Fifth Anniversary Ceremony of the Great East Japan Earthquake was held on March 6, 2016. Reverend Toshimasa Okanari, the former Chief Administrative Director, gave an address.
Our Prayers for the Recovery from the Great East Japan Earthquake that Happened Five Years Ago, Through the Route of Lived Faith
By Reverend Toshimasa Okanari,
the former Chief Administrative Director of Konkokyo
Introduction
Recently, we solemnly held the Fifth Anniversary Ceremony of the Great East Japan Earthquake. We were allowed to have this ceremony thanks to the prayers and Sacred Mediation of our Spiritual Leader, Kyoshu Konko-Sama, and we held it because of the earnest request by the Tohoku diocese of the Konko kyo, and in a broader sense, also because of the earnest request by the entire Konkokyo community.
In the ceremony, we all prayed to our Divine Parent for the salvation of the mitama spirits of the victims in the massive quake. We also prayed that the bereaved families and other earthquake-stricken people would be allowed to rise up from the devastation, and that all the earthquake-damaged areas would fully recover.
I remember very clearly that we set up an emergency office as soon as the Great East Japan Earthquake occurred. On the very next day of the quake, we dispatched several staff members of the Konkokyo Headquarters Administration to the damaged areas. These staff members visited each local Konko church, delivering to them the Sacred Rice (go-shinmai) which we respectfully had received from our Spiritual Leader, Kyoshu Konko-Sama.
It has been five years since the enormous earthquake happened, and we have constantly been traversing the road to recovery together with all believers of Konkokyo. As for the disaster-relieving monetary donations that were the sincere contributions of many empathetic people, we used the generous monies to support the damaged local governments, churches and believers of Konkokyo as expressions of our deepest sympathy for them. We have also financially supported rescuers and relief workers who labored in the suffering areas. We also supported those suffering from radioactive contamination due to the nuclear power plant accident in FukushimaPrefecture. We plan to continue to use the donations from every one of you for as many meaningful purposes as we can.
As soon as the huge earthquake struck the Tohoku (northeastern) Region of Japan, people belonging to the Konko Church of Ishinomaki and Konko Church of Kesen’numa undertook activities for the recovery of their own damaged areas. Many believers of Konkokyo have entered the Region and taken part as volunteers in various rescuing and relieving activities. They have been supporting the suffering areas and their people warmly and kindly, and it is indeed our greatest honor.
An executive committee was set up chiefly by Konkokyo ministers of the Tohoku district. Konkokyo’s memorial service for the deceased spirits and recovery-praying service, in relation to the Great East Japan Earthquake, was held at Matsushima-cho, MiyagiPrefecture just six months after the disastrous quake. The late Reverend Mitsutoshi Sato, then Chief Administrative Director of Konkokyo, attended this ceremony and delivered a lecture.
In the lecture, the late Rev. Sato explained who Tenchi Kane No Kami — our Divine Parent – is; the relationship between Kami and people; and the necessity for us to seek a spiritual lifestyle that lives up to Kami’s wishes. He also explained the important meaning of comforting and soothing deceased spirits (mitama spirits) for the Konkokyo, tracing the tradition of Japanese folk beliefs.
Later on, the First Anniversary Ceremony of the Great East Japan Earthquake was held in Kesen’numa City, MiyagiPrefecture. The same executive committee worked very hard to make it possible. In 2013, two years after the earthquake, a book, Cuddling Breeze, (“Yorisoi No Kaze”) was published. In 2014, the Third Anniversary Ceremony was held in IshinomakiCity, MiyagiPrefecture.
In the same way, we held today’s Fifth Anniversary Ceremony of the Great East Japan Earthquake. However, we still seem to have a long and winding road towards full recovery. Besides, an unclear situation continues to lie ahead of us in terms of the nuclear power plant accident, and many people are still being forced to live in great agony and difficulty. When I think of these things, I cannot help but feel that we are being asked, “What kind of faiths should we practice? How should we live our lives with the intention of continuing to help the damaged areas become restored with as strong an effort as we have thus far?” We should be aware that we will ask ourselves these questions doctrinally and pragmatically. To ask these questions means that we are driven to seeking answers. In my case, when I was being made to seek the answers, I recalled two senior ministers of Konkokyo. Specifically, I recalled the late Reverend Morio Sato of Konko Church of Hiroshima, who literally rose up from the deadly ashes of an atomic bomb and the late Reverend Seiichi Yukawa of Konko Church of Ginza, who also literally rose up from the total devastation of Great Kanto Earthquake.
Remembering these two individuals, I would like to quote a portion of the lecture by the late Reverend Mitsutoshi Sato about the Universe and the relationship between Kami and people. Then, I would like to introduce you to the two aforementioned senior ministers. I will introduce them to you as the “route of lived faith.”
1. On the Universe and the Relationship between Kami and People
“They really don’t understand the Universe”
Regarding the Universe and the relationship between Kami and people, our Founder teaches, “There are people who claim that the Universe works this way and that, but they really don’t understand it. If they did, they would be able to stop the rise and fall of tides.” (GI: Kondo Fujimori 9) The Founder also teaches, “People have now come to call the Sun a machine. Even so, isn’t it a very good machine? Since we receive light and support from this machine, we must express our thanks.” (GI: Tokunaga Kenji 3)
These teachings were bestowed upon two of the Founder’s disciples, and it happened from 1881 to 1883, during which the Founder was living his final years of his life. In giving these teachings, the Founder had a basic attitude, “People don’t understand the Universe.” In those days, the new Meiji government advanced their policies of modernizing, civilizing and enlightening Japan. Such governmental policies seemed to have influenced the general public, and many people were exclaimed “the Universe and the Sun are working this way or that.” The Founder was aware of those people’s “new” perceptions on things and he expressed his profound observation towards them in his teachings.
