Shintō Tenkōkyo

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Shintō Tenkōkyo
神道天行居
Shintō Tenkōkyo's headquarters in Tabuse
Scripture	Tomokiyo Yoshisane zenshū (友清歓真全集) (6 volumes)
Theology	Worship of Amaterasu, along with various other kami
Language	Japanese
Headquarters	Tabuse, Yamaguchi Prefecture
Founder	Tomokiyo Yoshisane (友清歓真)
Origin	1920 Shizuoka
Separated from	Oomoto
Separations	Ko-Shintō Senpōkyō (古神道仙法教)
Official website	tenkoukyo.jp

Shinto Tenkokyo (神道天行居, Shintō Tenkōkyo, Shindō Tenkōkyo), also simply known as Tenkokyo (Tenkōkyo) is a Shinto-based Japanese new religion founded by Tomokiyo Yoshisane (友清歓真) in 1920. Shinto Tenkokyo has several shrines (jinja 神社) on Mount Iwaki or Iwaki-yama (石城山) in Hikari, Yamaguchi Prefecture. Its headquarters is located at the southern base of the mountain in Tabuse.

History

In 1920, the predecessor of the current organization was founded as Kakushin-kai (格神会) in Shizuoka by Tomokiyo Yoshisane, who had been a magazine editor for Oomoto from 1918 and 1919. The organization, later renamed Shintō Tenkōkyo, was registered in 1922. In 1928, Tomokiyo moved Shintō Tenkōkyo from Shizuoka to Tabuse and constructed several shrines on Mount Iwaki around 1930.

Leadership

Shintō Tenkōkyo's leader is called the sōshu (宗主). Tomokiyo Yoshisane was the first leader but resigned in 1931. Afterwards, three different men, none of whom were his blood relatives, became the religious organization's leaders, since Tomokiyo had originally prohibited hereditary succession for the religious organization. In 1952, after Tomokiyo Yoshisane died, the ban on hereditary succession was lifted, and his wife Tomokiyo Misao (友清操; 1899–1990, born Akahori Misao 赤堀操) became the 5th leader of Shintō Tenkōkyo. After Misao's death in 1990, her third daughter Tomokiyo Suzuyo (友清鈴世, born 1932) became the 6th leader of Shintō Tenkōkyo.^: 292

Rituals

Shintō Tenkōkyo considers its rituals to be a continuation of Ko-Shintō.

Every November 11 on Mount Iwaki, Shintō Tenkōkyo organizes a nighttime ritual ceremony (山上夜間特別修法) for "universal harmony and world spiritualization" (万有和合・世界霊化). Followers recite the "Ten Prayers" (十言神咒) in dedication to Amaterasu. The first mountain peak ritual was carried out in 1931. Henceforth, this ritual became an annual event performed for the protection of the nation.

A key focus of its activities is "spiritual national defense" (霊的国防, reiteki kokubō), which was practiced extensively during World War II in order to pray for the protection of the Empire of Japan. The religion also practices chinkon kishin (鎮魂帰神) (lit. 'calming the soul and returning to the divine'), a spirit possession technique devised by Honda Chikaatsu (本田親徳) and subsequently transmitted by his disciple Nagasawa Katsutate (長澤雄楯), that is also practiced in Oomoto and Ananaikyo. Shintō Tenkōkyo's practice of chinkon kishin still adheres closely to the original form as taught by Honda Chikaatsu during the 19th century. Today, chinkon kishin is strictly reserved for Shintō Tenkōkyo members and is not open to the general public.

During the early and mid 20th century, Shintō Tenkōkyo priests buried sacred objects (i.e., sacred seals) in the following locations.

• 1927: Mount Hakuba's summit
• 1932: pond at the summit of Mount Bukō's summit in Chichibu
• 1933: Heaven Lake at the summit of Mount Paektu (the most important buried seal); Lake Tōya
• 1934: Sun Moon Lake in Taiwan
• 1936: Lake Biwa; pond of Ninomiya Sengen Jinja (二之宮浅間神社) at the base of Mount Fuji
• 1951: Lake Towada
• 1952: sea near Awaji Island

Another ritual in Shintō Tenkōkyo is mikiyome tamashizume (浄身鎮魂法) (lit. 'body purification and soul strengthening'). According to Tomokiyo, he received this ritual on October 28, 1920 during a kishin session with the kami, Ame no Uzume.

The sun goddess Amaterasu is the main deity worshipped. Tokoto no kajiri (十言の神呪) is a prayer in which the ten syllables of Amaterasu Ōmikami (天照大御神) are pronounced as "A-ma-te-ra-su O-ho-mi-ka-mi" (アマテラス オホミカミ) many times.

Texts

Other texts

Other than the 6 volumes of Tomokiyo Yoshisane zenshū (友清歓真全集), the Iwakiyama (石城山) publishing house in Tabuse, which is the publishing arm of Shintō Tenkōkyo, currently publishes the following books as of 2026. Some of the books are also duplicated in various volumes of Tomokiyo Yoshisane zenshū (友清歓真全集).

