Sazuke

TheSazuke(おさづけ,Osazuke)refers to aprayerin which aTenrikyofollower asks for divine intervention to heal an ailment. It is typically rendered in English as theDivine Grant.
In the originalJapanese, the term is preceded by anhonorific prefixand is written inhiragana: おさづけ. Thekanjimost commonly associated with the term is授, meaning "give, grant; impart, teach" and "be granted/taught."With the use of kanji, it can thus be written asお授けor御授け. The follower who administers the Sazuke to the suffering person acts as a mediator through whichTenri-O-no-Mikotogrants the blessing of a cure.
In her lifetime,Nakayama Mikibestowed the Sazuke to her most devout followers. After she passed in 1887,Izo Iburibestowed the Sazuke in her place. Initially, followers who distinguished themselves during Nakayama's physical lifetime would receive the Sazuke spontaneously as adivine direction.
Nakayama and Iburi bestowed several forms of the Sazuke during their lifetimes, but today only one form is practiced – the "Sazuke of Hand Dance"(てをどりのさづけ,Teodori no Sazuke), alternatively known as the "Sazuke of Ashiki Harai"(あしきはらいのさづけ,Ashiki Harai no Sazuke). The person administering this grant chantsAshiki harai tasuke tamae, Tenri-Ō-no-Mikoto(あしきはらいたすけたまい てんりわうのみこと, "Sweep away evils and save us, Tenri-O-no-Mikoto")three times with accompanying hand movements and then chantsNamu tasuke tamae Tenri-Ō-no-Mikoto(なむたすけたまい てんりわうのみこと, "Please save us in the name of Tenri-O-no-Mikoto")three times while stroking the afflicted area. This process is repeated two more times.
Increased demand for the Sazuke led to the creation of a standard lecture system known as theBesseki(別席)in 1889 or 1890. This system continues to this day. Nowadays, members who wish to receive the Sazuke are asked to attend nine lectures lasting 90 minutes each, which cover Nakayama Miki's life and teachings.
Prior to attending the lecture series, attendees recite the Besseki Pledge(別席の誓い,Besseki no Chikai)before a minister. The text of the Besseki Pledge is as follows. (Note that while教祖typically has the readingkyōso, in the pledge it is read asOyasama.)
After completing the nine lectures, the attendee receives the Divine Grant of Sazuke and is henceforth considered to be aYōboku(lit.'useful timber')(用木).
DuringNakayama Miki's lifetime, the Sazuke was a generic term that referred to any grant that she bestowed on her followers. The first set of these grants included the Sazuke of the Fan, the Sazuke of the Gohei, and the Sazuke of Fertilizer, bestowed from 1864 to 1867.
Nakayama began to bestow the Sazuke of the Fan(扇のさづけ,Ōgi no Sazuke)in the spring of 1864, to about 50 to 60 people.With this Sazuke, followers had the ability to inquire the divine will and receive a response by reading the movements of a fan received from Nakayama.The follower would place the fan on his lap, ponder over the illness of a person, and then interpret whether or not there whether or not the person would recover based on which direction the fan moved.
Nakayama banned the Sazuke of the Fan around 1868,and one conjecture for the reason this Sazuke was banned was that "God's will was not conveyed as it should have been; some egotistic, personal interpretations were mixed" in inquiries.
The Sazuke of the Fan is mentioned in Song Six and Song Twelve of theMikagura-uta.
The Sazuke of the Gohei(御幣のさづけ,Gohei no Sazuke)is similar to the Sazuke of the Fan, except that agoheiwas used in place of a fan.
The recipient of the Sazuke of Fertilizer(肥のさづけ,Koe no Sazuke)would make an offering of threegō合 (about a third of a pint) each of rice-bran, ashes, and soil. When this mixture was placed in a field, Nakayama said that the mixture would be just as effective as oneda駄 (about 300 pounds) of night soil.
The Sazuke of Fertilizer is mentioned in theOfudesaki,Song One of theMikagura-uta,as well asAnecdotes of Oyasama(story #12).
In December 1874, Nakayama Miki began to bestow grants that allowed followers to petition the divine to heal physical ailments.According toNakayama's hagiography, she bestowed different forms of the Sazuke to followers on December 26:
In the Sazuke of Breath(息のさづけ,Iki no Sazuke), the person administering this grant would breathe on the afflicted area of an ill person.or breathe on sheets of rice paper calledo-iki no kami(literally, "paper of the sacred breath").
This grant is mentioned in theOfudesaki, usually with the Sazuke of Hand Dance.
The person administering the Sazuke of Boiled Rice(煮たものぢきもつのさづけ)would place threegōof clean rice in a bag, immerse it three times in boiling water, and have the afflicted person eat three grains from it.
Another name for the Sazuke for the Family was the Sazuke of Stroking Hands.
The Sazuke of theKanrodai-Teodori(かんろだいてをどりのさづけ / 甘露台手踊りのさづけ,Kanrodai Teodori no Sazuke)was similar to the Sazuke of the Hand Dance, except that sections two and three of theMikagura-utawere performed instead of section one. Out of all the grants by Nakayama Miki and Izo Iburi, this one was the least commonly bestowed.
For the Sazuke of Water(水のさづけ,Mizu no Sazuke), the person administering this grant would sip water three times from a cup and then have its recipient drink the rest.
The Sazuke of Sacred Water with the Food of Heaven(ぢきもつこう水のさづけ)was similar to the Sazuke of Water except white sugar was added to the water.