In the latter teaching I quoted above, the Founder revered the sun as “hi no kami sama,” which means “Deity of the Sun.” In the original Japanese, the Founder said in this teaching, “The world today has been much enlightened.” He continued, “People are coming to know and understand the Universe in various ways and they are recently regarding the sun as a machine.” In the past, people in Japan used to look up to “hi no kami sama” (the Sun) as the Deity to govern the functions of the Universe. In the final years of the Founder’s life, however, people were gradually coming to consider the sun a tool or machine useful to human society. The Founder pointed out such this trend, and he observed, “People have now come to call the Sun a machine.” This expression does not represent the Founder’s rejection or resistance against people’s “new” perceptions of things. Rather, he accepted them just as they were. With that, the Founder asserted, “Since we receive light and support from this machine, we must express our thanks.” The Founder said this clearly because he was living in a spiritual world as follows: For the Founder, who met Tenchi Kane No Kami (our Divine Parent) and deepened his relationship with this Deity, Kami’s virtue was ubiquitous. Kami’s virtue and blessings are so vast and infinite that they are far beyond humans’ understanding and capabilities. In other words, Kami’s vast and infinite virtue is represented in the sacred workings and blessings of the Universe. Each one of us, as humans, is allowed to live in Kami’s blessings as “Kami’s beloved child.” Because of this, any sorts of machines and tools are the representations of the blessings of the Universe and the manifestation of Kami’s virtue to us. The Konko Faith provides us with a spiritual world, in which we are taught to express our gratitude to such a divine virtue of Tenchi Kane No Kami, being also taught that this should be our way of life as “Kami’s children.”
Because of this spiritual world in which he voluntarily lived, the Founder taught us, “Since we receive light and support from this machine, we must express our thanks.” The Founder, I presume, was also in such a spiritual world when he gave the first teaching I quoted. In this first teaching, the Founder seems to focus on the arrogance and selfishness of humans, saying with a strict attitude, “There are people who claim that the Universe works this way and that.” This can be obviously confirmed in the next words of the Founder in this teaching: “but they really don’t understand it. If they did, they would be able to stop the rise and fall of tides.”
It can be perhaps said that modern civilization has clarified the mechanism or system of the “rise and fall of tides,” regarding this as a “machine.” But it doesn’t mean that we, as human beings, can stop and control the “rise and fall of tides.” Similar things can be said about other phenomena of the Universe such as typhoons and earthquakes. As for typhoons, we can now foresee the paths they will take to some extent, because our civilization has clarified the mechanism of typhoons scientifically. These have happened in the midst of Kami’s blessings, and we should therefore thank Kami for letting them happen. Yet we also need to confirm once again that we just cannot stop nor control typhoons and earthquakes. This simple truth eloquently lets us know that “matters related to the Universe” are far beyond human intelligence and power. And the overwhelming workings of the Universe have constantly been there throughout the centuries.
The Workings of the Universe and the Life of People
The late Rev. Sato said the following things about the Universe and Its workings in his lecture: “Tenchi Kane No Kami that we believe in and worship is the very source of life that allows every single thing to be alive and nurtures them as the Parental Deity of the Universe.” Needless to say, the Universe is the body of our Divine Parent. Our dear Founder teaches us, “Heaven and Earth continue to live. Because Heaven and Earth are alive, all people are able to live.” (GIII: Jinkyu Kyogoroku 104) As long as the Universe is alive and continuously does various things, sometimes, the Universe may malfunction from time to time. But we are allowed to be born, live our lives and die in those various workings of the Universe. Earthquakes and tsunamis have happened over and over again for millions of years. These natural phenomena had already happened long before human beings emerged on this planet. And they have happened in the grand workings of the Universe. We should go beyond humans’ ordinary way of perceiving things; we usually tend to judge things by considering whether or not things are convenient or useful to us, humans. Instead, we should understand and accept all events as the activities and workings of the Universe. This should become our basic attitude. If we only say these words orally or understand this thing doctrinally, it will not be enough. We should feel it as vividly as possible in our daily lives.
What Rev. Sato discussed in his lecture is that the Universe lives forever and that various human societies and each individual’s life are found in the lively workings of the Universe. Also he mentioned that earthquakes and tsunamis have happened repeatedly as part of the Universe’s lively activities. Many of those phenomena were happening long before the emergence of humankind, he added. The late Rev. Sato says to us that we who are allowed to live in the Universe should learn to accept every single phenomenon as part of the Universe’s activities and workings. It should become the foundation of our faith in our Divine Parent. He furthermore explained that each of us, the believers of the Konko Faith, needs to realize the relationship between the Universe and people and that between Kami and people, emphasizing that we need to deepen our recognition about these relationships doctrinally and also vividly in our daily lives.
The Reverend Naofumi Inoue of Konko Church of Ishinomaki, one of the many people who suffered from the massive disaster in the Tohoku Region of Japan, said that some of the local people often ask him why that enormous earthquake and the subsequent tsunami happened, wanting to know the meaning of the horrible event. Rev. Inoue says,
“Right now, all I can do is to reply ‘I don’t know.’ I cannot but agree with our Founder when he teaches us, ‘There are people who claim that the Universe works this way and that, but they really don’t understand it. If they did, they would be able to stop the rise and fall of tides.’”
