Inside the Main Sanctuary (Photo source: http://www.fotolog.com/ericainjapan/8237739/)
Presenting some general information for followers returning for October’s Autumn Grand Service.
Ceremony to Replace the Kanrodai
Image of the Kanrodai (Source: http://tenri.org/nycenter/jp/index.php?page=teaching2.htm)
The model Kanrodai is scheduled to be replaced this coming October 24. A “Commencement of Activities Ceremony” will be held on October 9. The Kanrodai was previously replaced in July 2000.
Commencement of Activities Ceremony: October 9 (Fri), 9:00 a.m.
Ceremony to Replace the Kanrodai: October 24 (Sat), 5:30 p.m.
Tenrikyo Europe Centre Photo source: http://www.excite.co.jp/News/bit/E1432901583704.html
TYMA Europe 30th Anniversary
The Europe Chapter of the Tenrikyo Young Men’s Association (TYMA) celebrated its 30th anniversary with a commemoration convention held on September 12 at Tenrikyo Europe Centre. A total of 91 people from across Europe gathered for the event, which was also attended by TYMA President Daisuke Nakayama. Read the rest of this entry »
In September, rains from Typhoon No. 18 (Severe Tropical Storm Etau) caused flooding in Joso City, Ibaraki Prefecture. Members of the Tenrikyo Disaster Relief Hinokishin Corps were recently dispatched to help with recovery efforts.
Shinbashira Zenji Nakayama, his wife Harue and Shinbashira successor-designate Daisuke Nakayama visited Mexico recently to attend the 30th anniversary of Centro Misionero Tenrikyo de Mexico (mission center). They also attended the Women’s Association and Young Men’s Association convention (general meeting) held the previous day and visited three churches/fellowships in the region.
Translation of the video narration:
On May 17, Centro Misionero Tenrikyo de Mexico in Mexico City conducted the service commemorating the 30th anniversary of their founding, welcoming the Shinbashira Zenji Nakayama, his wife Harue, and of the Young Men’s Association President Daisuke Nakayama. Approxinately 380 followers attended.
At the commemorative service, after the reading of the service prayer by Minister Wakio Watanabe, the Shinbashira gave an address on the role of a mission center and the type of mind-frame one should have during a seasonable period.
This was followed by a joyous performance of the seated service and service dance (teodori). Followers sang the Mikagura-uta together with joy.
After the service, a commemorative reception was held under a tent specially installed for the occasion. There was a fife and drum band performance, folk dance performance, and others as the venue overflowed with the followers’ joy of having welcomed their 30th anniversary.
The path in Mexico is said to have begun when a Yoboku emigrated there from Japan in 1922. Since the establishment of the mission center in 1985, followers have made the mission center a spiritual hub as well as a place from where they could further dedicate their efforts toward sprinkling the fragrance and engaging in salvation work.
It’s been a long time since anything was posted on Tenrikyo Resource. Hopefully we can get back into the swing of things here starting with this post.
On the morning of June 25, I was informed the third and former Shinbashira Zenye Nakayama passed away for rebirth the previous evening. He was 81 years old. The Tenri jiho weekly newspaper (June 29 edition) reported the time of his passing at 7:55 p.m. on June 24. I heard he passed away peacefully without any previous hint that his physical condition was critical.
Whereas Tenrikyo Church Headquarters’ Directors-in-Chief of Administrative Affairs and Religious Affairs expressed deep sorrow at the third Shinbashira’s passing in the aforementioned newspaper, since I knew he had been ill and confined to a wheelchair for some time, I found little trouble accepting the news. Rather than being sad, I was moved and awed that his passing occurred after the services commemorating Hawaii Dendocho’s 60th anniversary took place on May 17 and America Dendocho’s 80th anniversary on June 14. If the third Shinbashira had passed away even a month or two earlier, it would have severely dampened the mood before these celebrations.
In no way did I know the third Shinbashira personally but I do have fond memories attending the asa-zutome (“Morning Service”) activity during the Children’s Pilgrimage when the third Shinbashira would make his entrance while singing “How do you do? Konnichi wa.” He exuded an indescribable charisma as people craned their necks in the direction he was walking from. He was like a rock star, albeit a rock star in a kimono and hakama. He also allegedly enjoyed attending sumo matches, usually the first day of the bi-monthly tournaments.
Several years after he handed over the position of Shinbashira to Zenji Nakayama in 1998, I remember seeing him once in a while as he took strolls in the Main Sanctuary precincts. He would be dressed in an unassuming manner with a cap on his head. I do not know for sure if he deliberately chose to dress that way in an attempt to move about incognito but that there would always be a seinen (HQ male official) escort following a few feet behind gave him away to anyone who was attentive enough.
In the June Monthly Service Prayer on the 26th, the current Shinbashira mentioned that maintaining the congregation’s current pace toward the 130th Anniversary of Oyasama mounted to the best way to honor the memory of the late third Shinbashira. At the end of his sermon at the Monthly Service, Headquarters Executive Official Motoyoshi Tomimatsu’s voice wavered as he touched on the passing of the third Shinbashira. He said that the late third Shinbashira made it his lifelong mission to encourage the enrichment of the inner substance of local churches and emphasized the importance of conforming to the teachings instead of molding the teachings to serve and suit our convenience. He encouraged everyone listening to honor him by continuing to strive to progress in these areas.1
The Mitama-utsushi2 ceremony took place on the night of June 27. A “Hassonogi” (ceremony seeing off the departed) took place at noon on the 28th.
