We have described how the teachings of To-no-Wosite were brought to China from Hinomoto many millenia ago. We have also presented the story of Ukesuteme who became the spiritual master, Mother of the West, known to Taoists as Xi Wangmu.
To no Wosite and Taoism
We now come to the title of this series, “The Root of Taoism is in Wosite Japan.” It is derived from this part of Beace’s post:
つまり彼の国での神仙思想（道教など）の根っこは、
大陸に我が国から伝わった、トノヲシテと縄文哲学や文化であり、
１度廃れてしまったその思想を、紀元前1000年頃に、
再び復活させたのが、ウケステメさんこと「ニシノハハカミ」
そしてそれが、あまりにも素晴らしかったために、
国亡き後も、この世にはない理想郷として神話となった・・・
In other words, the root of Taoism (Shinsen thought) is To-no-Wosite and the Jomon philosophy and culture that were introduced to the continent from Japan.
Beace is stating the the root of Taoism is threefold, all stemming from the Wosite civilization:
(1) To-no-Wosite teachings
(2) Jomon-Wosite philosophy
(3) Jomon-Wosite culture
Ukesuteme Becomes Mother of the West and Deity of Longevity
The To-no-Wosite practice that had become obsolete was revitalized around 1000 BCE. It was Ukesuteme-san, Nisi-no-Haha Kami, who revived it. This accomplishment was so great that her story became a myth of a utopia that does not exist in this world.
Ukesuteme seems to have been very long-lived. She went back to Japan for the third time and met Ninikine-san (grandson of Amateru). She arrived in a special palanquin called minekoshi which she had had made for travel over mountain peaks (mine) which duly amazed Ninikine. She received from him the Michimi-no-Momo (longevity peach) as a souvenir. Its name means that it bears 3,000 fruits, in other words there are many peaches on the tree. She was pleased to take it back to Korohin. She was close to 80 years old at the time.
Peaches of Longevity
The illustration below is from Beace’s post. The verse is from the Hotuma Tutaye. It reads as follows.
Mitimi no momo o / tamaware ha
hanami no momo ha / marenari to
kunitu to ni nasu
The michimi peach / which she received / is rarer than the flowering peach / and she took it with her as souvenir.
The Huainanzi (a 2nd century BCE Taoist classic) records a story of Han Wudi (seventh Han emperor, died 87 BCE) visiting the Queen Mother of the West and eating peaches together. Note that Wosite was written around 600 BCE, more than 400 years earlier. In Chinese lore, the description of the peach changed to: “peach that blooms and bears fruit once every 3,000 years” as it became a symbol of longevity and immortality.
Nisi-no-Haha had a very long life. And it is not such a strange story, for the land of Japan has since ancient times been famous for longevity. It is influenced by the unique food culture of not eating much meat. This is what Ukesuteme had learned from Amateru on her second visit.
Seiōbo, Mother of the West, Ukesuteme. (Nisi no Haha Seiōbo by Maruyama Okyo, 18th century)
Abstract
Trained by Toyoke Kami, Ukesuteme herself became a sage and a human kami, i.e., a spiritual master. Her name in Japanese is Nishi-no-Haha (also pronounced Seiōbo), Mother of the West, whose birthday is celebrated on the third day of the third month. This is also the day of the Hina Matsuri, or Girls Day, also called the Festival of the Peaches, for she is associated with the abundance of peaches. See our post on Hina Matsuri.
Ukesuteme in China
The effect that Ukesuteme had on China is threefold:
She taught the wisdom of To-no-Wosite in western China,
She became a spiritual master, the Taoist Immortal Xi Wangmu, and
Her To-no-Wosite teachings may be the main root of Taoist philosophy.
Let us learn how Ukesuteme became the Queen Mother of the West.
Ukesuteme and Toyoke-Kami
When did Ukesuteme live, and what do we know about her? The answers may be found in the Wosite document called the Hotuma Tutaye (Hotsuma Tsutae), written in Wosite script around 6 centuries before the Common Era.