He continued,
“There has been an unchanging idea in my heart since the earthquake and tsunami, and this idea has been even getting stronger in me. It is as follows: It is not true that a large earthquake and tsunami happened to Ishinomaki that I live in. No matter where we live, we live in this Universe where there can always be large earthquakes, large tsunamis, typhoons, heavy rain, much too hot and/or much too cold days. The City of Ishinomaki is at one corner of the Universe, and ‘I am merely allowed to live here.’ This is the right and appropriate attitude we should take when we consider our relationship between the Universe and ourselves. Keeping this important truth constantly in my mind, I would like to continue to engage myself in the relief and reconstruction efforts in our area.”
Rev. Inoue has this idea about his relationship between the Universe and himself: This Universe is alive and it shows its workings in various ways. I am “merely allowed to live here in this Universe.” I am impressed with Rev. Inoue’s thought, and I am even more impressed when I learned that Rev. Inoue nurtured this concept through his own experience of suffering from the earthquake and tsunami. This is where I find the true meaning of practicing the Konko Faith.
“What Is True Blessing?”
Now, I confirm once again the words of the late Reverend Kazuo Sato, the second Head Minister of Konko Church of Geibi that the late Rev. Mitsutoshi Sato, the former Chief Administrative Director, quoted at the end of his lecture. The (late) Rev. Kazuo Sato said, “You can receive true blessings from Kami when you thankfully receive the blessings the Universe brings you and (when) you continue to be grateful no matter how the workings of the Universe may change. Specifically, true blessings from Kami will be there for you if you remain thankful even in severe circumstances such as finding yourself in a big storm, a serious famine, a big fire or a serious sickness.”
Each person’s life and his/her daily existence are in the Universe filled with virtue of Tenchi Kane No Kami, our Divine Parent. By joining the Konko Faith, we are taught that we are allowed to live in Kami’s virtue as “Kami’s children.” By awakening to this truth, we begin to learn a lifestyle where we receive “the blessings of the Universe thankfully.” As we deepen our understanding of the importance of such a lifestyle, and as we accept it, we will have the chance to “remain thankful” no matter how the “workings of the Universe” may change. If a significant event actually happens to us, it means “we are allowed to receive true blessings from Kami.” This is what the late Rev. Kazuo Sato taught us.
Rev. Kazuo Sato must have come up with these words by training himself spiritually in his daily life, hoping to become like the Third Konko-Sama, after he met the Third Konko-Sama and vibrantly felt “true blessings” in Konko-Sama that he manifested on a daily basis. I assume that the late Rev. Kazuo Sato was not alone. I am sure that many other senior Konko ministers similarly worked very hard, trying to receive “true blessings” from Kami by trying to sincerely live as “Kami’s children,” gradually bearing a proper attitude as Kami’s children: “People really don’t understand the Universe” as in our Founder’s teaching.
2. From the Rock Bottom of Being a Victim of the Atomic Bomb
- The Footsteps of the Late Reverend Morio Sato-
Now I would like to introduce you to the two aforementioned Konkokyo ministers and their respective footsteps of spirituality. First, I introduce the late Rev.Morio Sato of Konko Church of Hiroshima, was made to endure tremendous suffering caused by the the atomic bomb that exploded over the City of Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. He was the Konkokyo minister who literally rose up from the deadly ashes of Hiroshima through asking for and receiving Sacred Mediation.
An Atomic Bomb on Konko Church of Hiroshima and the Church Family
At the time of the bomb, the Rev. Morio Sato (30 years old) and his wife, the Rev. Noriko Sato (22 years old) and the Rev. Fumiko Ninomiya (39 years old), the wife of the former head minister, were doing goyo (sacred service for Kami/God) at Konko Church of Hiroshima, with Rev. Morio Sato being the church’s head minister. Revs Morio and Noriko Sato adored and respected Rev. Fumiko Ninomiya as if she were their true mother, and the young couple was blessed with a little 16-month-old daughter. On the morning of August 6, 1945, Rev.Fumiko Ninomiya advised her daughter-in-law,Rev.Noriko Sato, “Your baby daughter has some heat rash due to the hot, humid weather these days, and I’m sorry for the little girl. You’d better have her hair cut soon.” The young mother took her little daughter to a nearby barbershop. As soon as she and her infant daughter entered the shop, there was sparkling flash and they were both blown away. When she recovered consciousness, Rev. Sato found herself trapped under the building. She managed to get herself and her little daughter out of the collapsed building and the two returned to their church. Unfortunately, the church was on fire and she could only stand behind the church building. She and her baby headed for a church member’s home in Miyajima, where they were well taken care of by the church member there.
Rev.Morio Sato, on the other hand, was on military service at that time, and he suffered the A-bomb explosion at his barracks. Fortunately, he was not seriously injured, and he soon engaged in rescuing activities for the A-bomb victims. When he had some time to spare, he went back to his church, only to find that the church building was totally burned down. He found a skeletonized body on the ground, where there used to be the worship hall of Konko Church of Hiroshima. These were the remains of the late Rev. Fumiko Ninomiya, who was praying to Kami when attacked by the deadly bomb. Rev.Morio Sato picked up her bones, prayed silently to Kami by himself and carried Rev. Ninomiya’s remains to the home of the believer in Miyajima. There, he was relieved to see that his wife and little daughter were fine, and he wasted no time, taking them both to Konko Church of Geibi, his birth home, in Fukuyama City for their safety (Both Hiroshima City and Fukuyama City are in Hiroshima Prefecture, and Fukuyama is about 100km or 62.5 miles to the east.). Rev.Morio Sato immediately returned to Hiroshima and resumed his rescuing work. He was officially set free from his military obligation on August 20, and he finally returned to Konko Church of Geibi at the end of that August.
