Zenrinkyō

Zenrinkyō (善隣教)
Zenrinkyō Headquarters in Chikushino
ClassificationJapanese new religions
ScriptureHoly Scripture: the Garden of Zenrin, et al.
Head MinisterRev. Rikihisa Michiomi (力久道臣)
RegionJapan, South Korea
HeadquartersChikushino, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan
FounderRikihisa Tatsusai (力久辰斎)
Origin1952
Taku, Saga as Zuihōen Seishin Shūyō Dōjō (瑞鳳園精神修養道場), then Tenchi Kōdō Zenrikai (天地公道善隣会)
Other nameZenrinkai (善隣会)
Official websitewww.zenrinkyo.or.jp
The tower at Zenrinkyo's headquarters in Chikushino
The interior of Zenrinkyo's main headquarters building in Chikushino

Zenrinkyō (善隣教), also known as Zenrinkai (善隣会), is a Shinto-based Shinshūkyō (Japanese new religion) founded in 1947. It was founded by Rikihisa Tatsusai (力久辰斎) as Tenchi Kōdō Zenrinkai, and is headquartered in Fukuoka Prefecture. Zenrinkyō was registered as a legal religious corporation under the Shūkyō Hōjinrei ordinance in 1948. In 1994, the group had a claimed nominal membership of 450,000 under the leader Rikihisa Ryūseki.

Its headquarters is located just to the east of Haruda Station in Chikushino, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan.

History

Initially, Rikihisa Tatsusai (力久辰斎) (28 October 1906 – 29 September 1977), who is venerated by Zenrinkyō followers today as Go-shinzonsama (御神尊様), spread the faith of the Jikkōkyō-affiliated Rikihisa Kyōkai (力久教会). This was the religious organization of his father, Rikihisa Tatsusaburo (力久辰三郎), who worked as a religious figure and a spiritual medium for police and government works. Rikihisa Tatsusaburo died on 20 October 1926.

Rikihisa Tatsusai

Like in many shinshūkyō, the position of head of a religion organization passes on from a parent to his or her child who is related by blood. He settled in Seoul (then called Keijō in Japanese) from September 1929 to April 1938, for the purpose of proselytization such as running the aforementioned religious facility of his father's legacy in Asahi-machi (旭町), working as a spiritual medium for police and government works like his father, and especially his striving for personal spiritual improvement that became his most important experience, the four-year training in a cave situated deep in Bukhansan. Any landmarks for pilgrimage and religious holy grounds are called oyukiba (御行場) in the religious tradition. The cave in question is in the southwestern part of today's Bukhansan National Park and is called the Cave of Bats by today's Zenrinkyō followers. The other two oyukiba are Elephant Rock (象の岩, zō no iwa) and Dragon Rock (龍の岩, ryū no iwa) that are also located in the South Korean national park in question.

Spread to South Korea

The religion that is now Zenrinkyō began proselytizing in South Korea after Rikihisa Tatsusai's visit to Seoul on 20 May 1971. The current address of the South Korean branch church is 6, Segeomjeong-ro 4-gil, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul (Hongje-dong) on the third floor.

List of religious scriptures

Most of the scriptures are listed in Japan's Religious Information Resource Center.

Notes

  1. ↑ His official title is kyōshu (教主) in Japanese.
  2. ↑ The year that it was officially registered as a religious organization under the Religious Corporations Law (宗教法人法, shūkyō hōjinhō).
  3. ↑ Generally covers today's Myeong-dong and Hoehyeon-dong.
  4. ↑ The third photo of the post from the official Zenrinkyō-affiliated blog suggests that the oyukiba, Elephant Rock and Dragon Rock, are within a close distance to Mokjeonggul (목정굴), a Buddhist facility that is right below Geumseonsa (금선사).
  5. ↑ South Korea does not use the ground floor scheme.
  6. ↑ The author's name can be transcribed as Koyama Akira (小山 章).

