kameoka Castle that includes offices, schools, a publishing house, and shrines in Kameoka. There are also international branches, such as Oomoto do Brasil (headquartered in Jandira, São Paulo, Brazil).

## Scriptures

The two main scriptures 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.
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).

## Spiritual leadership

Oomoto's spiritual leaders, all of whom belong to the Deguchi (出口) family are:
* Main Founder: Nao Deguchi (出口なお; 1837–1918); also referred to as the Foundress (開祖, Kaiso)
* Co-Founder: Onisaburo Deguchi (出口王仁三郎; 1871–1948); also referred to as the Holy Teacher (聖師, Seishi)
* 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)
* 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.

## 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
* 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 festivals (大祭, taisai) are held for each of the four seasons.
* Setsubun Grand Festival (節分大祭, Setsubun taisai), February 3, Ayabe
* Spring Grand Festival (みろく大祭, Miroku taisai), May 5, Ayabe
* Summer Grand Festival (瑞生大祭, Zuisei taisai), August 7 (traditionally the 12th day of 7th lunar month), Kameoka
* Autumn Grand Festival (開祖大祭, Kaiso taisai), or the Foundress' Festival, November 6, Ayabe

## International activities

Since the time of Onisaburo Deguchi, the constructed language Esperanto has played a major role in the Oomoto religion. Starting in 1924, the religion has published books and magazines in Esperanto, and this continues today. Onisaburo Deguchi reportedly introduced Esperanto back when he had interfaith dialogues with the Baháʼí Faith in 1921.
Oomoto and its adherents promote the Japanese arts and culture, such as Noh theater and the tea ceremony. Oomoto is engaged in peace campaigns, aid work, and other similar activities.
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.

## Doctrine

The Oomoto basic doctrine (大本教旨, Ōmoto kyōshi), also known as the shinjin itchi (神人一致), states that:
   God is the Spirit which pervades the entire universe, and man is the focus of the workings of heaven and earth. When God and man become one, infinite power will become manifest.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000038-QINU`"'
Original Japanese text of the Ōmoto kyōshi:
   神は万物普遍の霊にして (kami wa banbutsu fuhen no rei ni shite) 人は天地経綸の主体なり、 (hito wa tenchi keirin no shutai nari) 神人合一して (shinjin gōitsu shite) 茲に無限の権力を発揮す。 (koko ni mugen no kenryoku o hakki su)'"`UNIQ--ref-0000003D-QINU`"''"`UNIQ--ref-0000003E-QINU`"'
The fundamental ways to reach God are the called the Three Great Rules of Learning (三大学則, sandai gakusoku):
* Body of God should be known through observation of the truth of the universe. (天地の真象を観察して、真神の体を思考すべし, tenchi no shinshō o kansatsu shite, shinkami no karada o shikō subeshi)
* Force of God should be known through the preciseness of motions of everything. (万有の運化の毫差なきを視て、真神の力を思考すべし, ban'yu no unka no naki o mite, shinkami no chikara o shikō subeshi)
* Spirit of God should be known through recognition of souls of lives. (活物の心性を覚悟して真神の霊魂を思考すべし, katsumono no shinsei o kakugo shite shinkami no reikon o shikō subeshi)
The Four Teachings (四大綱領, shidai kōryō) are:
* Rites and governance following the Way of the kami (祭：惟神の大道, matsuri—kannagara no daidō)
* Doctrine teaching the truth of heaven (教：天授の真理, oshie—tenju no shinri)
* Traditional norms, following the Way of God and man (慣：天人道の常, narawashi—tenjindō no tsune)
* Appropriate work (造：適宜の事務, nariwai—tekigi no jimu)
The Four Principles (四大主義, shidai shugi) are:
* Purity—purification of mind and body (清潔主義：心身修祓の大道, seiketsu shugi—shinshin shūbatsu no daidō)
* Optimism—faith in the goodness of the Way of the Gods (楽天主義：天地惟神の大道, rakuten shugi—tenchi kannagara no taidō)
* Progressivism—way of social improvement (進展主義：社会改善の大道, shinten shugi—shakai kaizen no daidō)
* Unification—the reconciliation of all dichotomies (統一主義：上下一致の大道, tōitsu shugi—jōge itchi no daidō)

## Beliefs and theology

Omotokyo was strongly influenced by Konkokyo, Ko-Shintō (ancient Shinto) and folk spiritual and divination traditions; it also integrated Kokugaku (National Studies) teachings and modern ideas on world harmony and peace, creating a new doctrine. It shares with Konkokyo the belief in the benevolence of Konjin, who was previously considered an evil kami, and shares with other ancient Shinto schools the teachings that proclaim the achievement of personal virtue as a step to universal harmony.

