Story Notes

The grandchild of Amaterasu was known as Ninigi, or Amatsuhikohohoninigi for his full name. This boy was a child through the sun kami’s son Masayaakatsukatsuhayahi Amanooshihomimi and his wife Takuhatachihime

A meeting is held by Ninigi’s grandfather Takamimusubi (grandfather on his mothers side) as they wish to instate Ninigi as the ruler of Japan, however, they wish to try and find a way to subdue the evil kami which still reside on the land, and so the kami Amenohohi is sent down.

Three years pass with no word from Amenohohi as he decided to gain the favour of Ōkuninushi who currently ruled over Japan and so it is decided his son Ohoseihi will be sent. However, he followed in the footsteps of his father and made no report back up to Heaven.

Takamimusubi again causes a meeting to occour again asking who they could send down to subdue Japan. This time Amewakahiko is chosen, and he is gifted a deer bow and arrows before he leaves.

This kami decides to marry Shitateruhime and remain in Japan, again making no report up to Heaven and so Takamusubi sends down the pheasant Nanaki to see what is going on.

Amewakahiko seeing the pheasant shoots at the bird as it rests in a tree, the arrow flying straight through its chest to land in Heaven infront of Takamimusubi. This kami, seeing blood upon the arrow thinks it to mean Amewakahiko is fighting the evil kami down in Japan as he was tasked to do, and so he decides to throw it back down to Japan. The arrows hits Amewakahiko killing him immediately, and the laments of his wife reach up to Heaven and his body is placed into a mortuary house in Heaven.

His friend at the time Ajisukitakahikone goes to Heaven to give his condolences but is mistaken for his dead friend, and so angered by this he takes up his sword and cuts down his friends mortuary house, with it falling to Japan and becoming Moyama.

And as they say, third time is the charm, with Takamusubi calling another meeting with Futsunushi being decided as the person who will go down to Japan. Takemikadzuchi also comes forth from his home in the Rock Cave Amaterasu once hid in saying he will also accompany him. And so they go together.

The two of them approach Ōkuninushi stating that Takemimusubi wishes to send down his grandson to rule over Japan and wonder if he will allow this to happen.

Ōkuninushi replies saying he will first need to ask his son Kotoshironushi, with his son finally replying that his father should allow this to be done. And so Kotoshironushi withdraws from the world (ie. dies), and his father follows, gifting the spear that he subdued the land with to the two kami saying it should be given to Ninigi. And with that Ōkuninushi ‘withdraws,’ implying he departed for Yomi.

And so with that Futsunushi and Takemikadzuchi subdue all of Japan ready for the arrival of Ninigi.

There are so alternative writings in the nihongi which state that the only kami who refused to submit was the Star-Kami Kagase-wo (this interestingly is the only star kami mentioned in Japanese mythology) and so Takehadzuchi comes down to subdue the Star Kami.

Once this is all done the kami return up to Heaven to make their report with Ninigi descending down soon after arriving on the peak of Takachiho in Kyushu.

There are alternative writings here, so many in fact I have decided just to mention one of them, saying that it was to be Amaterasu’s son who was to come down and rule Japan, however during these events Ninigi had been born and so his asked his mother to send Ninigi instead. She consented and gives his the three Sacred Treasures to descend to Japan, with an entourage consisting of Ameno Koyane, Futodama, Ameno Uzume, Ishikoridome and Tamayanooya.

A little confusingly here in the nihongi, it then say after this Ninigi went from The Floating Bridge of Heaven, finally giving us a location of it being on the twin summits of Kushibi, eventually making his way to Japan where he came across Konohananosakuyahime.

She was the daughter of the kami Ohoyamatsumi and Ninigi favouring her, made her his wife. After their first night together she became pregnant, but Ninigi was unable to believe it was his child after only one night. And so Konohananosakuyahime constructed a doorless house and went to live inside.

She then makes a declaration saying that if this is Ninigi’s child fire cannot hurt them, if it isn’t then it shall perish in fire, and so she sets fire to the house. The children survive the fire and she gives birth to three boys, Honosusori, Hikohohodemi and finally Honoakari.

It is then said that after a long time Ninigi finally passed away and was buried in his misasagi in Hiuga, Kyushu.

References

•  Aston. W.G. (1896) “Nihongi Volume 1: Chronicles of Japan from the Earliest Times to AD697”. Tuttle Publishing.
• Chamberlain, B. H. (1932) “Translation of the Kojiki.” Kobe: J.L. Thompson & Co.
• Yasumaro. O, translated by Gustav Heldt. (2014) “Kojiki. An Account of Ancient Matters”. New York: Columbia University Press.

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Story Notes

During the Edo Period, also known as the Tokugawa Period, there was a surprising amount of professions that were available to the blind or visually impaired. From acupuncture, to playing the koto, to even performing in kabuki and creating historical documents; the blind definitely were a big part of the Edo Period society. They even took a main role in reciting and creating the Tale of the Heike, an epic account of the Genpei War between the Clans of the Taira and Minamoto.

We see this group of people also being the retainers of shoguns, daimyo and wealthy families throughout their lives.

In the Edo Period a guild came into being known as the tōdō or tōdō-za (meaning in a sense ‘Our Way Guild) which was created to help with the economic and political activities of the blind and visually impaired. Where the headquarters of the guild itself were based in Kyoto, a large chuck of the guild did find themselves living in the city of Edo. 