Further reading

References

  1. 1 2 3 Hirofumi, Tsushiro. "Zenrinkyō". Encyclopedia of Shinto.
  2. ↑ Anderson (page 309) "In 1954 the name was shortened to Zenrinkai.5 … 5 Zenrinkai officially changed its name to Zenrinkyo 普隣教 in October 1992."
  3. 1 2 Study on mutual acceptance of religions between Korea and Japan, Pg. 526-528, 1. 선린교의 개요 > (1) 교조 리키히사 탓사이(力久辰斎) [1. Summary of Zenrinkyō > (1) Kyōso Rikihisa Tatsusai] Note: The Korean transliteration of Tatsusai was erroneously published as Tassai.
  4. ↑ "善隣教ホームページ > 教祖". Zenrinkyō (in Japanese). 父である力久辰三郎は、３０代半ばより次第に透視能力者として知られるようになり、神道実行教力久教会を設立し、… [His father, Rikihisa Tatsusaburo, became gradually renowned since in his mid-30s for his clairvoyance and established Shintō Jikkōkyō Rikihisa Kyōkai…]
  5. 1 2 3 Study on mutual acceptance of religions between Korea and Japan, Pg. 534-537, 2. 국내유입과 토착화 과정 > (1) 국내 유입 [2. Introduction to South Korea and the process of localization > (1) Introduction to South Korea]
  6. ↑ Lee (이), Sang-bae (상배) (2004-08-10). "71년 국내전파 신도 3백여명 : 일본종교-한국내의 현주소" [300 Million People Of Proselytization Domestically For 71 Years: Japanese Religions - Current State Within South Korea] (in Korean). 법보신문. 선린교가 성지로 여기는 박쥐동굴은 동굴 관리를 하는 금선사에선석굴암이라 부르고 있다. [The Cave of Bats in which Zenrinkyō considers it as sacred is managed by the Buddhist temple, Geumseonsa, and it is called Seokgulam.]
  7. ↑ "삼각산 금선사 金仙寺". Arts & Culture (in Korean). 2022-02-01.
  8. ↑ "第２７回 韓国青年平和の翼 ＰＡＲＴ８". 善隣教青年部 (in Japanese). 2013-10-19. ５日、日曜日は象の岩と龍の岩御行場の参拝に行きました。 [On the 5th, Sunday, we went to the oyukiba, Elephant Rock and Dragon Rock, for prayer worship.]
  9. ↑ "善隣教". 宗教情報リサーチセンター. Archived from the original on 2024-01-25. Retrieved 2024-01-25.
  10. ↑ Inoue, Nobutaka. "日韓の現代宗教研究の課題: 新宗教の比較研究を中心に" [The Subject On Researching Modern Religions In Japan and South Korea: Focusing On Comparative Analysis Of New Religions] (PDF). 國學院雜誌 (in Japanese). 103 (11): 249–265.
  11. ↑ Anderson (page 323) "Komiya Akira 小 宮章 / 1976 Kyosoden 教祖伝 [Life of the founder]. Chikushino-shi: Shūkyō Hōjin Zenrinkai."
  12. 1 2 3 Inoue, Nobutaka, ed. (1996). 新宗教教団・人物亊典 [Dictionary Of Organizations And Figures In New Religions] (in Japanese). Tokyo: KOUBUNDOU Publishers Inc. p. 660. ISBN 978-4335160288. 力久辰斎 『聖経 善隣の園』善隣会聖典布及部, 1954. (教祖の教えをまとめた根本経典) — 『運命の実態』善隣会出版部, 1962. — 『聖経 天の巻』善隣会聖典刊行部, 1965.
  13. ↑ Aoyama (青山), Nakaba (央) (1996). だれもが気になる新宗教分派勢力地図 [Map Of Distribution Of Influences Among (Japanese) New Religions That Everyone Wants To Know About] (in Japanese). Tokyo: べストブック (Besuto Bukku). p. 266. ISBN 978-4831492562. 教典 みうた千首 聖経 「善隣の園」 神典 「神への道」
  14. ↑ 宗敎年鑑 [Religion Almanac] (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs. 1995. p. 114. みうた千首, 聖経 「善隣の園」

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