Tenrikyo followers in the Netherlands?! Yes, the Path has been growing wider as missionaries have been going to different parts of the world working hard to sprinkle the fragrance of the Tenrikyo teachings and I was lucky to have met Yasmin Ben Malek while she attended the Tenrikyo Language Institute Japanese language course. When she returned home, I asked if she could send me photos of any activities that might happen in Holland and sent me photos of their participation in the annual All-Tenrikyo Hinokishin Day and told me a little bit about the Tenrikyo mission in her home country. Read the rest of this entry »

Seven athletes with ties to Tenri University will be competing in the 2012 London Olympics, which will begin on July 27. Three others from Tenri U. will serve as either coaches or referees.

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Rev. Marlon Okazaki of Tenrikyo Southern Pacific Church has kindly given his permission to post an edited version of the presentation he gave at last year’s Tenrikyo Hawaii Convention 2011. We recently just passed the one-year mark since its occurrence (May 28th–30th, 2011).

The title of the presentation is “Singable, Danceable Mikagura-uta (SDM)—The meaning, purpose, and history behind SDM and the near future view of SDM and its challenges.”

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I recently stumbled upon a video titled, ハルノヒの一日 （天理教はるのひ分教会） A day at HARUNOHI (also on DailyMotion), which depicts the daily activities of Harunohi Church. Not all churches run the same, nor are always filled with followers like this one, but I think this shows what a traditional Tenrikyo church should be like, where followers come in and out through out the entire day tending to the needs of the church and take part and the morning and evening services, cleaning of the shinden (sanctuary), learning & practicing the teachings, and administering the Sazuke.

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I apologize for not doing an immediate follow up to the “What does a Tenrikyo Church look like around the world?” article posted a few months ago. I was not able to because I did not get any responses to the article until I asked a friend if she could help me out. So I decided to start a series featuring one church at a time.

In this article, I will be featuring Igreja Tenrikyo Central in Sao Paulo, Brazil. (“Igreja” means “church” in Portuguese)

Read the rest of this entry »

Some information for those of you who may be returning to Jiba soon for the Oyasato Seminar or International Hinokishin Corps: the police in Tenri have cracking down on bad bicycling behavior since May this year to ensure the safety of motorists and pedestrians.

I have seen police officers patrolling the Tenri Hondori shopping arcade at night recently, not to mention hanging banners that promote good bicycling behavior, so it is advisable to bike in Tenri with caution since a 50,000 yen traffic fine is the last thing you want while you are here.

Even worse, in the event you are in an accident and injure a pedestrian due to prohibited bicycling behavior, you will be asked to pay compensation to the accident victim.

To give an idea on what bicycle-riding infractions the police will likely stop you for, here is a caution list handed out to students of the Tenrikyo Language Institute.

• As a rule, ride your bicycles on the road (Exceptions include designated areas or when the traffic situation does not allow it.)
• Ride your bicycles on the left side of the road.
• Yield to pedestrians when riding on the sidewalk. While riding on the sidewalk, yield to pedestrians and ride on the side closer to the road at a reduced speed.
• The following behaviors are prohibited: Riding while intoxicated, double-riding, and riding side-to-side with another rider.
• Turn your lights on at night. (Ensure your bicycle has a working headlight and a reflector in the rear)
• Observe traffic lights. Pause at intersections before proceeding.
• When making a left turn at a traffic light, make a stop when the light is red.
• Do not use cell phones or listen to portable music devices while riding.

(Violators will be fined up to 50,000 yen, equivalent to about $627.50 USD)

• Do not ride a bicycle with an open umbrella. If you are held responsible for an accident, you will be asked to pay compensation equivalent to what a motorist pays.

Read the rest of this entry »

This is a follow-up post to an earlier one that covered a summary from The Japan Times Online that indirectly mentioned the Disaster Relief Hinokishin Corps (DRHC). I was able to acquire a copy of the May 8・15 issue of Flash that contains the actual print article mentioned in the summary. In addition to the DRHC, the article also covers SeRV of Shinnyo-en and the Shanti Volunteer Association (originally a volunteer organization consisting of Soto Zen priests).

