Honda Chikaatsu
Honda Chikaatsu was a Japanese Shinto writer, philosopher, religious teacher, and spiritualist. Honda is known for devising the meditation and spirit possession techniques chinkon and kishin, respectively. He produced several writings in Japanese and literary Chinese at the start of the Meiji era during the 1870s and 1880s.
Since the 1970s, there has been a resurgence of interest in Honda's writings as they were published and became widely available. The study of Honda's teachings is typically referred to in Japan as Honda reigaku. Many books on Honda reigaku are published by Hachiman Shoten.
Today, the Japanese new religions Shinto Tenkokyo, Ananaikyo, and Oomoto are direct descendants of Honda's spiritual lineage, since the founders of these religions had all been dedicated disciples of Honda's student Nagasawa Katsutate. Honda's teachings and practices have also significantly influenced other Oomoto-derived religions.
Life
He was born Honda Kurō on February 4, 1822 in present-day Kaseda, Minamisatsuma, Kagoshima Prefecture. One of his other names was Zui'en. He was the eldest son of Honda Shuzō, who was either a physician or of samurai descent. As a child, he studied classic literature and martial arts.From 1839 to 1841, Honda studied literature and philosophy with Aizawa Seishisai of the Mito School. At the time, he also often visited Hirata Atsutane. Other than Aizawa and Hirata, also influenced Honda. Afterwards, Honda traveled widely through Japan, often venturing into the mountains to seek spiritual wisdom, and became a religious teacher. One of his best students was Nagasawa Katsutate, who reputedly learned virtually all of Honda's teachings and practices. Nagasawa then passed them onto Onisaburo Deguchi beginning in 1898, Yoshisane Tomokiyo around 1920, and finally Yonosuke Nakano during the last few years of his life.
Honda's second wife was Chikako. His son, Setsu, was born in 1863, and his eldest daughter Mika was born on March 15, 1879. Mika, also known as Kaoruko, often served as Honda's spirit medium during kishin sessions, while his wife Chikako acted as the spirit mediator.
Honda performed rituals at various Shinto shrines but may never have been appointed with a long-term position as a shrine's official priest. He is not mentioned in Meiji-era official records, partly because his views were considered to be heretical by mainstream Shintoists. In 1872, Honda may have been appointed head priest of Nunakuma Shrine in Hiroshima Prefecture, but left shortly after due to an argument with his superiors. His father also died in 1872, upon which he became the head of the family.
During the 1870s and 1880s, Honda produced many writings. In the early 1870s, Saigō Takamori introduced Honda to Soejima Taneomi, an influential politician and diplomat. Honda most likely first met Soejima in 1873 in Tokyo. Soejima became one of Honda's most erudite disciples.
Honda often stayed at Miwa Shrine in present-day Okabe-cho, Fujieda, Shizuoka from around 1884 to 1888, where he was hosted by Miwa Takeshi. During his time at Miwa Shrine, Nagasawa Katsutate became his disciple. Afterwards, Honda moved to his wife's hometown in Chichibu District, Saitama. He died in 1889 in Kawagoe, Saitama.
Teachings
Honda's philosophy is heavily influenced by Taoist philosophy, and to some extent Confucian philosophy as well.Cosmology and deities
In Honda's worldview, deities, ceremonies, etc. can be classified into visible/perceptible versus invisible/imperceptible types. The one supreme god who created heaven and earth is Ame no Minakanushi, the "true god" who is also referred to as the "great spirit", "heavenly lord", or "highest king". Ame no Minakanushi is the invisible deity of the imperceptible heaven, while the sun goddess Amaterasu is in the perceptible heaven.According to Honda's Reigakushō, the universe can be divided into the World of True Deities and the World of the Obscure and Bewitching, also known as the World of False Deities. Each of the two world consists of 181 levels, giving a total of 362 levels.
Spirit possession methods
There are 36 methods of spirit possession. Kishin methods consist of 4 sets, each containing these 9 types :- inspired from within : upper, middle, lower.