But we are here today to look into the Blind Bankers that formed a part of this guild, just to dip our feet into this topic until we come back and look at them in its entirety.

So looking at the members of the Guild who turned into the moneylending business, first of all, it is a rather surprising turn of events that such a thing could even have occurred. As we know, and even to this day, Japan is still rather hierarchical in their thinking. There was in the past, and still to a degree today a group of people known as the hinin, which could translate as ‘non-human,’ people who fulfilled the roles of begging, street performances as the burial of executed people.

The blind were never classed as part of the hinin which therefore allowed them to in theory have some form of better role within society, though of course the prospect of moneylending was still seen as something reserved for the merchant class. So the question remains, how did they manage to get this role?

In a way it all stems back to the initial creation of the members which performed the Tale of the Heike. The blind or visually impaired people had strong connections to the royal court and major clans such as the Minamoto, and they also cooked up a legend about how the first blind lute players were taught by a 9th century blind Imperial Prince, the Prince Saneyasu. So they were trying to link themselves to a high lineage. All of these things allowed them to ultimately ‘rise’ above their station as it could have been seen back then.

During the time of the Tokugawa Shogunate, of course the Emperor of Japan has become nothing more than a figurehead for Japan, but due to their associations with previous high ranking houses and their constant connection to the Imperial Family; who claimed descent from the Sun kami the Blind Guild somehow managed to argue successfully that they were answering to a higher power and authority in Japan. And it was this connection which allowed them to become exempt from the caste system still happening in Japan at the time. This allowed them to become bankers, but it even garnered them the bonus of immunity from any government debt amnesty.

So what exactly is meant by this?

In terms of the Blind Bankers Guild, at times the government would turn around during monetary disputes and wash their hands of the problem, in essence telling the parties involved they had to figure it out themselves. And if the parties involved included one of a higher rank, of course they would ultimately be the victor in the dispute even if they were in the wrong. The interesting thing here, like we said, was the immunity this guild had to debt amnesty, which meant that if you were in debt to this guild you had to pay and they would do anything to get their money back.

We have records stating that members of the guild would stand outside the homes of those that owed them money, throwing obscenities at you and telling everyone how you had a debt you would not pay back.

And it worked, with Japan being very linked still to honour and shame, the shame of being admonished publicly would always ensure they paid back what they owed. A good tactic, but of course one that wasn’t going to get the Blind Bankers many friends over the years. However, it was known that all money lending guilds would resort to such tactics, though it seemed it affected the Blind Bankers the most in terms of their bad image.

So why did people begin to need loans in the first place? Well, many of the warrior class were moved in the 17th century into urban areas and with currency being in short supply, coupled with a higher demands for good, monetary loans became a necessity for many people.

They became an extraordinarily powerful guild over the course of the Edo Period, to the point where the shogunate calm to be alarmed as they noticed they had begin to act more like a bank, lending out not just their own money but the money of others which had been deposited with them. So in 1712 the shogunate limited them somewhat in the loans they could give. One such rule was to not allow loans to be given to rōnin or townspeople who were falsely stating they wanted to have a loan to use the money to achieve a higher rank in society. In the 1770’s the problem had continued to rise to the point the Shogunate arrested some of the more notorious loan sharks, even sentencing some to banishment or death.

1778 sees some of the worst of it when it was learnt that a retainer by the name of Mori Chūemon and his son had fled Edo as they had no means of repaying what they owed to the Blind Bankers. This led to a string of arrests and the discovery that the normal interest rate of 30% was not always being followed. For some it was 60% and for some poor few it was 100%.

Such was the money making of this guild, many members became exceedingly rich, however, it did serve to tarnish the image of the blind or visually impaired community as a whole.

Some writing came to be published saying things such as ‘audacious and selfish, and especially cruel, thinking of nothing but how to trick and exploit people,’ as well as, ‘split a blind man’s chest and gold falls out.’

Such was the bad image now of this group of people, medical texts started to appear saying blindness was caused by immoral and immodest behaviour.

And so with an increasingly bad image, the guild finally found itself disbanded by the government during the Meiji Restoration.

References

• Blind Bankers of Edo.
• Groemer, G. (Autumn 2001) “The Guild of the Blind in Tokugawa Japan” Monumenta Nipponica. Vol.56 No.3 pp.349-380
• The Burakumin
• Todoza – Traditional Guild for the Blind.

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Story Notes

The podcasts return has aligned with Christmas Day, so why not talk a little about Jesus. For there are some that believe Jesus didn’t die on the cross, but in fact made his way to Japan to live out the rest of his life and later died.

This supposed grave can be found in the village of Shingō, Aomori Prefecture, but what exactly is the story of how Christ came to be in Japan?

According to the tale, Jesus has already once been to Japan when he was aged 21, wanting to collect divine knowledge and eventually returned to Judea, via Morocco, at the age of 31 to tell of his know knowledge and teach the people. Of course he would later find himself crucified upon the cross, but at the site of his grave in Aomori it will tell you that his brother Isukiri was actual the one who was placed upon the cross.

He took his brother Jesus’ place allowing Christ to return to Japan via Siberia, with him he took a lock of his mothers hair and one of the ears of his brother Isukiri. This tale finishes with Christ settling down in Shingō village where he would live to the age of 106. Here he took the name of Toraitarō Daitenkū, marrying a woman called Miyuko in the village and having 3 daughters.