While Flash may be no more than a gossip rag with nude pics to some people (it’s safe to say Pulitzer prize material it ain’t), I have done a rough translation of the Tenrikyo section of article (p. 19):

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News from the Tenrikyo Japanese website:

On May 6, the last day of the Golden Week holiday, tornadoes struck three areas in Ibaraki and Tochigi prefectures.

A tornado striking Tsukuba City in Ibaraki caused great damage, closing roads, cutting off electricity and water, killing one person, injuring 40, and damaging over 1,300 buildings.

In response to a request from the Osuna District of Tsukuba City, the Ibaraki Diocese Disaster Relief Hinokishin Corps (DRHC) immediately contacted DRHC HQ in Tenri. DRHC HQ Director Yuichi Tanaka went to the scene, set up camp, and made the decision to dispatch a unit comprised of members from nearby dioceses.

On May 14, a unit comprised of members of DRHC HQ, Ibaraki, Kanagawa, and Tochigi dioceses was dispatched to the scene. A total of 191 members assisted in the recovery work underway in rice fields and orchards over three days.

• Japanese article: 災救隊 竜巻被害の地へ出動(5月16日記)
• Other links: The Japan Times Online: “Tornado wreaks havoc in Ibaraki, Tochigi”; Japan Probe: “Amateur Videos of the Deadly Tornado That Hit Tsukuba City”

The Japan Times Online on May 6 posted a summary of recent articles from weekly newsletters, which included one on Japanese religious organizations’ Tohoku disaster relief efforts.

From the online summary:

The most generous donor by far, which mustered some 20,000 volunteers over 130 days — approaching the Self-Defense Forces in equipment and speed — was the 40-year-old “Hinokishin Brigade” of the Tenrikyo Sect, which also donated some ¥920 million.

“Hinokishin Brigade” would likely be referring to the Disaster Relief Hinokishin Corps (DRHC).

Based on the what was reported in the article*, this is how the organizations would rank:

1. Tenrikyo (¥921 million + 20,000 volunteers over 130 days)
2. Soka Gakkai (¥540 million)
3. Rissho Kosei-kai (¥500 million + 5,305 volunteers)
4. Shanti Volunteer Association (a Buddhist NGO, ¥340 million)
5. Seicho no Ie (¥250 million)
6. Shinnyo-en (¥162 million + 4,205 volunteers through Feb. 2012)
7. Unification Church (¥162 million + about 500 volunteers)
8. Science of Happiness (¥61 million)
9. Bentenshu (¥40 million)

* Donation numbers are approximate. Numbers of volunteers were not provided for every religious organization mentioned in the article.

While it’s great to hear that Tenrikyo is on top, we should appreciate that, overall, the religions of Japan have been very generous and, indeed, deserve just as much praise and recognition.

The article later goes on to explain how religion is currently viewed in politics and other political news.

It is has been noted how the media tended to neglect covering disaster relief efforts organized by religious organizations. So it is great to hear that a weekly newsletter like “Flash” helped shed positive light on religions in Japan especially on the relief efforts in the Tohoku region.

via Weeklies take a look at faiths, (misplaced) hopes and charities | The Japan Times Online.

This post has been updated to reflect the numbers cited in the weekly May 8・15, 2012 Flash article (pp. 17–20)

It’s only May but I already miss the cherry blossoms that bloomed so spectacularly in Tenri just a few weeks ago. I tried to come up with an excuse to post pictures of them even though they are no longer newsworthy anymore. So I came up with this idea of an “Identify that Cherry Blossom” Contest.

Correctly identify the location of the cherry blossoms — by multiple choice, to give people who have never even set foot in Tenri a fair shot — in the ten pictures below and you might win a prize! Winners (and there will be three) will receive a copy of the Ofudesaki (English, Japanese, and Romanization) and a “surprise”!

Simply send an e-mail with your name/alias, country/region, and answers to roy@tenrikyology.com. Please put “Cherry Blossom ID Contest” in the subject heading. Your e-mail should look like this:

To: roy@tenrikyology.com

Subject: Cherry Blossom ID Contest

Body:

James / New York, United States

1. a

2. b

3. c

4. a

etc.

Winners will be later contacted for snail mail information so we can mail you your prizes.

Submissions will be accepted until May 15 20, 2012.

Good luck to everyone! (Click to see the pictures.) Read the rest of this entry »