### God

The fundamental narrative is that Ushitora no Konjin, by whom Deguchi Nao was possessed, is actually Kuni-tokotachi-no-mikoto, who made the earth and was the original ruler of the world. Many years after Kunitokotachi no mikoto had made the earth and started to rule the world, other gods who learned to be bad made him retired, drove him away to the Northeast and started to call him the worst god. This is the reason why the world is full of evil, and Deguchi Nao's prophecy was the beginning of the second rule of Kunitokotachi no mikoto, therefore a change of the world would begin soon. Through her prophecies, Ushitora no konjin warned people to stop selfishness. They even think Setsubun is persecution against Ushitora no Konjin.
Oomoto followers believe that one God created and fostered all things and lives in the universe. However, Oomoto considers individual kami to be the various manifestations of the one supreme God who created everything in the universe, 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. Any God but one God appears in order to realize the aim of God, therefore in Oomoto every God or thing is just another appearance of one God after all. At the same time God is energy, which is the principle of the universe, and the universal spirit everything has. And believers think Ame-no-Minakanushi is the common Creator God that all religions of the world share, including the Abrahamic religions. However, "Tales of the Spirit World" says the universe begins with the sudden advent of "ヽ", which is called "Hochi". He develops into "◉", which is called "su", is kotodama of su and is the great origin of god.
In Oomoto, humans are given a special role in the Universe. As the most spiritual beings in the Universe, humans are the masters of the Universe and the agents of god, and if a spirit of a human reaches god and they are united, infinity power will be generated according to the will of God.

### Kami

Members of Oomoto believe in several kami. The most important are Ookunitokotachi, Ushitora no Konjin and Hitsujisaru. Oomoto members also tend to recognize notable religious figures from other religions, or even notable non-religious figures, as kami – for example, the creator of Esperanto, L. L. Zamenhof is revered as a god. However, all of these kami are believed to be aspects of a single God concept.
The Oomoto affirmation of Zamenhof's godhood is stated, in Esperanto, as follows:
   ...[L]a spirito de Zamenhof eĉ nun daŭre agadas kiel misiisto de la anĝela regno; do, lia spirito estis apoteozita en la kapeleto Senrej-ŝa.
Translated into English, the foregoing reads:
   ...[T]he 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.
The belief that two kami, Kunitokodachi no Mikoto and Susano-o no Mikoto, were the original founders and rulers of Japan, who were driven away by Amaterasu Ōmikami, the divine ancestor of the imperial line, is what placed this religion in opposition to the government in pre-war Japan. However, Amaterasu-oomikami is also considered to be a righteous god.
Followers of Oomoto believe Haya-susano-o no Mikoto, who had been originally told to rule the earth by Izanagi, was punished for all the Amatsutsumi instead of all gods and is a redeemer of the world, mainly based on the story of Amano-Iwato and his expulsion from Takaamahara.

### Cosmology

Oomoto's goal is the realization of the world of Miroku or Miroku no yo (みろくの世) ("the world to come"), which means heaven in the real world. It is expressed in various ways, such as "from plum blossom to pine" (梅で開いて松で治める, ume de aite matsu de osameru) (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 spiritual world (霊界, reikai), both of which are interconnected. In turn, the spiritual world consists of three parts:
* Heaven (高天原, Takama-no-hara) (lit. 'high plain of heaven')
* Purgatory (天の八衢, Ame-no-yachimata) (lit. 'eight sections of heaven')
* Underworld (根国, Ne-no-kuni) (lit. 'root country')
The founder emphasized the importance of the earth and respect for it. This even led to some of Onisaburo's ideas to be linked to agrarianism.
Their doctrine includes an idea that things that happen in Ayabe would happen in Japan or in the world. The oppression of them, consisting of the two Ōmoto incidents and consequent destruction of their facilities and organization, are considered to have been omens of World War II and consequent destruction of Japan.

## 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.
* Yamantaka Eye – visual artist, DJ and member of avant musical group Boredoms
* Mokichi Okada, founder of the Church of World Messianity (aka Shinji Shumeikai), was a follower of Oomoto prior to founding his own religion.
* Masaharu Taniguchi, founder of Seicho-no-Ie, was also a follower of Oomoto prior to founding his own religion.
* Yonosuke Nakano (中野與之助), founder of Ananaikyo, was originally an Oomoto follower before founding his own religion.
* Alex Kerr, American writer and Japanologist, worked for the Oomoto Foundation for 20 years from 1977 on.
* Bill Roberts, American writer active at the Oomoto Foundation