He spent the rest of his days with his wife helping the needy and was aid to have had the name of “long nosed-goblin” due to his distinctive nose. After his passing his body was left exposed on the hilltop for 4 years before finally being interred.

At the site there are actually two graves, one for the body of Christ and the other for Isukiri’s ear.

So where did this story come from? Well, it appears to be a relatively recent one as it only dates from 1934. A man known as Toya Banzan had been hired to conduct a survey of the region, and this man was fascinated by apocryphal documents known as the Takeuchi Manuscripts. The documents created by a Takeuchi Kyomaro who had founded a new Shintō style religion which claimed to show the secret histories of Japan which included tales of Buddha, Confucius, Mencius and Moses all having trained while in Japan. Though most people saw them as a hoax, he still stood by them and his beliefs.

Eventually in 1935 Toya invited Takeuchi to join him in surveying the area where he miraculously discovered the tomb of Christ, exclaiming “I knew it was here!”

Now the villagers were said to be surprised, they had never heard of his grave being here before, and the residents seem to have wanted to part of it. The grave was even forgotten for a time after World War 2.

Documents detailing all of these stories of Christs journey to Japan were coincidently lost during World War 2 and only modern transcriptions remain, one of them signed with ‘Jesus Christ, father of Christmas,’

Interest in the site resurfaced in the 1970’s and nowadays the village holds a Christ Festival in the summer each year though the ceremony is in a Shintō style. The site does continue to be maintained though, villagers and other locals saying that even before it was declared to be the tomb of Christ they respected and maintained the area believing it to have been some form of ancestor to their village. And so they maintain the grave out of historical respect.

References

• Christs Tomb in Aomori
• Japan Travel – Jesus in Aomori.
• Smithsonian Magazine – The little known legend of Jesus.

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Story Notes

The Golden Tea Room, or as it is known Japanese, the 黄金の茶室, Ōgon no chashitsu was not a permanent structure that people could visit to should they wish to go and experience a tea ceremony. In fact this was a portable tea room dating to the late 16th century of the Azuchi-Momoyama Period and is was constructed for use by Hideyoshi Toyotomi. Historically he had risen from peasenthood under the leadership of Oda Nobunaga becoming one of his retainers. Such was Toyotomi’s power later on in life he is known seen as the second Great Unifer of Japan.

Now sadly the original tea room has been lost to the passage of time, but there does exist many replicas which have survived to this day.

When we look at the first mentioning of the tea room historically we find it mentioned in the year of Tenshō 14, or the year 1586, when the room was brought to the Kyoto Imperial Palace so that he may host the then Emperor Ōgimachi and it is thought it was likely built just shortly before this date, specifically for the Emperor to be his first host and following this he began to giving tours of the tea room as well as exhibiting for people to see his most precious meibutsuki, or special tea utensils.

We see it again mentioned in Shiyue 1, Tenshō 15 (November 1, 1587) located at the Kitano Tenmangū Shrine in Kyoto where it was used for the Grand Kitano Tea Ceremony.

We still have records concerning the sign boards which were posted around Kyoto at the time advertising this event, preserved in the records of the Matsuya Kaiki Tea Ceremony Records stored by the Matsuya Genzaburō family and go as follows:

• Item: In the Kitano grove, weather permitting, from the first day of the tenth month and continuing for ten days, His Lord, in connection with his presence at a Grand Chanoyu, will assemble every single one of his meibutsu (名物; famed items for chanoyu use), in order to let chanoyu devotees view them.
• Item: All chanoyu devotees, including also warriors’ attendants, townspeople, farmers, and those of lower station, regardless, should bring a kettle, a well bucket, a drinking bowl, and tea — no offense will be taken if substituted by kogashi (powdered roasted rice) — and take part.
• Item: As for the room (zashiki) [that each participant is to set up], since it will be in a pine grove, a floorspace of two tatami will be suitable. However, wabi people may simply spread mat-covers or rice-hull bags. Participants may arrange themselves as they please.
• Item: This invitation is not limited to Japan but extends to everyone who sets his heart on chanoyu (suki), even to people on the continent.
• Item: In order that he may show the treasures to participants from distant countries, His Lord is extending the duration so that it is not limited to the first day of the tenth month.
• Item: His Lord has made these arrangements for the benefit of wabi people. Any among such people who fail to attend will be prohibited hereafter from preparing even kogashi, and anyone who visits such a person will suffer the same punishment.
• Item: His Lord has declared that he will prepare tea personally for all wabi people, not only those attending from distant places.

Later the tea room found its way to Hizen Nagoya Castle in the fifth month of Bunroku 1 (1592), the location from which Hideyoshi launched the 1592/1598 Japanese invasion of Korea and the tea room continued to follow wherever Hideyoshi went and therefore most likely continued with him on his later journeys to Fushimi Castle and the Jurakudai Residence in Kyoto before it was ultimately lost. Though we have no record as to why is stopped being used, or even if it was destroyed.

So it appears this tea room was unfortunately short lived like we have said there are a number of reconstructions that you can still go and look at. Travelling around Japan you could find reconstructions in Fushimi Castle, Osaka Castle, the gold-leaf company of Hakuza in Kanazawa, Chōfuku-ji Temple in Toyama and the Museum of Art in Shizuoka.

