Nagasawa Katsutate


Nagasawa Katsutate was a Japanese Shinto priest and spiritual teacher. He was the spiritual teacher of Deguchi Onisaburo, Tomokiyo Yoshisane, and Nakano Yonosuke, all of whom were founders of notable Japanese new religions.

Biography

Early life

Nagasawa Katsutate was born on September 14, 1858 in Fujimi Village 不二見村, Abe 安倍 district. His father was Nagasawa Shinzaemon, and his mother was Nagasawa Toyoko.

As Shinto priest

During Nagasawa's teenage years, he attended the middle teaching institute, located at Shizuoka Sengen Shrine in Shizuoka city.
In 1874, Nagasawa became a teaching assistant at the same school and also served as a ritual assistant at Miho Shrine. During that time, he also became the head priest of Yamanashi Kasamori Inari Shrine. He established the Inari Confraternity at Yamanashi Shrine in 1891. Nagasawa was later promoted as head priest of Miho Shrine, which would attain the rank of a prefectural shrine in 1898.

Disciples

In 1885, Nagasawa met Honda Chikaatsu and became one of Honda's most capable disciples. From Honda, he learned a type of meditation practice known as chinkon kishin, which is practiced in the Japanese new religions Ananaikyo, Shintō Tenkōkyo, and Oomoto today.
On April 28, 1898, Deguchi Onisaburo, the founder of the Oomoto religion, traveled from his hometown in Anao, Kameoka to Shimizu to become Nagasawa's disciple, forming the start of a lifelong friendship. Just two weeks earlier on April 15, Deguchi had also been appointed Middle Supervisor of Nagasawa's Inari Confraternity at Yamanashi Shrine by Mitsuya Kiemon, a member of the confraternity who went to Anao to invite Deguchi to join. According to Oomoto's historical narratives, Nagasawa's mother Toyoko gave three books from Honda Chikaatsu to Deguchi, which were Shinden hisho, Michi no taigen, and Shintō montai. Upon reading the books, Deguchi said that they contained the same teachings that the kami Kotodamahiko had taught him while he had performed his ascetic training on Mount Takakuma in March 1898. As a result, Deguchi identified Kotodamahiko as the spirit of Honda Chikaatsu. He practiced chinkon kishin with Nagasawa, with Deguchi serving as kannushi while Nagasawa served as saniwa. Deguchi also received a chinkon jewel and stone flute from Nagasawa Toyoko.
Around 1920, Tomokiyo Yoshisane religion in 1922. In 1930, Nagasawa was granted an audience with Emperor Hirohito.
From 1938 until his death in 1940, Nagasawa taught Nakano Yonosuke 1887–1974), originally an Oomoto follower prior to the Second Oomoto Incident of 1935, who would make daily commutes from his home in Yaizu to Nagasawa's house. There, Nakano learned much of Honda Chikaatsu's teachings and practices from Nagasawa. On September 14, 1940, Nakano was initiated as the successor to the official lineage of Spirit Studies in a ceremony that lasted an entire week and was attended by four lawyers and two witnesses.

Death and legacy

Nagasawa died on October 10, 1940 and was buried at Baiin Zen Temple, and Nakano Yonosuke became Nagasawa's successor. Nakano went on to found the Ananaikyo religion on April 4, 1949, which he saw as fulfilling Nagasawa's 1899 prophecy that a world religion would be founded after 50 years.

Writings

Only three writings can be attributed directly to Nagasawa.
  1. "100 poems during spirit possession" consists of 100 tanka poems written down from 1926 to 1929 by Nagasawa and his student Take Eidayū. The poems, considered to be of divine origin, were revealed while Take was under spirit possession as a kannushi, with Nagasawa serving as the spirit mediator. The poems were published by Take in 1934. 62 reordered poems are included in Suzuki.
  2. "Deities" consists of published selections of an opinion that Nagasawa and provided on March 10, 1927 for the second trial that was held after the First Oomoto Incident.
  3. "Opinion on the Ōmoto incident" is a shorthand record of an interview between 3 Oomoto lawyers and Nagasawa from September 15–16, 1940. It consists of 130 pages.