Sacred Mediation by the Rev. Teru Sato
Rev.Morio Sato spoke about his wife as follows: “My wife, Noriko, is a healthy person by nature. She, however, began to suffer from so-called A-bomb sequelae. Because of the A-bomb radiation, Noriko lost all the hair and she became totally bald. She had several internal hemorrhages and fell into a critical condition around August 21, about half a month after the atomic bomb explosion over Hiroshima. Seeing her condition, Noriko’s doctor diagnosed that she wouldn’t last for long. In such a hopeless situation, however, she was allowed to make a miraculous recovery, largely thanks to the earnest prayers by the Third Konko-Sama and the Head Minister of Konko Church of Geibi, Hiroshima Church’s parent church. Many people at the Geibi church took good care of Noriko, and that must have also helped her get over her critical condition.”
According to Rev.Morio Sato’s remarks, his wife fell into a critical condition on August 21 or so. When he went back to Konko Church of Geibi at the end of that month, Rev. Noriko Sato was gradually receiving divine blessings. However, nobody was totally sure how her condition would evolve from then on. Rev.Morio Sato himself must have wanted to spend some time resting at his own birth home/church, fully knowing that he was very fatigued from his rescuing efforts in Hiroshima City that had been lasting for a few weeks.
However, the late Rev.Teru Sato, the wife of the founding minister of Konko Church of Geibi, the late Rev. Norio Sato, spoke to Rev.Morio Sato at the Mediation Seat (Okekkai),
“If there is even one member of your church that is still alive, your church must be reconstructed as soon as possible, because it is the place where your church members can pray and express their thankfulness to Kami, our Divine Parent. Also, since so many people were killed because of the A-bomb attack, it means there are so many deceased spirits. You need to revere and soothe those spirits through conducting Konkokyo rituals. You need to get back to Hiroshima and your church right away.”
It was indeed a serious message for Rev. Morio Sato. He was the dear grandchild of Rev.Teru Sato; his return must have been a great delight for Rev.Teru Sato. Moreover, Rev. Morio Sato’s wife was not being good health because of the A-bomb exposure. Rev.Teru Sato, I believe, had a private hope that Rev. Morio Sato would stay at her church as long as he wanted. Nevertheless, she told him to go back to Hiroshima “right away” and “reconstruct his church.”
What do all these things mean? I suppose that Teru Sensei probably had a strong feeling for and strong faith in “putting Kami’s request into practice.” “There are a lot of people in distress in this world, and I want you to conduct Sacred Mediation for them so that they will all be saved.” (an English translation of a passage from Rikkyo Shinden or the Divine call bestowed upon the Founder of the Konko Faith on November 15, 1859)
I say this, because in her younger days, Rev.Teru Sato experienced deep anguish, saying to herself, “I am still very young. I am not equipped with divine virtue and wisdom. How on earth can I ever serve Kami, being this way?” In her deep agony, she visited the Founder’s worship hall, where the Founder kindly spoke to her, “Even if you think you lack the ability to perform toritsugi (meaning Sacred Mediation), pray wholeheartedly and Kami-Sama will give you blessings.” (GII: Sato Teru 5) Through these words of the Founder, she began to engage in Sacred Mediation. At the Mediation Seat, she listened earnestly to what each worshipper had to tell her and prayed to Kami wholeheartedly for them. Through her sincere service as a toritsugi Mediator, “facts of blessing” began to emerge. She continued to perform Sacred Mediation for her church members and deepened her understanding of the importance of Sacred Mediation.
Since she had such a spiritual journey, Rev. Teru Sato seemed to have come up with a strong feeling, “If you (meaningRev.Morio Sato) do not serve Kami in Hiroshima now, when on earth will you serve Kami?” I believe that she came up with this thought because she had prayed wholeheartedly to Kami about Rev.Morio Sato, the City of Hiroshima and the many suffering people in pain.
I am sure that Rev.Morio Sato respected each word that Rev. Teru Sato said to him, but I am fully aware that accepting her instruction must have been extremely hard for Rev.Morio Sato. In fact, Rev.Morio Sato frankly spoke of his feelings in those days later on, “Rev.Teru Sato told me to go back to Hiroshima at once, but people in those days were saying that no creatures would be able to live in Hiroshima for the next 75 years. I just had no confidence in going back to that radiation-filled wasteland and doing what I was supposed to do there. No matter how hard I tried to see myself in a favorable light, I still had to admit that I just had no money, no ability and even no faith that people could easily look up to. I just didn’t think I could do anything positive in Hiroshima right away.”
It is understandable that people would want to evacuate a hypocenter of an A-bomb blast. In this sense, we can indeed empathize with Rev. Morio Sato when he said, “I just had no confidence in going back to that radiation-filled wasteland and doing what I was supposed to do there.” It is no wonder that not only Rev. Morio Sato but also many others thought “What on earth can I do in such an environment? There is nothing I can do.” Besides, nobody could blame Rev. Morio Sato if he became angry and protested. Although he was hesitant and felt uncertain for a while, he at the age of 30, reconsidered his situation, saying to himself, “Rev.Teru Sato said all those things to me, and I don’t think that it is her thought only. Kami’s wish was probably expressed in her words and I am sure that deceased spirits (mitama) are also waiting for my return.” He then made up his mind, “Even if I don’t have things and abilities, I will follow her advice.” Rev.Morio Sato again asked Rev.Teru Sato to conduct Sacred Mediation for him, and he headed for Hiroshima on September 3, taking few things with him.