It is also possible to see a reconstruction of the golden tea utensils in the Kyoto City Archaeological Museum.

But there is also another reconstruction made by the goldsmith Ishikawa Kōichi III using the historical accounts of an eyewitness, though I am unsure which eyewitness this was. From this he reconstructed a room 8ft 2in in height, 8ft 10in in width with a diameter of 8ft 4in. The construction was made out of cypruss wood that was 200 years old, with a total amount of 15,000 sheets of 23K gold leaf totally 26.10 kilograms all of which was applied by hand. He also recreated al the utensils in pure gold.

So lets finally look at some of the accounts of those who visited the hall and is appearance, some of which were by Jesuit Missionaries from the time, one of which being Ōtomo Sōrin a man we have not mentioned for a very long time, first seen in the Samurai Weatherman episode in our first year of the show.

The room measured 3 tatami mats in size, around 9.4 by 18.8 ft and resembles a standars tea ceremony room, with flat walls and sliding shoji doors. There was also the inlusion of a tokonamo alcove in the construction. Gold leaf covered every surface including the doors. Silk gossamer was placed on the sliding doors lattice work. The tatami was also elaborate, covered in crimson felt or fabric and all utensils were gold or gilded, save for the whisk and the cloth.

References

• Ludwig, Theodore M. Tea in Japan: Essays on the History of Chanoyu.
• Murase, Miyeko. Turning Point: Oribe and the Arts of Sixteenth-century Japan.
• Pitelka, Morgan. Japanese Tea Culture: Art, History and Practice.
• Rikyū Daijiten (利休大辞典; Rikyū Encyclopedia), pp. 75-77 entry “Kitano ōchanoyu no junbi” (Preparations for the Kitano Grand Tea Gathering).

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Story Notes

Now this particular tale I came across when doing research into the yokai from the Konjaku Hyakki Shūi by Toriyama Sekien.

And notes alongside this creature in the book I was using also led us down a rabbit hole and now we have something for a future main episode surrounding a man known as Minister Kibi due to the inclusion of a go board in the background of the creatures illustration (but that is for a later date).

However, let us dive into the short tale surrounding the Demon Candlestick, the full tale of which can be found in the Wakan Sansai Zue.

In Japanese this creature is called the Tōdaiki. It wasn’t always a candlestick, in fact it was a first a man known as Minister Karu (軽大臣). He was sent to China as an envoy, however there he found himself poisoned by one of the Ministers there. Following this, the poisoner colours the mans body and places a candlestick upon his head which transformed him into this poor creature.

The story goes on to say that his son eventually came to find him, a man by the name of Chancellor Hitsu (弼宰相) and when his father sees his son it is said he bit his finger and composed a poem which went as follows:

I am from Japan; we share the same family name.
我元日本華京客　汝是一家同姓人
(私は元々日本より来た。同じ姓を持つおまえとは同族の者である）

A vow from a previous life made us father and child. Across the sea and mountains, my life has changed terribly.
為子為爺前世契　隔山隔海変生辛
(子となり親となった前世の契りは、海山を隔てても変わることはない）

For years have I cried in this weed-choked place; all I can think about are my previous parents.
経年流涙蓬蒿宿　遂日馳思蘭菊親
(こんな粗末な家で涙を流しながら年月過ごし、立派な家に住む日本の親に思いを馳せる日々）

I have been transformed into a candle-stick demon in this foreign village, but I only want to return home.
形破他郷作灯鬼　争帰旧里寄斯身
(他郷でこの姿を燈台鬼に変えられてしまったが、どうにかして故郷へ帰り身を寄せたい)

Following all of this his son then attempts to take his father home, however, he passes away before reaching the island of Iwo Jima. And so Minister Karu found himself buried on an island known as Kikaigashima (Demon Realm Island).

To this day you can find a shrine in his memory at the base of Mount Inamuradake on Iwo Jima.

And that is the tale of the Demon Candlestick.

Header Image: Burning Candles from Pixabay.

References

• Yoda, H. and Alt, M. (2016) “Japandemonium: Illustrated: The Yokai Encyclopaedia of Toriyama Sekien.”. New York: Dover Publications, Inc.
• Excite Blog, Japanese translation of the poem by Oshiragami.

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Story Notes

A long time ago, in the province of Tamba, there lived a rich merchant named Inamuraya Gensuké. He had a daughter called O-Sono. As she was very clever and pretty, he thought it would be a pity to let her grow up with only such teaching as the country-teachers could give her: so he sent her, in care of some trusty attendants, to Kyōto, that she might be trained in the polite accomplishments taught to the ladies of the capital. After she had thus been educated, she was married to a friend of her father’s family—a merchant named Nagaraya;—and she lived happily with him for nearly four years. They had one child,—a boy. But O-Sono fell ill and died, in the fourth year after her marriage.

On the night after the funeral of O-Sono, her little son said that his mamma had come back, and was in the room upstairs. She had smiled at him, but would not talk to him: so he became afraid, and ran away. Then some of the family went upstairs to the room which had been O-Sono’s; and they were startled to see, by the light of a small lamp which had been kindled before a shrine in that room, the figure of the dead mother. She appeared as if standing in front of a tansu, or chest of drawers, that still contained her ornaments and her wearing-apparel. Her head and shoulders could be very distinctly seen; but from the waist downwards the figure thinned into invisibility;—it was like an imperfect reflection of her, and transparent as a shadow on water.