The Kokubetsu-shiki (memorial ceremony) is scheduled to take place at noon on July 6.
Married Masa Tosa on February 7, 1958. They had three sons and three daughters
Began his tenure as Shinbashira after the second Shinbashira’s passing on November 14, 1967. The Shinbashira Inauguration Service was held on October 25, 1968
He presided over three anniversaries of Oyasama (90th, Centennial, 110th). For the 90th Anniversary, he advocated the enrichment of church substance and advancing the construction of Oyasato, the Parental Home. For the Centennial Anniversary, he emphasized missionary work and announced the construction of the West and East Worship Halls to actualize the “four-fronted mirror Residence” as well as the remodeling of the Inner Sanctuary4
Stepped down as Shinbashira in 1998, the year of Oyasama’s 200th Birthday Celebration, handing the office over to his son Zenji
During his lifetime, he made 34 official trips to visit churches outside Japan and over 2,000 domestically
Endnotes
These are a rough translations of what I heard secondhand in the case of the Service prayer and what I remember from a live broadcast in the case of the sermon. I plan to update this post when the June Service prayer and sermon are officially published. ↩
Mitama-utsushi: Ritual transference of a late person’s memory in a memorial tablet. ↩
The Tenrikyo Europe Center has released the piano scores and lyrics to for the new Oyasama 130th Anniversary song. As we come to a close to the end of the first year of the 3-years, one thousand days, there is still much more time to go before the 130th Anniversary of Oyasama. Hopefully, this song could keep our spirits up along the way.
Recently, there hasn’t been a lot of activity for TR and I apologize. I hope I can try to continue with TR. We just ran into a major database issue that rendered the website unusable. Luckily, I was able to recover it to its current state. I haven’t heard much news except the Shinbashira’s visit to Brazil this year for the YMA 60th Anniversary event (this year) and Hawaii for the Bishop Installation Service (last year).
Rev. Teruo Takemoto, former head minister of Stockton Church and head of the Missionary House at America Dendocho, passed away for rebirth.
Transfer of Spirit Service was held at Fukui Mortuary on July 3 (Wed) from 1:30 pm
Funeral Service will be at Dendocho on July 5 (Fri) from 7:30 pm
I would like to thank him for his many decades of dedication to the path, and his friendly, “Hello! How are you?” that he used to greet everyone with whenever we visited Dendocho.
Refresh Seikatsukan FK, a “recycle store” that has been a well-patronized stop for shoppers in the Tenri Hondori Shopping Arcade for at least a dozen years, has closed its doors for good. Here is a translation of a sign that was posted late last month:
To our customers,
Circumstances have led us to close our store for good. All our executives and employees would humbly like to thank you for your patronage over the last 15 years.
All items half price!
Please make a purchase!
We will close as soon as we run out of merchandise.
Thank you once again.
Another business, the Tenri Kanko Hotel, which closed late last year, is presently being torn down. Here’s how the demolition is progressing the other day:
We’ll post an update as soon as we find out what are slated to replace these two Tenri mainstays.
More Tenri judo news from Fukuoka, where Tenri University athletes competed in a tournament that helped select the Japanese team to compete in the Judo World Championship in Rio scheduled to begin in August this year.
Video by Doyusha:
(Translation of video narration)
On May 12 and 13, the 2013 “All-Japan Judo Invitational Tournament” was held at Fukuoka Convention Center. Four athletes from Tenri University competed.
In the 81 kg weight division, Goki Maruyama, junior at Tenri U., faced top-seeded Keita Nagashima in the opening round.
Maruyama launched a physical assault against his opponent and secured himself an ippon victory by combining an uchimata (inner thigh throw) with an osoto-gaeshi (large outer reaping throw counter).
In the semi-final, Maruyama went up against Yasuhiro Ebi, who took third place last year. He advanced into the final round with a stunning uchimata 4:38 into the match.
Tenri U. senior Tomofumi Yasuda also competed in the 81 kg class. He obtained ippons in both the opening and semi-final rounds to advance to the final.
The 81 kg weight division final was a battle between two Tenri U. judoka. Both athletes being well-acquainted with one another, became locked in an intense offensive and defensive exchange. Maruyama’s aggressive approach gave him the advantage as he scored two shidos against Yasuda, landing himself his first ever championship in his weight division.
In other competition, Tenri U. senior Shohei Ono placed third in 73 kg weight division competition, becoming the only Tenri judoka to be selected for the national team in his weight division.
A Colombian university youth TV program, Tiempo Real de Verdad, recently featured Luis Enrique Duque at the Tenrikyo Colombia Center (in Cali) in a Youtube video. I have heard that Luis Enrique was a Tenrikyo Language Institute graduate and in this show, he explains that he is teaching Japanese at the Colombia Center. Click on the link for the video and a translation!