Why was Rev.Morio Sato able to follow Rev.Teru Sato’s instruction to place himself in such a harsh situation? I assume that he had had many opportunities to listen to her story about how she started to serve Kami as a toritsugi Mediator. He knew that she was encouraged by the Founder’s words, “Even if you think you lack the ability to perform toritsugi (meaning Sacred Mediation), pray wholeheartedly and Kami-Sama will give you blessings,” and that she put what she was taught into practice. Rev.Morio Sato probably knew also through hearing the story that Rev. Teru Sato did in fact receive Kami’s blessings. Thanks to her story, he was allowed to appreciate the preciousness and importance of Sacred Mediation, I suppose. Rev.Morio Sato, on one hand, was totally at a loss, thinking “No matter how hard I tried to see myself in a favorable light, I still had to admit that I had no money, no ability and no faith.” He strongly felt that the devastating situations in Hiroshima were simply beyond his personal wisdom and ability. But he, on the other hand, keenly sensed that Rev.Teru Sato’s words to him reflected not only her own thoughts but also Kami’s wishes. He also reminded himself of those numerous mitama spirits waiting for his return to Hiroshima. These notions helped him take a second thought about return to Hiroshima. He said to himself, “My immediate return to Hiroshima is Kami’s wish. Because of this, I shouldn’t wonder whether or not I can go back to Hiroshima now. If I go to Hiroshima just as Kami hopes so, Kami will surely pave a way to salvation for me and many others in that devastated town. All I should do is to believe this and put my belief into practice.” He determinedly went to Hiroshima on September 3, 1945. He stayed at Konko Church of Geibi for just a few days.
“The Universe Is Alive. I will also Live with the Universe.”
When Rev.Morio Sato was back in Hiroshima, he didn’t know what to do. He laid down on the ground on the night of September 3, where Konko Church of Hiroshima used to stand. Lying down on the damaged-by-the-new-bomb wilderness, he looked up to the night sky. He gazed at countless sparkling stars. As he gazed at them, he suddenly had the thought, “The Universe is alive. And I will also live with the Universe.”
Ever since I heard this story about Rev.Morio Sato, I have often looked up at the night sky. One night, I was driving with my wife sitting beside me on our way home after we took part in an event of our local league of Konko churches. We were driving on a mountain road when we decided to stop for a while to enjoy looking up at the night sky. Up in the mountain, there were no artificial lights around us. We were in such complete darkness, that I was afraid to take even a few steps around my car, but I did so anyway. What we saw as soon as we got out of our car was a set of bright stars covering the whole sky above us. Numerous stars covered the entire night sky and each of the stars sparkled. I felt as if those shining stars were falling down at us. I still remember so well how very moved and affected both my wife and I were at that time.
There must have been no streetlights after the massive explosion on Hiroshima City back in those days. When Rev.Morio Sato lay down on the total wilderness, he must have been in complete darkness. The weather was clear on September 3, 1945 and he was probably deeply moved to see those twinkling stars above him, just as my wife and I experienced on that mountain road. In each of those bright stars, he must have recognized the positive power of life. He realized that the whole universe is alive and that the divine virtue of Kami fills the entire universe. He must have thought “I and many others are being allowed to be alive in this universe as Kami’s beloved children. We are all soaked in Kami’s virtue. If this is true, and I know this is true, I am sure I will be able to get over any sorts of difficulties that may lie ahead of me, together with Kami.” He must have felt this conviction arising from the bottom of his heart.
I say this with confidence because Rev.Morio Sato began to build a hut on the very next day. He built a little three-tatami-mat-sized shack: one tatami mat for altars, one tatami mat for the worshippers, and one tatami mat for the kitchen. Right next to the tiny self-built “worship hall,” Rev.Morio Sato placed a wooden flagpole so that the church’s flag with the Konkokyo’s eight-petal crest would be proudly shown in the air. With that, he made a giant first step towards his church’s revival. He later commented: “Fortunately enough, my family and I were led to salvation because of the strong, earnest prayers of my grandmother (Rev. Teru Sato). When the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima City, not only a great number of people but also Kami suffered a great deal. When we suffer, Kami never leaves us alone. Kami jumps into our sufferings. And now, each passing second and minute, Kami is suffering with all of us, and, just as we are striving to rise up from the ashes, Kami is also trying to stand up together with us. I was allowed to fully realize that Kami protects us always, not even with a second’s interval. Since I went back to Hiroshima, I cannot but wonder how we could ever be allowed to survive to this day. I often said to myself, ‘I am always with Kami. When I am suffering, Kami is suffering with me too.’ I mentally backed up myself in this way.”
This is a true story about Rev. Morio Sato from Konko Church of Hiroshima. It is the story about his “serving Kami (our Divine Parent) as a toritsugi Mediator,” through which he nurtured a firm belief about the relationship between the Divine Parent of the Universe and people, and the relationship between Kami and himself. He teaches us that we are all in the strong prayers of Kyoshu Konko-Sama (the Spiritual Leader of Konkokyo) and the head ministers of our respective Konko churches, and because it is so, Kami will definitely save us as long as we pray to Kami wholeheartedly, no matter what. Rev.Morio Sato also teaches us, “Since I went back to the heavily devastated city of Hiroshima, various facts of divine blessings were there for us; people were saved and we were allowed to revive our church. This is the Konko Faith, and this is the manifestation of Sacred Mediation.”
