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"Onakama"who perform spiritual mediumship, incantations, and divination, mainly in the Mogami and Murayama regions of Yamagata Prefectureshamans. They are the same type of people as the Itako, Mikosama, and Ogamisama in other parts of the Tohoku region.
What is a shaman?
A fugeki is an ancient Japanese shaman whose role is to perform a "divine possession" ritual on themselves and convey the will of the gods to ordinary people. Generally, "巫" refers to a woman and "覡" refers to a man
It is also simply called "Kannagi" (巫), using only one character
This refers to a type of practitioner who, through rigorous training, acquired the ability to channel gods and Buddhas (the spirits of the dead) into themselves, and whose livelihood was to convey their will to people
In Nakayama Town, the lineage of the Onakama (a type of religious group) has now ended, as the last person believed to be a member passed away in 1995
The arduous training of a comrade
Becoming an Onakama requires rigorous training, so intense that even the Onakama themselveswouldn't want their enemies to undergo itwould say they
The blind girls would become apprentices at the age of seven or eight, and they would practice asceticism, refraining from eating meat and fish, while spending about two years learning scriptures and the rituals of fortune-telling and spirit mediumship
Pre-event fasting
In the final stage of the training, a ritual called "Kamitsuke" is performed to test whether a god truly possesses the practitioner. As a preliminary step, the practitioner undergoes a seven-day fast
During that time, they would seclude themselves in a clean place and perform ritual ablutions with water, counting the number of times they did so by floating bundles of straw, prepared in advance, down the river one by one
the ritual of abluting oneself with water was performed every five minutes, totaling1,000 times over seven daysmaking it a grueling practice.
To complete 1000 water ablutions in 7 days, you would need to perform them at least 143 times a day. At one ablution every 5 minutes, that's 12 ablutions per hour. This means you would have to continue the water ablution practice for at least 12 hours a day
It's easy to imagine that it was an extremely rigorous training period
Kamitsuke (God Possessed)
At midnight on the final day of the ascetic training, the practitioners wear white robes, tie their hair in seven places, anda "bonden"hold a ritual implement called
During the ceremony, the use of metal, leather, and rubber was forbidden, and wooden combs were used even for combing hair
Once everything is ready, the ascetic sits on a sack of rice, and his master's fellow practitioners surround him, chanting sutras and urging him on, "Put it on, put it on!"
After a while, when the trainee becomes weak and loses consciousness, the witness asks, "Which god has accompanied you?" If the trainee"Juhachiya Kannon,"they are officially qualified to become a companion. If they answer with the name of a different god, they must start their training again.
Leaping over one's master
Once the qualification is successfully obtained, the master lies down between the straw bales on which the person was initially sitting, using 33 mon as a pillow, and the person jumps over it three times. After this is successfully completed, the witness reads aloud the "Uchihajime Tegata," which explains the origin of Onakama
Standing on one's own
After eating rice porridge and resting for the night, the ascetic, dressed in a wedding dress, visited the sacred grove, and then a grand wedding reception was held
Then, the "Goshin" is placed inside the Bonden used in the "Kamitsuke" ceremony, andthe "Todosama"is created by covering it with cloth piece by piece. In addition, thethe Irataka rosaryandthe Azusa bow, thus becoming "Ippon-tachi" (standing on their own two feet).
This is how they were able to become independent as shamans in towns and villages and offer advice to the people
Todosama is a shamanistic tool that is similar to, yet different from, Oshirasama
"Todosama"used by shamans in other parts of the Tohoku region"Oshirasama". However, since it is made from a Bonden used in the "Kamitsuke" ceremony to become an Onakama (a type of shaman), itsymbol of having completed formal training as an Onakamais also conceivable that it may have served as a
One of the ritual implements used by the Itako in Aomori Prefecture"Odaiji," which contains a hanging scroll depicting the Itako's own guardian deity or protective spirit. The deity revealed through "Kamitsuke" is carried on the Itako's back as the Odaiji, and the characteristics of this Odaiji are also inherent in "Todosama."
Unlike the Itako, each of them had a different deity, the Onakama only had "Juhachiya Kannon" as their deity. Therefore, since possessing Todosamathey were "Onakama who harbored Juhachiya Kannon,"it is thought that a shamanistic tool equivalent to Odaiji was unnecessary.
Nakayama Town Historical and Folk Museum <Information>
The main temple of the Onakama, "Iwatani Juhachiya Kannon-do"
Iwaya Juhachiya Kannon-dois a Kannon hall located in the Iwaya district of Kanazawa, Nakayama town. According to a historical record passed down by the head priest of Nichigetsuji Temple, who was the head of the hall, it was founded in the Asuka period (around the 6th to 7th centuries) by Ukonoe Hidetoyo, a descendant of Soga no Umako, and then rebuilt approximately 200 years later in 837 by Jikaku Daishi Ennin.
The statue of the Holy Kannon Bodhisattva at Iwatani Juhachiya Kannon-do
Furthermore, while Kannon is considered a Buddhist deity, she has long been revered as the goddess of eye diseases
The worship hall of Iwatani Juhachiya Kannon-do
From the mid-Edo period onwardthe "Kawanishi Thirty-Three Kannon Pilgrimage", it flourished as the 33rd temple ofthe head temple of the "Onakama" mediums. It is said that on the 18th of each month, the temple's festival day, a market was held in front of the gate, attracting many gamblers and creating a lively atmosphere.
Main hall of Iwatani Juhachiya Kannon-do
It is said that some Onakama had a custom of offering a complete set of shamanistic tools and a liter of sake when they closed their business, and many valuable shamanistic tools and votive tablets were offered at the main hall of Iwatani Juhachiya Kannon-do
These items are currentlynationally designated folk cultural propertiesasthe Nakayama Town Historical and Folk Museumhoused in
Current situation in the Iwatani area
The Iwatani district was a settlement with a history of over 1,000 years, originating in the Asuka period (around the 6th to 7th centuries) when Ukonoe Hidetoyo, a descendant of Soga no Umako, founded the "Iwatani Juhachiya Kannon-do" temple
Records also show that in 837, Jikaku Daishi Ennin rebuilt the "Iwatani Juhachiya Kannon-do" temple, in 1041, he founded the "Yamajinja" shrine, and in 1194, he founded the "Manganji" temple (which was relocated to the Nagasaki district of Nakayama town and still exists today)
Historical site map at Iwatani Juhachiya Kannon-do
The village was home to 38 households (257 people) who engaged in farming and sericulture, but it became a ghost town in 1980 when the last family left
Although much of it has now been swallowed up by the mountains, traces of its former glory can still be seen, such as man-made structures that appear to be abandoned houses
a huge hit during the Showa erathe NHK serial television drama "Oshin,"(first broadcast from April 1983 to March 1984), was apparently filmed in this Iwatani area.
Traveling around the Tohoku region, I enjoy drinking delicious sake and exploring the local history, traditions, and customs. I write articles based on my interests. I'm currently interested in folk performing arts, local toys, and folk beliefs
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