Then the folk were afraid, and left the room. Below they consulted together; and the mother of O-Sono’s husband said: “A woman is fond of her small things; and O-Sono was much attached to her belongings. Perhaps she has come back to look at them. Many dead persons will do that,—unless the things be given to the parish-temple. If we present O-Sono’s robes and girdles to the temple, her spirit will probably find rest.”

It was agreed that this should be done as soon as possible. So on the following morning the drawers were emptied; and all of O-Sono’s ornaments and dresses were taken to the temple. But she came back the next night, and looked at the tansu as before. And she came back also on the night following, and the night after that, and every night;—and the house became a house of fear.

The mother of O-Sono’s husband then went to the parish-temple, and told the chief priest all that had happened, and asked for ghostly counsel. The temple was a Zen temple; and the head-priest was a learned old man, known as Daigen Oshō. He said: “There must be something about which she is anxious, in or near that tansu.”—“But we emptied all the drawers,” replied the woman;—“there is nothing in the tansu.”—“Well,” said Daigen Oshō, “to-night I shall go to your house, and keep watch in that room, and see what can be done. You must give orders that no person shall enter the room while I am watching, unless I call.”

After sundown, Daigen Oshō went to the house, and found the room made ready for him. He remained there alone, reading the sûtras; and nothing appeared until after the Hour of the Rat.^[1] Then the figure of O-Sono suddenly outlined itself in front of the tansu. Her face had a wistful look; and she kept her eyes fixed upon the tansu.

The priest uttered the holy formula prescribed in such cases, and then, addressing the figure by the kaimyō of O-Sono, said:—“I have come here in order to help you. Perhaps in that tansu there is something about which you have reason to feel anxious. Shall I try to find it for you?” The shadow appeared to give assent by a slight motion of the head; and the priest, rising, opened the top drawer. It was empty. Successively he opened the second, the third, and the fourth drawer;—he searched carefully behind them and beneath them;—he carefully examined the interior of the chest. He found nothing. But the figure remained gazing as wistfully as before. “What can she want?” thought the priest. Suddenly it occurred to him that there might be something hidden under the paper with which the drawers were lined. He removed the lining of the first drawer:—nothing! He removed the lining of the second and third drawers:—still nothing. But under the lining of the lowermost drawer he found—a letter. “Is this the thing about which you have been troubled?” he asked. The shadow of the woman turned toward him,—her faint gaze fixed upon the letter. “Shall I burn it for you?” he asked. She bowed before him. “It shall be burned in the temple this very morning,” he promised;—“and no one shall read it, except myself.” The figure smiled and vanished.

Dawn was breaking as the priest descended the stairs, to find the family waiting anxiously below. “Do not be anxious,” he said to them: “She will not appear again.” And she never did.

The letter was burned. It was a love-letter written to O-Sono in the time of her studies at Kyōto. But the priest alone knew what was in it; and the secret died with him.

Header Image: Japanese Writing from Pixabay.

References

• Hearn, L. (1904) “Kwaidan: stories and studies of strange things”. Houghton Mifflin Company, New York.

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Story Notes

In the reign of the Emperor Go-Fukakusa there lived a celebrated Regent, Saimyoji Tokiyori. When thirty years of age this Regent retired to a monastery for several years, and not infrequently his peace of mind was sadly disturbed by stories of peasants who suffered at the hands of tyrannical officials. Now Tokiyori loved above everything the welfare of his people, and after giving the matter careful consideration he determined to disguise himself, travel from place to place, and discover in an intimate way the heart of the poorer people, and later on to do all in his power to suppress malpractice on the part of various officials.

Tokiyori accordingly set out upon his excellent mission, and finally came to Sano, in the province of Kozuki. Now it was the time of winter, and a heavy snowstorm caused the royal wanderer to lose his way. After wearily tramping about for several hours in the hope of finding shelter, he was about to make the best of the matter by sleeping under a tree when, to his joy, he noticed a small thatched cottage nestling under a hill at no great distance. To this cottage he went, and explained to the woman who greeted him that he had lost his way and would be much indebted to her if she would afford him shelter for the night. The good woman explained that as her husband was away from home, it would be disloyal as his wife to give shelter to a stranger. Tokiyori not only took this reply in good part, but he greatly rejoiced, in spite of a night in the snow, to find such a virtuous woman. But he had not gone far from the cottage when he heard a man calling to him. Tokiyori stood still, and presently he saw some one beckoning him. The man explained that he was the husband of the woman the ex-Regent had just left, and cordially invited one whom he took to be a wandering priest to return with him and accept such humble hospitality as was available.

When Tokiyori was sitting in the little cottage simple fare was spread before him, and as he had eaten nothing since the morning he did full justice to the meal. But the fact that millet and not rice was provided clearly conveyed to the observant Tokiyori that here was poverty indeed, but with it all a generosity that went straight to his heart. Nor was this all, for, the meal finished, they gathered round the fire that was fast dying out for want of fuel. The good man of the house turned to the fuel-box. Alas! it was empty. Without a moment’s hesitation he went out into the garden, heavily covered with snow, and brought back with him three pots of dwarf trees, pine, plum, and cherry. Now in Japan dwarf trees are held in high esteem; much time and care is bestowed upon them, and their age and unique beauty have made them dear to the people of Nippon. In spite of Tokiyori’s remonstrance his host broke up these little trees, and thus made a cheerful blaze.