After learning the words of Rev.Teru Sato at the Geibi’s Mediation Seat, and of Rev.Morio Sato’s revival from ordeal he suffered as an atomic-bomb victim after he received Rev.Teru Sato’s Sacred Mediation, I again cannot but think about a Konko minister’s tremendous self-conflict right before he or she wonderfully starts his/her spiritual mission as a toritsugi Mediator, following our Parent Kami’s wish. “There are a lot of people in distress in this world, and I want you to conduct Sacred Mediation for them so that they will all be saved.” The bigger and deeper the hesitation is, the more venerable a minister becomes, once he or she assumes the duty as a Mediator for Kami and people. Just as we observed earlier, Rev.Teru Sato in her younger days openly hesitated before the Founder, saying “I am young. Besides, I do not have virtue and wisdom.” Rev.Morio Sato was quite hesitant too, saying to himself, “I just have nothing; I have no money, I have no ability and I have no faith that people can easily look up to.” However, both Rev.Teru Sato and Rev.Morio Sato. were allowed to clearly recognize Kami’s wish through the Sacred Mediations they received respectively. They stopped caring about whether they could do or not, and decided to follow Kami’s wish to begin performing Sacred Mediation for worshippers. Through these ministers’ earnest dedication as Mediators, Kami rejoiced: “Facts of blessings” were there. The Mediators, as they continued to serve Kami, deepened their perception that Kami was suffering when they were suffering, and that Kami was walking just beside them. Their deeper understanding of this truth enriched and enhanced the quality of their Mediation even more.
3. Rising Up from the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923
-The Late Reverend Sei’ichi Yukawa-
Next, I would like to talk about the late Reverend Sei’ichi Yukawa. He started spiritual training at Konko Church of Tamamizu in Osaka Pref., Japan, at the age of 20. He was ordained as a Konko minister at the age of 24. When he was 28 years old, Rev. Sei’ichi Yukawa married Tsuya, the eldest daughter of the late Rev.Yasutaro Yukawa, the founding minister of the Tamamizu church. Reverend Sei’ichi Yukawa started his propagation efforts of the Konko Faith in Tokyo in 1922 when he was 35 years old. In the very next year, on September 1, 1923, the Great Kanto Earthquake occurred. Being one of the victims of the massive earthquake himself, Rev.Sei’ichi Yukawa rededicated his wish for Konko Faith propagation and worked hard as a Toritsugi-Mediator in the devastated city of Tokyo. He established Konko Church of Ginza in September 1924 at the age of 37, and he devoted himself to serving our Divine Parent for the rest of his life.
Later on, Rev.Sei’ichi Yukawa reflected, “I needed to spend a lot of years until I really began to pray to the Universe. When I lived under the roof, I was constantly blessed with clothes, foods, drinks and a place to live in. Therefore, I just wasn’t so much motivated to pray to the Universe. I went to Tokyo, lived through the huge earthquake and found myself standing on the burned-down ground. At that time, I was able to pray to the Universe for the first time in my life, and this was something I had wanted to do for many, many years.”
Now on, I would like to introduce you to Rev. Sei’ichi Yukawa’s stories from the early days of his propagation efforts in Tokyo, the Great Kanto Earthquake and his footsteps following the massive earthquake, as he focused upon bodily feeling “the important meaning of praying to the Universe.”
①Rev.Sei’ichi Yukawa’s Painful Days in his Propagation Efforts in Tokyo and his Endeavor to Renew his Wish
Rev.Sei’ichi Yukawa started to propagate the Konko Faith in Kobiki Town (a town found in southern area of today’s Chuo Ward of Tokyo Prefecture) following his parents’ advice, “Conduct Sacred Mediation for people in distress and try to save them.” Rev.Sei’ichi Yukawa considered Tokyo as a “city of knowledge,” and he was soon filled with serious anxiety, regarding himself as a man of ignorance who was without any distinguished education. His concern made him believe that he was just incapable of serving his Divine Parent in Japan’s largest city. He was totally at a loss, and all he could do was to sit before his church altar and pray wholeheartedly, “Ikigami Konko Daijin -Sama!! Tenchi Kane No Kami-Sama!!”. In the midst of his earnest prayer to the Founder and our Divine Parent, a teaching of the Founder occurred to Rev.Sei’ichi Yukawa. The Founder gently talked to Yukawa sensei, “…The world is in your own heart.” (GI: Ichimura Mitsugoro 1-44-1) With this teaching, he was allowed to renew and refresh his feelings and goals, and he felt invigorated.
Finding himself revitalized, Rev. Yukawa realized, “I am currently overawed, being in a city of knowledge called Tokyo, and it constitutes my fear right now. But how about putting Tokyo inside my heart instead? Tokyo is in my heart. This big city, Tokyo, has a great number of people. Among these numerous people in this town, there must be those who feel helpless due to lacking education and abilities. I’m sure that I will have a chance to conduct Sacred Mediation for these people and lead them to salvation.” Yukawa Sensei then expressed his gratitude and made a prayer: “Thank you very much for letting me realize it, Konko-Sama! Please give me chance to perform Sacred Mediation for such helpless people. Please let me help them.”