As people left the Way, Ukesuteme, one of Ka’s descendants, sought out Toyoke Kami in his Yamate Palace near today’s Sendai, the greatest teacher of To-no-Wosite. As his disciple, she excelled in the Mitinoku teachings of the Way. She returned to the land of Akagata in western China and taught the Way of To. She married and became the mother of Kuroso-no-Tumoru. For her wisdom, she came to be called Mother of the West. Ukesuteme may have visited Japan three times. The first time, she studied To-no-Wosite with Toyoke Kami who was living in Hitakami. The second time, Toyoke Kami was living in Ne-no-Kuni. She, together with Shirayamahime, studied the highest teachings. Ukesuteme attained the highest level of Yama no Mitinoku. On that trip, she learned from Amateru (Toyoke’s grandson) that longevity is enhanced by a vegetarian diet and avoiding red meat. On her third trip, she met with Ninikine (Amateru’s grandson) and received from him Mitimi no Momo, so-called Peaches of Immortality.
Ukesuteme Attains Yama no Mitinoku
Hotutma Tutaye Aya 15 lines 43ff
Ukesuteme Ne no kuni ni kite // Ukesuteme comes to Ne-no-Kuni
Tamakine ni Yokutuka hure ha // to see Tamakine (Toyoke).
mi ni kotae Kokori no imoto // Becoming sister to Kokorihime,
musuhasete Yama no Mitinoku // she attained the great Mitinoku.
satukemasu yorokohi kaeru // She happily returned home.
Ukesuteme Korohin Kimi to // Ukesuteme married Kimi of Korohon;
tinami ai Kuroso no Tumoru // Kuroso-no-Tomoru was born
miko umite Nisi no Haha Kami // by Nisi no Haha Kami.
When the previous spiritual traditions of our ancestors disappeared, Ukesuteme worried about it. She made a second visit to Toyoke who was now governing the area of Ne-no-Kuni and she asked him for another teaching. This was during the last years of Toyoke Kami. Toyoke-sama was impressed with her enthusiasm and sincerity. He made Ukesuteme a sister to Kokorihime (Shirayama-hime, sister-in-law of his daughter Isanami). Ukesuteme was awarded “Yama no Mitinoku,” the highest level of the Mitinoku secret teachings of To-no-Wosite, and she returned to her home in Western China. After the birth of her son Kuroso no Tumoru, she became Nisi no Haha no Kami (Nishi no Haha Kami, Mother Kami of the West). It may be the source of later Chinese mythology!
Yama no Mitinoku
What is the Yama no Mitinoku that Ukesuteme attained? Yama means something important, like a yama mountain. Mitinoku (Michinoku) is the mystery of the Michi, the Way. When you have learned deeply about To-no-Wosite, you have reached the mystery.
The wisdom of To-no-Wosite was developed in the early days of the Wosite civilization. The founder of the land of Hinomoto (an early name for the islands of Japan) was Kunitokotati. His eight children spread civilization far and wide. In particular, Ka-no-Kunisatuti took the To-no-Wosite teachings to the land in the west which we now call China. He and his descendants settled in the western mountains, thousands of years ago. They thrived by following the Way of To, and this may have been a root of the Way of Tao, or Taoism.
As the centuries rolled on, people drifted away from the Way and society became disharmonious. Around 1,000 BCE Ukesuteme, one of the members of the Ka family, did something about it. Ukesuteme learned the wisdom of To from Toyoke Kami not once but twice. As a spiritual master, she became known as Mother of the West. In China her name is Xi Wangmu (Hsi Wang Mu), one of the highest of the Taoist Immortals. In Japan she is Nishi-no-Haha.
The root of Taoism can be traced to the teachings of To-no-Wosite from Hinomoto, the land of Wosite during the Jomon period.
Ka-no-Kunisatuti Goes to China
Kunitokotati (Kuni-tokotati, Kunitokotachi) was the founder of the civilization of Wosite in the land of Hinomoto in the pre-Jomon period. One of the Kunitokotati children was Ka-no-Kunisatsuchi who went to the west to what is now China. Ka settled in Korohin, in Akakata (Akagata) (perhaps during the Xia dynasty of China, 20 to 16 centuries BCE) in the western part of what is now China. Ka and his descendants the Toyokunnu promoted the Way of the To-no-Wosite teachings that they brought from Hinomoto.
Hotuma Tutaye Aya 15, 41ff:
Kokori hime / katareru koto ha
Tokotati no / ya mo amekurite
nisi no kuni / Kuroso no Tumi te
Ka ni ataru / na mo Akakata to
Toyokunnu / yoyowo samureto
tosi o hete / mitituki muru o
The Hotuma Tutaye (Hotsuma Tsutaye) is a document written in Wosite around 600 BCE. In it, Amateru-Amakami talks about direct traffic to and from the continent, soon after the founding of the country Hinomoto (land of Wosite). This is in the Jomon period after Kunitokotati. People from Hinomoto went to the continent, and long before the time of Toyoke Kami, people came from China to “study abroad.”