• 春風遍路 (also in Tomokiyo Yoshisane zenshū)
• 続春風遍路 (also in Tomokiyo Yoshisane zenshū)
• 霊学筌蹄 (also in Tomokiyo Yoshisane zenshū)
• 古神道秘説 (also in Tomokiyo Yoshisane zenshū)
• 音霊の話
• 信白文艸藁 (also in Tomokiyo Yoshisane zenshū)
• 異境備忘録
• 幽冥界研究資料
• 神仙の存在について
• 口語 神判記実
• 天行居雑祭式集成
• 同志必携
• しきしま霊界訪問記
• 友清歓真先生御書跡集 (1997) (collection of calligraphic works by Tomokiyo Yoshisane; accompanied by an explanation guide titled 先師御書跡抄解)

Other texts by Tomokiyo Yoshisane include:

• 天行居用語辞典 (3 volumes)
• ますみのむすび (1991)
• 葦原神社について (1993)
• 新世紀の天啓: 石城山への路 (1952; revised 1998)
• 周易の研究
• 神山鈔録 (3 volumes)
• 霊的国防の意義
• 神仙霊典: 幽冥秘録
• 皇道大本の研究
• 靈界雜考
• 神界の経綸と天行居の出現
• 神感録
• 寿書
• 石門漫録
• 神と人との世界改造運動
• 神仙の秘区石城山と人類信仰の家郷天行居
• 神能伊吹
• 神道天行居案内

Tenkōkyo pamphlet series (天行居パンフレット叢書), mostly published from 1934 to around 1940:

1. 石城山と天行居
2. 十言の神咒
3. 神仙の存在に就て
4. 国家起源論の根本誤謬
5. 正眞の古神道: 立體史觀の再現
6. 天意と現下の大戦
7. ?
8. しきしま霊界訪問記 (1994)

Parts of the religion's secret lore are contained in a book called the Book of Transmissions (格神講伝書|伝書, Densho), which is only available for members who have completed the initial training seminar.^: 294 The 1937 version contains some texts by Honda Chikaatsu, Ubusuna hyakushu 産土百首 and Reikon hyakushu 霊魂百首.

Shrines

Shintō Tenkōkyo's shrines are located on Mount Iwaki (石城山), located to the north of the town of Tabuse in Yamaguchi Prefecture. The religion pronounces the name of the mountain as Iwaki-yama, but outside the religion the conventional pronunciation is Iwaki-san. It is the most sacred mountain of Shintō Tenkōkyo and is considered to be the earthly representation of the heavenly gathering place of the gods, similar to Oomoto's treatment of Mount Hongū in Ayabe. For a complete list of shrines on Mount Iwaki, see Mount Iwaki (Yamaguchi) § Shrines.

At the Shintō Tenkōkyo headquarters located at the southern base of Mount Iwaki in Tabuse, there is a small auxiliary shrine known as Ubusuna Sansha (産須那三社). Ubusuna Sansha represents three larger shrines in Tabuse, which are Shikishima Jinja (石城神社) at the top of Mount Iwaki, Yawata Hachiman Jinja (八和田八幡神社) located southeast of Mount Iwaki, and Ishinokuchi Hachimangu (石ノ口八幡宮) at the southwestern base of Mount Iwaki. The shinden (神殿) of the headquarters, known as the Shintō Tenkōkyo honbu shinden (神道天行居本部神殿), was founded on May 27, 1928.

Iwakisan Kōgoishi (石城山神籠石), the ruins of an ancient castle, is located to the northeast of the Shinto Tenkokyo shrine cluster.

Similar religions

Ko-Shintō Senpōkyō (古神道仙法教), currently headquartered in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, is a splinter religion derived from Shintō Tenkōkyo. Masai Kieki (正井頎益, 1907–1970), who used to be a member of Shintō Tenkōkyo before the end of World War II, founded the organization in 1946 and officially registered it as Shintō Senpōkyō (神道仙法教) in 1949. After his death, the organization was renamed as Ko-Shintō Senpōkyō (古神道仙法教). The organization's teachings are based on the writings of Hirata Atsutane and Miyaji Suii (宮地水位, 1852–1904).

Another related organization is Shinseidō (神仙道; also known as Miyaji Shinseidō 宮地神仙道), founded by Miyaji Suii (宮地水位, whom Shintō Tenkōkyo recognizes as having transmitted divine knowledge to Tomokiyo Yoshisane) and led by Shimizu Shūtoku (清水宗徳). It is headquartered in Godaisan (五台山), Kōchi and is heavily influenced by Chinese Taoism.

See also

• Ananaikyo
• Chinkon kishin

Further reading

• Ōmiya, Shirō (大宮司朗) (1997). Chinkonhō gokui 鎮魂法極意 (in Japanese). Hachiman Shoten 八幡書店. ISBN 9784893501929.
• 小西雲鶴 (2024). 鎮魂帰神法伝習録 (in Japanese). Hachiman Shoten 八幡書店. ISBN 9784893509420.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Shinto Tenkokyo.

• Official website (in Japanese)
• Walking tour of Shintō Tenkōkyo shrines on Mount Iwaki (latter half of video)