There is also an episode of Rev.Sei’ichi Yukawa in his early days at his church in Tokyo. One day, he was sitting in the worship hall of his church all by himself. The worship hall consisted of ten tatami mats, and the open space of the room was not so much small. He soon became extremely lonely. A few days later, he went out, hoping to see a member of Konko Church of Tamamizu of Osaka who was coincidentally walking right in front of his church. At first when he found no one he knew on the street. He keenly felt, “No matter how thriving the town I am in is, nothing is lonelier than having no acquaintances in it.” But at the same time, he reconsidered and encouraged himself with the thought: “Not all people living in Tokyo are from this big city. Some of them must be from their respective hometowns, and many of those people must be as lonely as I am now. Also, there must be people who are crying due to their own severe situations. I’d like our Divine Parent to bring those people to my church so I can pray to our Divine Parent for their salvation. It is true that I am feeling lonely in this unfamiliar town, but I am encouraged and feel secured thanks to the Sacred Mediation of Ikigami Konko Daijin. There must be lonely and suffering people in Tokyo just like myself, and I want to conduct Sacred Mediation for them so they will be saved.” He quickly went back into his church’s worship hall and prayed to the Divine Parent about what he’d thought of moments ago.
Through this episode, we can find the right path to salvation for people. In Rev.Sei’ichi Yukawa case, he was committed to being a Toritsugi-Mediator for people in Tokyo, and he was always ready to conduct Sacred Mediation for people in distress so that they will be saved. He, However, he soon had to face reality and understand that he was in a difficult situation. In the midst of his agony, he prayed “Ikigami Konko Daijin-Sama! Tenchi Kane No Kami-Sama!” single-heartedly. As a result, he renewed his wish and was led to new revitalized steps. This path of salvation was paved for Rev.Sei’ichi Yukawa, and it was possible largely thanks to the faith and goyo (selfless service for the Divine Parent) of Rev.Yukawa Yasutaro, Sensei of Konko Church of Tamamizu, Sei’ichi sensei’s father-in-law. According to Rev.Sei’ichi Yukawa, as he was treading this path to salvation, he gradually came to have worshippers at his church, and the number of the worshippers increased little by little. He said, “Back in those days, fewer than twenty people came to my church a day. I met and performed Sacred Mediation for one member after another, and I guess I was relatively busy on a daily basis.”
② Rising Up from the Calamity –“Praying to the Universe”-
On September 1, 1923, the Great Kanto Earthquake occurred. On the morning of this day, Rev.Sei’ichi Yukawa was feeling sick and he was in bed upstairs. He woke up with the earthquake struck, and stepped outside at once. He noticed that the western-style building in front of his church had totally collapsed. The roof tiles of the next house to his had all fallen off. The roof tiles of his church were all right, but when he went to the main street, he found the smoke from many fires here and there. Then one of his church members came by and urged, “We are on the leeward side; we are in danger, so we must run now!” Rev.Sei’ichi Yukawa borrowed a bicycle-drawn cart, onto which he loaded the church altar and ceremonial ornaments and tools. He also brought a few private items with him, and escaped to the navy hospital in Tsukiji with his wife and his church trainee. The three of them then escaped to Konko Church of Azabu, where he learned that Konko Church of Tokyo was left unharmed. He went to worship at Konko Church of Tokyo, then went uphill to Kudan and had a good view of the Nihonbashi area. He was shocked and speechless to see all the houses and buildings of the area burned down. He seriously wondered if “this whole burnt area will ever resurrect itself.”
At the same time, he reconfirmed and strengthened his wish: “I came over to Tokyo to spread the Konko Faith here. My role is to conduct Sacred Mediation for the people in Tokyo and the city of Tokyo itself. What I see now is a total devastation due to the enormous earthquake, and we must have Tokyo go back to its normality. I will pray to the Universe about this. I may only be at an obscure corner of this metropolis, but I am allowed to pray to our Divine Parent of the Universe about the whole city of Tokyo thanks to my faith. Up until recently, the deity that I had believed in was a ‘deity to heal beriberi’ or a ‘deity to allow me to help my parents.’ The ‘roles’ of our Divine Parent have varied in my heart so far. The Founder taught, ‘There is no place on earth which does not receive the virtue of Tenchi Kane No Kami.’ (GIII: Shinkun I General Principles 9) Tokyo is a part of the land owned by our Divine Parent of the Universe. I, therefore, must ‘tackle’ with this burnt-down land and pray to the Universe for the recovery of Tokyo.”
At that time, according to Rev.Sei’ichi Yukawa, he made up his mind to listen to his parents’ teachings, receive Konko-Sama’s Sacred Mediation, pray to the Universe for Tokyo’s recovery, not only for the reconstruction of his church, and also for the wellbeing of the earthquake victims. He told himself to engage in these tasks for ten years from then on. He knew that he needed to do this for the sake of the reconstruction of Tokyo from the massive earthquake disaster. He wasn’t quite sure if his prayers would be answered by Tenchi Kane No Kami (our Divine Parent of the Universe), but Rev. Sei’ichi Yukawa often encouraged himself by saying, “Even if I am an unskilled gun person, I can perhaps hit at least one of the targets I aim at by shooting many times. Likewise, maybe one of my prayers will be answered in ten years from now.” With this mindset, he continued to pray. He started with a church in Kobiki Town. It moved to Takanawa then to Shiba-Koen. He rented homes in these three towns respectively. In February 1924, he obtained land that was 132 square meters in Ginza that was still a burnt-down area. In September of the same year, Konko Church of Ginza was officially established through a divine blessing. Rev. Yukawa said, “I constantly prayed to my Parent Deity for the sake of the reconstruction of Tokyo. And I kept praying that people with or without faith, would all rise up from the ashes. I was solely focused upon these prayers. Then I was awarded a piece of land in the town of Ginza and our church was established there, one year after I began to pray for Tokyo. I am now convinced that if we pray to the Universe, not only our church but also people with or without faith will be given divine blessings and saved.” Rev. Sei’ichi Yukawa was strongly encouraged and kept on praying to the Universe for ten years. In the tenth year, he was able to enlarge the Konko church.