It was this incident, scarcely to be fully appreciated by a Westerner, that caused Tokiyori to question his host, whose very possession of these valuable trees strongly suggested that this generous man was not a farmer by birth, but had taken to this calling by force of circumstance. The ex-Regent’s conjecture proved to be correct, and his host, with some reluctance, finally explained that he was a samurai by the name of Sano Genzalmon Tsuneyo. He had been forced to take up farming owing to the dishonesty of one of his relatives.

Tokiyori readily recalled the name of this samurai before him, and suggested that he should make an appeal for redress. Sano explained that as the good and just Regent had died (so he thought), and as his successor was very young, he considered it was worse than useless to present a petition. But, nevertheless, he went on to explain to his interested listener that should there come a call to arms he would be the first to make an appearance at Kamakura. It was this thought of some day being of use to his country that had sweetened the days of his poverty.

The conversation, so rapidly suggested in this story, was in reality a lengthy one, and by the time it was concluded already a new day had begun. And when the storm-doors had been opened it was to reveal sunlight streaming over a world of snow. Before taking his departure Tokiyori warmly thanked his host and hostess for their hospitality. When this kindly visitor had gone Sano suddenly remembered that he had forgotten to inquire the name of his guest.

Now it happened that in the following spring a call to arms was instituted by the Government at Kamakura. No sooner had Sano heard the joyful news than he set out to obey the summons. His armour was shabby in the extreme, his halberd covered with rust, and his horse was in a very poor condition. He presented a sorry figure among the resplendent knights he found in Kamakura. Many of these knights made uncomplimentary remarks concerning him, but Sano bore this insolence without a word. While he stood, a forlorn figure, among the sparkling ranks of samurai about him, a herald approached riding on a magnificent horse, and carrying a banner bearing the house-crest of the Regent. With a loud, clear voice he bade the knight wearing the shabbiest armour to appear before his master. Sano obeyed the summons with a heavy heart. He thought that the Regent was about to rebuke him for appearing in such a gaily decked company clad in such miserable accoutrements.

This humble knight was surprised by the cordial welcome he received, and still more surprised when a servant pushed aside the screens of an adjoining room and revealed the Regent Saimyoji Tokiyori, who was none other than the priest who had taken shelter in his little home. Nor had Tokiyori forgotten the burning of the dwarf pine, plum, and cherry-trees. Out of that sacrifice, readily given without a thought of gain, came the thirty villages of which Sano had been robbed. This was only Sano’s due, and in addition the grateful Tokiyori had the happy idea of presenting this faithful knight with the village of Matsu-idu, Umeda, and Sakurai, matsu, ume, and sakura being the Japanese names for pine, plum, and cherry.

Sumikko no Heather

Today Heather has found for us a humourous little senryū. We hope you enjoy.

あとのくさめを待っているへんなつら

Waiting for the next sneeze, what a funny face!

Header Image: Bonsai Trees from Pixabay.

References

• Davis, F. H. (1992) “Myths and Legends of Japan.” New York: Dover Publications, Inc.

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The post The Three Bonsai appeared first on . A History . . of Japan . 日本歴史.

Story Notes

This is the tale of Priest Zōga (蔵賀), a man who we known lived from 917-1003. This particular tale concerning him can be found in several different documents, these being the Konjaku Monogatari Shu, Uji shūi, Senjūshō and Hosshinshū.

It is said that this priest was born in Kyoto, but his parents soon moved. Whilst moving, their wet nurse who was carrying their baby dropped him from the palanquin as she was tired and fell asleep. The baby rolled away and when it was discovered he was missing they returned for him, fearing he had been killed.

Luckily they found him smiling happily, with not a spot of mud or dirt on him.

Later that night his parent dreamt of their child on an expensive couch sat atop mud, with four boys at each corner of the couch chanting out Buddhist Scriptures.

This child is born of the Buddha’s mouth,

Wherefore we keep him from all harm.

At the age of five he decided he was going to go to Mount Hiei and there he would master the Lotus Sutra. At first his mother opposed until again she had a dream.

In this dream she saw him grow up to be a good and mature monk with a sutra in his hand; a monk standing beside him saying it was his destiny to enter into religion.

And so at the age of 11 he finally found a distinguished master upon Mount Hiei and in just a few years he was known for his piety and learning.

One day though, on his return from Ise Shrine, he came back naked. Much to the surprise of everyone. A dream, in which he heard a voice saying ‘Forgot ones body,’ made him do so; though it caused many to now think he had gone mad.

In another later instance of strangeness, during a triumphal procession he chose to ride upon a bony ox, with a dried salmon at his waist instead of a sword.

Eventually he wished to live quietly alone upon Tōnomine, however he was refused by the abbot until he once again made people think he was mad. This time he did so by having the man who collected his food for him stop, so that he could do it himself. However, he collected his food in a dirty box and would share out his dinner with workmen using twigs as chopsticks. The abbot was happy to be rid of him after this event.

When he went to live peacefully upon Tōnomine he found the summit too full of demons and so he moved into the valley. He had become so revered now, he was made one of the personal healers in the Emperors staff and so was often called upon even by the nobles. However he always got out of the capital as quick as he could, should he decide to answer their summons. All the while doing his best to act like a mad man.

