This site is an online media that delivers all sorts of trivia about the six Tohoku prefectures, from sightseeing and gourmet spots to local customs, history, and more
As mentioned earlier, when Itako perform shamanistic rituals such as spirit mediumship, they chant various incantations, or spells. But what exactly are these incantations?
It seems that the exact details vary depending on the region and the person who carries on the tradition, but some of these have been collected through folklore surveys
Let's look at two examples below
An example of a medium's chant used by Itako in Tsugaru
The first example I cited is from "Selected Folklore Materials: Customs of Shrine Maidens II" (National Geographic Association, 1986), and is an example of a spirit medium's incantation used by the Itako of Tsugaru
"Whose path are you calling? Calling the path of the Buddha of the eighth day. What is being said on the branches of the rosary in paradise, somewhere far away? Is it the six characters of Namu Amida Butsu? Are they coming from the forest or the woods? Day after day, the path of tea is coming. Where is his form? Where is his shape? He is being met by the sound of prayer beads and the sound of bows. But then, he comes down in white robes and in white form and plays. His body is being used, and finally, the old woman is arriving at our house. The Buddha of the eighth day, saddened that he has not been seen. Where is this place? It is the room in Kasai. He comes down and tells stories. Is he the eldest son? This morning, I'll leave you alone."
Although it is called a prayer, the word "Buddha" is repeated many times, and words such as "Namu Amida Butsu" and "prayer beads" appear, so it can be said that the content is very strongly Buddhist in nature
However, the phrase "the sound of the bow" suggests the descent of spirits through the use of a bow made of catalpa wood, and also evokes the idea that a type of shamanistic ritual unique to Itako (female shamans) was performed
A ritual prayer for "searching for hell" performed by Itako in the southern region
As already mentioned, spirit mediumship is the practice of allowing the spirits of the dead to possess people, but records show that among the Itako of the southern region, there was a tradition that "the soul spends three years in hell after death."
Therefore, when an Itako summons a spirit, she first needs to search for its location, and the prayer used for this purpose is called "Jigoku Sagashi" (Searching for Hell)
The following is a paper by Tatsuo Kitagawa titled "Itako's 'Searching for Hell'" (Aomori Prefectural Museum Research Bulletin, No. 35, 2011).
Next, I would like to introduce the ritual text for searching for hell, which was passed down by Ms. Sue Nejo, an Itako (spirit medium) born in Hachinohe in 1891. It is very long, but it conveys the atmosphere associated with spirit mediumship very well, so let me quote a part of it
"Though it is said that there are 136 hells, the cuckoo sings in the underworld of this land and that land. The male bird visits the nine levels of the Pure Land, and the female bird visits the five levels of hell. The newborn child of Kozu, this year's infant, is so precious to me. When I draw the Pure Glass Mirror and look through it, I see a sorrowful scene of offering flowers and water. The six hells lead people astray, and it is the same for the six hells. Those who do not seek sutras for the sake of their parents will fall into a hell of 200 years. The Asura hell is the same. Those who do not seek sutras for the sake of their parents will fall into a hell of 100 years. The Avici hell is the same. Taking five-foot chopsticks and a three-foot kitchen knife, three times at night, three times a day, the sixth time I go to hell, how pitiful it is." If you have no time to spare, take what you can take, and throw what you can throw, how pitiful the tormented children are. If a man knew he would be killed when he was still in the world, he would put a bow on the outer rim, spread a net of black iron on top, and line up seven thousand swords below, and torment them seven times at night and seven times a day, fourteen times in total, how pitiful the tormented children are
As one ascends to the mountain of death with fifty-eight quirks, one finds no peace in the Pure Land, a single Pure Land, rather than returning to the hell that marks the pathos, one clings to it, the hell of small pots of burning leaves a sense of pathos, the hell of silence leaves a sense of pathos, the hell of closed doors leaves a sense of pathos, the pathos of climbing the mountain to meet one's love
The pitiful plight of the young children, piling stones and picking flowers. Three times a day during the day, three times a night. Pile 10 feet for your father, 20 feet for your mother, 30 feet for your brothers and yourself. The Asura demons, with their golden gaiters, throw them down as they pile, tormenting them with thuds and thuds
He will be bound with a rope and tormented for about a hundred days, and it is pitiful that he will climb the mountain to meet her while he is tormented
Farewell, the woman's lament is truly pitiable, If she does not bear the seed of a child, what will she have to go tomorrow? What will she have to go through the sacred relics? Firstly, the mountain of swords, secondly, Devadatta will take her away. She will build up the fire for three days, three days, seven days, seven days, seven days, and be accused of five obstacles and six sins. She will wait until the 25th, 35th, 49th, 100th day, the first anniversary, and the third year of her death, but she will spend a thousand years in the fields, a thousand years in the mountains, a thousand years in the sea, and even after three years, she will still be relying on others, hoping that she will be born, and climbing the mountain to meet him is truly pitiable
Farewell, the woman's lament is truly pitiable, for if she bears no child, what will she eat tomorrow? What will she eat the sacred relics?