Rev. Yukawa sharpened his sensation of “clearly feeling the important meaning of praying to the Universe” both doctrinally and in a practical manner from then on too. He read Konko Daijin, a biography of the Founder of the Konko Faith, released in 1953, over and over again. At the age of 75, he sought the true meaning of our Divine Parent’s words to the Founder, “Uphold the Ikigami Konko Daijin community which spreads the way of Tenchi No Kami.” He already knew that a Konko church is a worship hall where people can learn the way of Tenchi No Kami (our Divine Parent of the Universe) and that a Konko minister is supposed to conduct Sacred Mediation in order to tell the worshippers about it. Yukawa sensei earnestly considered what it truly means to live up to the wish of our Divine Parent who says we are supposed to uphold the way and he renewed his own wish. In this way, Yukawa Sensei performed Sacred Mediation even more passionately than ever.
Conclusion
I have so far introduced you to two senior ministers of the Konko Faith, who were forced to endure the A-bomb attack on Hiroshima and the Great Kanto Earthquake, yet were vigorously able to arise from their anguish through their own faith in our Divine Parent. These ministers constantly sought to “conduct Sacred Mediation” for “people in distress” with a strong self-awareness that they were embraced by prayers of Konko-Sama and the Head Ministers of their respective parent churches. Through the Sacred Mediations they performed for the worshippers, they witnessed the “facts of divine blessings.” With those facts of divine blessings, these senior ministers vividly recognized the parental heart and workings of Tenchi Kane No Kami, the Divine Parent of the Universe. They also appreciated the wonderfulness of the Konko Faith in a true sense. Their understanding of and appreciation for the Konko Faith deepened and enriched as years went by. Because of this, the footsteps of these senior Konko ministers were consecrated. For this reason, the relationship between the Universe and people and that between Kami (Divine Parent) and people which these senior ministers clearly felt and were convinced of come deeply into our hearts, transcending time.
Morio Sensei’s spiritual resolution and perception embodied in the concepts of “The Universe is alive; I will also live with the Universe” and “When we suffer, Kami never leaves us alone. Kami jumps into our sufferings. Now, with each passing second and minute, Kami suffers with all of us, and, when we strive to rise up from the ashes, Kami is also trying to stand up together with us.” These truths are the core essence of the Konko Faith and the relationship between Kami and people. The above-mentioned belief of Morio Sensei illustrates the core essence of the Konko Faith experientially, doctrinally and with a feeling of reality. Morio Sensei had a firm belief that all hardships and difficulties exist in the workings of a Universe that is alive, and we can get over suffering by walking with the Universe, walking with Kami. I believe that we should all confirm and appreciate this important truth once again.
When the late Rev.Sei’ichi Yukawa said,
“Tokyo is a part of the vast land on this planet owned by our Divine Parent of the Universe. I, therefore, must ‘tackle’ with this burnt-down land and pray to the Universe for the recovery of Tokyo,”
Yukawa sensei’s prayers were not focused upon the recovery of his own church. Instead, he prayed to the Universe for the reconstruction of Kami’s land and the salvation of the (Great Kanto) Earthquake victims. Yukawa Sensei’s conviction, “If we pray to the Universe, not only our church but also people with or without faith will be given divine blessings and saved,” deepened in his heart through the sensei’s own continuous engagement in “praying to the Universe.” I cannot help but feel that Yukawa Sensei showed us a great example which we can imitate in our daily lives at once, because we, as the believers of the Konko Faith, have a sincere wish for the reconstruction of our region.
Although I say these things, those who suffered from the massive earthquake and tsunami are probably still not happy about the disastrous event. Many of them must be still asking themselves, “Why did it happen?” “Why did it need to happen?” “Why did he/she have to die?” and so on. And they cannot escape from these lingering questions yet. I deeply understand these people’s sorrow and agony, yet we are still “Kami’s beloved children” who are allowed to live between Heaven and Earth, in the Universe, which is filled with divine virtue of Tenchi Kane No Kami (the Divine Parent of the Universe). I can only pray that we will be with the Universe all the time, pray to the Universe and stroll with Kami.
Lastly, what I am feeling intensely now is the deep sorrow and sense of loss for those who lost their valuable family members and relatives due to the massive earthquake and the subsequent tsunami. Their anguish and pain must be unimaginably severe. I seriously wonder how the Konko Faith can reach out to and interact with the agony of and pleas for help by each earthquake victim. I also wonder about the kind of approaches the Konko Faith will be requested to provide for these people. Why? Because the Konko Faith (Konkokyo) is a religion that emphasizes the importance of praying for mutual salvation between deceased spirits and their bereaved family. From now, we, the Konko Faith, will soon need to contemplate it deeply both doctrinally and in a practical manner.
The Founder of the Konko Faith forced to make seven graves in his younger days. Despite enormous sorrow and pain, the Founder sincerely developed his faith in Kami, who later asked him to “conduct Sacred Mediation.” The Founder accepted the request from Kami and performed Sacred Mediation for his followers. As years went by, the quality of the Founder’s Sacred Mediation was enhanced and its content was enriched. He gave teachings such as “Whether you are living or dead, Heaven and Earth will always be your home.” The Founder, in fact, gave us a lot of teachings about deceased spirits (mitama), life and death. Besides, several senior Konko ministers endured unbearably tragic events such as losing their family members, and yet rose up from the ashes of sorrow after entering the Konko Faith. Learning from the episodes of these senior ministers, we need to seek the true way to salvation more earnestly than ever.
Thank you very much.