One such occasion in which he answered a summons was to attend the Sanjō Empress’s ordination. The Empress had invited him to preside over the ceremony so she could enter into religion.

Zōga arrived, his eyes fierce, though some thought he look a little unwell.

He proceeded with the ceremony, cutting the Empress’s hair, the Empress’s hair placed through the curtain separating her from the priest.

After he stood up and addressed the Empress crassly, asking her why she had asked for him. Was it perhaps because she had heard he had a big penis? Though he admitted it was larger than most, he did say at that moment it was quite soft.

Everyone was left speechless but still he continued.

He proceeded to say he had diarrhoea quite badly and so right there and then on the veranda.

By the age of 80 he came to the understanding that he was to die within 10 days. He had his disciples write verses concerning paradise, and he himself wrote a one which went as follows:

Eighty years of patience,

With age slowly wrinkling me

Into an old man!

What a joy at last to find

The jellyfish’s bones!

On the day of his death he declared it to all and called for a go board to be brought to him. After the board has been set he swiftly swiped all the pieces of the board. When asked why he merely said he just wanted to try the game as he had seen other play it.

Following this he asked for some stirrup guards. When he got them he tied them around his neck, opened his arms and dance though it was painful for him.

He did this because he again wanted to try it as he once saw a man do it himself for fun.

And so after this he retired to an inner room where he sat facing west and chanted the Lotus Sutra until he passed in Nirvana.

Japanese Saying

Today a japanese saying for you all. Something akin to making sure you fill your stomach so you enjoy the scenery around you without being distracted by a grumbling stomach.

花より団子
Dango before flowers

Header Image: Meditation from Pixabay.

References

• Tyler, R. (1987) “Japanese Tales.” New York: Pantheon Books.

You can listen to the full podcast episodes here: Japan Archives, or wherever you listen to Podcasts.

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The post The Tale of Priest Zōga appeared first on . A History . . of Japan . 日本歴史.

Story Notes

This was a strange things I came across in my feed one day, and I knew it was something that was worth talking about on our show.

In Chiba, you can find a man by the name of Naoki Iwabuchi. He works in what looks like a very normal office, dressed as most people in Japan do when they work, in a black suit.

But his job is not like most others. His job is to cater to Night Moving, known in Japan as ‘yonigeya‘. The act of helping people disappear.

There is a term in Japan for those who have dispeared in the country, this bring ‘jouhatsu-sha‘ or in English ‘evaporated people,’ which is quite a poetic term for them. Now many people in Japan do chose to disapear due to problems such as debt but there are some who need to flee from domestic violence or even stalking and so turn to those who can help them in disappearing. And so those specialised in Night Moving are called upon.

It is by no means an easy job, and so Naoki states he carries with him a special briefcase which can fold out into a shield covered in a layer of armour. And additionally he always carried with him a baton-like device for extra added protection.

Naoki always finds himself assuming the worst will happen, as there is no knowing how each job will play out. He states there is never a day that goes by without some form of trouble.

As for his clientele, 90% of them are women, 10% men. And he has seen over the last 16 years of his work that he has had more and more cases of women subjected to domestic abuse and in need of Night Moving. In addition, he has seen it increase even more since the COVID-19 pandemic.

The service however does come with a price. Unfortunately it is not something Naoki can offer for free due to the risks involved and that amount of planning that it can require. Difficult cases may also need additional help from people disguised as window washers or tatami salesmen waiting close by in the area. And due to this the costs can range from $2000 to $20,000.

Those that can disappear can often find it easy to remain hidden in Japan and even hide in plainsight. This being due to it being normal to wear a mask in Japan and in the fact that if you use an ATM without the transaction being flagged as used by a missing person. Privacy is very highly valused in Japan.

The police will not even become involved unless something else such as a crime or an accident occours.

Header Image: Fantasy Light from Pixabay.

References

• A sharply dressed Japanese man with a ‘self-defense briefcase’ has made a living in ‘night moving’ — helping battered women disappear without a trace.

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The post Night Moving appeared first on . A History . . of Japan . 日本歴史.

Story Notes

It seems that in almost every country at some point the idea of eugenics has been spread through the country and even utilised with that country. So we are going to take a look at how Eugenics was undertaken in Japan in the past.

Now I came across this as there was an article that came to light January 2023 and it reminded me of the topic of eugenics in Japan. It was something I came across before Covid-19 struck the world and then it fell off my radar for a while.

This article relates how the Japanese court have now ordered the government to pay damages to those who underwent forced sterilization during the time when eugenics was carried out in the country. So let’s have a look at its history.

The idea first came to Japan through Yamanouchi Shige, a man trained under John Merle Coulter. He was searching for a way to make the Japanese race genetically surpass that of the west.

Eventually the idea of eugenics came to Japan under the disguise of ‘nationalism and empire building.’ And it appears there were two types of eugenics. Positive and Negative.

Positive Eugenism was promoted by a man known as Ikeda Shigenori and was designed for ‘the improvement of circumstances of sexual reproduction and thus incorporates advances in sanitation, nutrition and physical education into strategies to shape the reproductive choices and decisions of individual and families.’ The opposing Negative Eugenism was promoted by Hisomu Nagai and was designed for ‘the prevention of sexual reproduction, through induced abortion or sterilization among people deemed unfit.’

In regards to what was deemed unfit, it was those who were classified as alcoholics, lepers, mentally ill, physically disabled as well as criminals.