- inspired from without : upper, middle, lower
- divinely inspired : upper, middle, lower
- Formless in the World of True Deities
- Having form in the World of True Deities
- Formless in the World of False Deities
- Having form in the World of False Deities
Theorems of the Great Three
In Reigakushō, the Theorems of the Great Three are divine body, energy, and spirit. These can be further analyzed to consist of the following.;1. Spirit
Human souls were created by Ame no Minakanushi from one spiritual guide, which is the eternal spiritual fraction of the supreme creator deity, and four essences. Together, they are known as "one spirit, four essences". The four essences, which are also mentioned in the Nihon Shoki, are:
- rough essence
- harmonious essence
- wondrous essence
- prosperous essence
As mentioned in Shintō montai, the three aggregate states are:
- hard
- soft
- liquid
Energy or power is made out of the eight forces.
- moving
- keeping still
- tightening
- loosening
- hardening
- softening
- dividing
- uniting
''Kotodama'' and ''kazudama''
Kotodama, the spiritual power of words, was an important part of Honda's beliefs. In Kinmon Hirayama daikyōsei kakka, Honda interprets chinkon as being centered around the kanji character 'to invite, summon'. Honda's writings also teach the use of kazudama, the spiritual power of numerals.Writings
Honda Chikaatsu zenshū by Suzuki is a complete anthology of texts written by Chikaatsu Honda, as well as notes by his disciples. Many of these texts are listed below. The editor, Shigemichi Suzuki, is the grandson of Hiromichi Suzuki, one of Honda's disciples from February 1882 until Honda's death in 1889.| Title | Title | Title | Date | Pages | Notes |
| 産土百首 | Ubusuna hyakushu | 100 poems on local deities | 6 May 1885 | 1–10 | 2 volumes, 50 poems each on the perceptible and imperceptible aspects of local deities; written in man'yōgana |
| 産土神徳講義 | Ubusuna shintoku kōgi | Lectures on the divine virtue of local deities | June 1885 | 11–21 | Importance of revering local deities |
| 霊魂百首 | Reikon hyakushu | 100 poems on spirits | 1885 | 23–34 | 10 poems, each about a separate issue relating to spirits; written in man'yōgana |
| Michi no taigen | Great origin of the way | March 1883 | 35–42 | 24 brief chapters or sections summarizing the essence of Honda's teachings, in literary Chinese | |
| Shintō montai | Questions and replies on the true way | October 1883 | 43–80 | 114 questions from Soejima Taneomi, along with answers from Honda, in literary Chinese | |
| 謹問平山大教正閣下 | Kinmon Hirayama daikyōsei kakka | Respectfully enquired of your excellence, the senior instructor Hirayama | 1874 | 81–93 | Criticism of "The true mystery of the indigenous doctrine" by Hirayama Seisai, which was an explanation of the Taikyo Proclamation |
| 難古事記 | Nankojiki | Difficult Kojiki | June 1879 to September 1883 | 95–243 | 6 volumes, about 30 sections each, on reinterpreting the Kojiki; 4 other volumes might have been lost |
| 古事記神理解 | Kojiki kami rikai | Understanding of the Kojiki's deities | May 1885 | 245–334 | Interpretation of deities in the Kojiki; written by Honda's student Kawaguchi Shinji |
| 霊学抄 | Reigakushō | Excerpt from Spirit Studies | undated | 369–376 | Divination, chinkon and kishin, etc.; also known as the "Secret book of divine messages" |
The full texts of Michi no taigen and Shintō montai in Literary Chinese can also be found at the end of The essence of chinkon kishin, which was published by Shintō Tenkōkyo founder Tomokiyo Yoshisane in 1920. Satō also has the original text of Michi no taigen along with his own extensive commentary, as well as a modern Japanese translation and his own commentary of Shintō montai.
A similar text is Questions and answers at Sōkai’s window compiled by Sasaki Tetsutarō in 1898. It contains 98 questions and answers on Soejima Taneomi's explanations of Honda's spiritual studies and is also written in Literary Chinese. The text can be found at the end of 幽冥秘録神仙霊典, a book published by Tomokiyo Yoshisane in 1920.
The 100-poem collections Ubusuna hyakushu and Reikon hyakushu can be found at the end of Kakushinkō densho, published by Shinto Tenkokyo in 1937.