If you give clothes to a cold animal, and if you give what you have, then even if it is a human child, you should name it your own child, and for the sake of the parents, you should recite the Nembutsu even once. These two sins are lesser. To the north of here lies a sorrowful place, and the sorrowful hell is also a part of it
The Blood Pond Hell is a hellish place, and the Blood Pond Hell is like that too, its depth is over 80,000 feet, its width is also over 80,000 feet, in a pond of over 80,000 feet, the tormentors to thatch it with bamboo roots and dig it up, a pitiful sight for the wretched men, the blood spilled from the roots of melons and the princess's knees, what will the straw bears to feed tomorrow? (The rest is omitted)
This is only about half of the entire text, which gives you an idea of just how lengthy this prayer is
Since the techniques and knowledge of Itako are primarily passed down orally, one can imagine the amount of training required to memorize and recite so many incantations
Examples of female shamans in various parts of Tohoku
As mentioned earlier, in Tsugaru and other areas, there are female shamans other than Itako, but in fact, similar folk shamans are widely distributed throughout the Tohoku region
These shamans are not called Itako, but rather by names specific to their respective regions. While their basic shamanistic practices are of the same lineage, they differ in the tools and attire they use, the words they chant, and the deities they worship
Below are some examples from regions other than Aomori
Onakama [Mogami and Murayama regions of Yamagata Prefecture]
In the Mogami and Murayama regions of Yamagata Prefecture, shamans similar to Itako"Onakama."are called
Iwatani Juhachiya Kannon-do in Nakayama Town
The techniques they employed, such as spirit mediumship, incantations, and divination, were similar to those of the Itako, but the Onakamatemple was the Iwatani JuhachiyaKannon-do in Nakayama Town. (In Nakayama Town, the lineage of the Onakama has now been broken, as the person believed to be the last Onakama passed away in 1995.)
The fact that a sacred site dedicated to Kannon worship is also known as a shrine maiden's place is thought to be a remnant of the ancient syncretism of Shinto and Buddhism
The Nakayama Town Historical and Folk Museum houses the"Iwatani Juhachiya Kannon Popular Belief Materials" exhibition room, a nationally designated important tangible folk cultural property. It contains a large collection of various ritual implements and related materials that were dedicated to the Kannon Hall.
This Irataka rosary is unique in that, like those used by Itako (female shamans), it is adorned with animal bones, tusks, and horns, as well as seashells and jade
Furthermore, the set of ritual implements used by folk shamans closely resembles those used by Itako, but it's interesting that the kanji characters and names are different
Furthermore, because Iwatani Juhachiya Kannon has been worshipped for its miraculous powers in curing eye diseases, there is a history of numerous votivetabletsdedicated to the temple with prayers for the healing of eye ailments.
The name "Ogami-sama" (拝み様) easily evokes the image of a person who worships, and it can be seen as a straightforward reflection of their role as a professional who oversees rituals and magic
Photographs available on the Cultural Heritage Online website show a large drum placed on the altar, and the Ogamisama herself appears to be wearing a brightly patterned uchikake (a type of formal kimono)
The altar, adorned with prayer beads, bells, and candles, is reminiscent of Buddhist rituals, but the presence of kagami mochi (rice cakes) and gohei (paper streamers) indicates that it is indeed a syncretic style of Shinto and Buddhism
Additionally, the photos on the same site also show what appear to be two statues of Oshirasama. They practice spirit mediumship, incantations, and divination, similar to Itako
In eastern Fukushima Prefecture, parts of southern Miyagi Prefecture, and the Iwaki and Iwashiro regions of western Fukushima Prefecture, female shamans similar to Itako"Mikosama."are called
This too is thought to mean "shrine maiden," and while it has a Buddhist feel, it suggests that she was viewed not as a nun, but as a female shaman serving the gods
The photographs published on the Cultural Heritage Online show him waving a gohei (ritual wand) like a Shinto priest, suggesting that he performed a shamanistic ritual in a style closer to Shinto
As mentioned earlier, there are theories that the wives of Shugendo practitioners were involved in the origins of the Azusa Miko, who were itinerant shrine maidens who were active mainly in the eastern provinces, and the Itako. It is said that in the past, Shugendo practitioners and shrine maidens would perform prayers and other rituals together, and the shrine maidens served as vessels for spirits
Therefore, it is possible that Mikosama is an older name that traces back to the origins of the Itako
We have provided an overview of similar shamanistic practices found throughout the Tohoku region, focusing on the Itako, the blind female shamans famous at Mount Osore in Aomori Prefecture
As religious figures who connected the mortal world with unseen beings, their unique role of communicating with the dead could be described in modern terms as a form of counseling or a means of protecting mental health
Although there are few people left to carry on the tradition, and it is said that the folklore is in danger of being lost, attempts to record and preserve the culture continue
The continued existence of such shamans in modern times is surely one example that demonstrates the profound depth of Japanese culture
[Series] The World of Itako, Traditional Female Shamans of Tohoku
to Enjoying Life.
" - Honorable Mention for "The Land of Star Readings" at the 3rd Misato Western Treasury Literary Awards.
A Visual Guide
competition. - "Swordsman's Communications" at the 9th Historical and Period Novel Grand Prizes, "Exhilarating! Entertainment Swordsman Award" (book publication project in progress).
- 5th Dan in Iaido, 4th Dan in Jodo.
![Lake Usoriyama at Mount Osore](https://jp.neft.asia/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/25110883_m-1200x900.jpg-150x150.webp "The mysterious world of Shimokita Peninsula Geopark: "The northernmost monkeys at Mount Osore and Hotokegaura" [Aomori Prefecture]")