Shigenori later went on to publish the Yūsei-undō ( 優生運動 – Eugenics Movement Magazine) in 1926 and 2 years later promoted December 21st as blood purity day.

Later was see in the early 1930’s ‘eugenic marriage’ questionnaires being put out for public consumption and there were those who thought this would help ensure the fitness of a married couple as well as making sure class differences could be avoided. 

In 1938 the Race Eugenics Protection Law was initially rejected, however, the National Eugenics Law was created in 1940 and went into effect. This law allowing compulsory steralization for ‘inherited mental disease.’ Apparently 454 people were sterilized between 1940 and 1945.

In particular this law (in Article 1) was designed ‘to prevent birth of inferior descendants from the eugenic point of view, and to protect life and health of mother, as well.” This reflected the Japanese Government’s worry not only about over-population and the predicament of mothers and pregnant women in the post-war baby boom, but also the “deterioration” in quality of offspring.

There were many additional articles included in this law. Article 3 permitted somebodies partner to have their partner sterilized by a physician if they gave consent on their behalf

According to the terms of the Article:

‘anyone could be voluntarily sterilized if: (1) he/she or the partner had hereditary “psychopathia,” “bodily disease” or “malformation,” or the partner “has mental disease or feeble-mindedness”; (2) he/she or the partner’s relative within the fourth degree of kinship had hereditary “mental disease,” “feeble-mindedness,” “psychopathia,” “bodily disease,” or “malformation”; (3) he/she or the partner was “suffering from leprosy, which is liable to carry infection to the descendants”; (4) she was a mother whose life was “endangered by conception or by delivery”; or (5) she was a “mother actually having several children” whose health condition was “feared to be seriously affected by each occasion of delivery.’

However, there were Articles (4 and 12) which allowed involuntary sterilization which was performed without the patients consent.

Article 4 said a physician could perform sterilization after consulting the Eugenic Protection Commission when someone was suffering from a disease deemed hereditary at the time.

These were the following:

‘schizophrenia, manic-depressive psychosis, epilepsy, “remarkable abnormal sexual desire,” “remarkable criminal inclination,” Huntington’s disease, muscular dystrophy, albinism, achromatopsia, deafness, haemophilia, “rupture of hand,” “rupture of foot.’

Luckily (if you could call it that) after the application the Eugenic Protection Commission would inform the patient who could then object and apply for a review of the matter within two weeks.

Unfortunately if you fell under the list of people from Article 12 with certain disabilities no notification needed to be given and so it could be performed against the patient will if the commission deemed it necessary.

The guidelines at the time stated:

‘It is permissible to restrain the patient’s body, to administer an anaesthetic, or to deceive the patient, etc.’

This allowed the authorization of forcible and deceitful sterilization, which was the common way of practice.

According to the statistics submitted from everything undertaken, between 1949 and 1994, 16,520 sterilizations were performed mostly without the patients consent. Out of all of these most were performed on women. In total 11,356 were carried out on women and 5,164 on men.

When we look closer into the types of people who has these surgeries performed on them most were inmates from psychiatric hospitals and most of them were deceived into having the surgery.

It is said one woman was given surgery and not informed what it was for, after discovering the truth, her mental health then deteriorated greatly. In this particular case it had been her parents who had given consent for the surgery to be undertaken.

At times people were pretty much forced into being sterilized as it was a prerequisite to being allowed into an institution. And as parents or guardians wanted their relatives in the institute they had no choice but to agree. If they were not sterilized upon entering they had to be sterilized prior to release otherwise they could never leave, otherwise they would be moved to the ‘mixed’ section of the institution.

When women were sterilized often a hysterectomy was performed instead of the tying of the fallopian tubes as a way to not cause a ‘loss of femininity.’

This law lasted all the way until 1996 when the Mother’s Body Protection Law was established on Jun 18th.

For many years there were advocates who have protested about what occurred but public attention was never really gained. It wasn’t until the report of sterilization in Sweden came to light in August 1997 that more interest was gained and talks of compensation began.

Recently the Kumamoto District Court found the 1948 law unconstitutional and awarded a total of ¥22 million ($170,000) in compensation to two different plaintiffs, Kazumi Watanabe, 78, and a 76-year-old woman who underwent forced sterilization. However compensation has been question by some as they believed a flat rate for all those who underwent this procedure is unjust and it should be based on a case by case basis.

Header Image: DNA structure from Pixabay.

References:

• Eugenic Sterilizations in Japan and Recent Demands for Apology: A Report 
• Japanese court orders government to pay damages over forced sterilization.
• Eugenics sterilization in Japan: ‘We all have the right to live.’
• Otsubo, Sumiko (April 2005). “Between Two Worlds: Yamanouchi Shigeo and Eugenics in Early Twentieth-Century Japan”. Annals of Science. 62 (2): 205–231.
• Robertson, Jennifer (2002). “Blood talks: Eugenic modernity and the creation of new Japanese” (PDF). Hist Anthropol Chur. 13 (3): 191–216.

You can listen to the full podcast episodes here: Japan Archives, or wherever you listen to Podcasts.

Follow us on Social Media: Instagram: @japan_archives

We also started a Youtube channel for Japan Archives.

And another for other creative endeavours!

The post Eugenics in Japan appeared first on . A History . . of Japan . 日本歴史.