The word “Akakata” is found in a history of around 100 BCE, as well as another document of around 700 CE, referring to “China.” “Kuroso” denotes a country of rich black soil. Kuroso and Korohin seem to refer to the Kunlun Mountains of western China. After many generations passed, the most important spirit of the To-no-Wosite Way was forgotten.
Kunlun Mountain Hermits
Hermits (仙人, Sennin) were said to reside on Kunlun Mountain, and Korohin seems to be a country in the Kunluns. However, Kunlun is not a real mountain. Rather, it is a mythical place where the Chinese Immortals (神仙, Shinsen) live. This comes from Chinese sources that were written around 1000 BCE and also much later in the Western Han era around 300-150 BCE. Earlier, Kunlun was an indigenous belief in the land of mysterious and terrifying Shinsen; later it became a “country that teaches the Way.” This is around the time that Taoism developed. [Perhaps this is what leads Beace to relate the To-no-Wosite teachings in the Korohin/Kunlun area to the rise of Taoism.]
Beace wrote: There is a garden with thick trees and a pond filled with water. In the beautiful world of Kami where many Sennin live, it is said that King Mu of Zhou and King Father of the East visited. In addition, Kunlun is regarded as the center of the world, and its summit reaches to the North Star and the Big Dipper. It was said that Kunlun rotates the stars, probably because the Queen Mother of the West is a Kami of the moon.
Taoism
Taoism is a nature-based philosophy from ancient times that later spun off a religion. Although Taoism predates Lao Tzu, he (Lao Tzu) is considered its founder because he is credited as the author of the Taoist classic called the Tao Te Ching. Lao Tzu, if he indeed existed, is said to have lived during the Zhou dynasty around the 5th century BCE. Even earlier were various forms of folk religion, as evidenced by oracle bones. See also Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taoism. When Buddhism arrived in China, Taoist philosophy amalgamated with it to form the school known as Chan or Zen.
Xi Wangmu, Chinese Mother of the West
Zhuangzi (Chuang Tzu, fourth century BCE) wrote,
“The Queen Mother of the West attained the Tao.”
Xi Wangmu is said to be the highest ranking deity in the pantheon of Chinese Immortals, for she holds the secret of immortality. She answers prayers for longevity. Her name is often translated as Queen Mother of the West. In China, her birthday is said to be the autumn equinox, when the sun sets due west. Shang dynasty 15th century BCE oracle bone inscriptions of folk religion mention a Western Mother. This predates organized Taoism, but she has become associated with Taoism. Her popularity grew during the Han dynasty of the 2nd century BCE. In Taoist art, Xi Wangmu is depicted holding peaches in her home on the mythological Kunlun Mountain in western China. She has a garden of peach trees bearing Peaches of Immortality.
Stephen Little, Asian art expert:
“While Taoism is extremely old, Xi Wangmu predates it.”
Taoist Immortal Xi Wangmu on a Dresden plate, Qing dynasty, 1725
Wosite is a sacred body of wisdom of indigenous Japan. To understand ancient Japan, we must recognize that the island chain that makes up the geographical land of what is now the modern nation of Japan was once connected to the Asiatic mainland. The separation of the islands took place when ocean levels rose after the end of the most recent Ice Age. This was roughly 15,000 BCE; there is no exact date since the phenomenon took place gradually over many centuries. However long it took, nevertheless settlers on these lands were separated from the continent and they developed a unique advanced civilization. The period from the end of the Ice Age to around the turn of the Common Era or a few hundred years BCE is termed the Jōmon period. Although the Jōmon are noted for their namesake world’s first pottery, their elegant writing system and greatness of their science and civilization have been ignored — until now.
We are calling your attention to the achievements of these people as recorded in the Wosite documents. There were many other writing systems in the Jōmon period of prehistory. In a sense, to call this “prehistory” is incorrect because there was a recorded history. However, the written documents are not regarded as valid by so-called scholars. Of all these scripts, Wosite is one of the oldest and the most systematic. Its basis is a deep understanding of the principles of nature and the universe and the physical laws by which they operate. This depth of concept that is encoded in the Wosite script is evidence of abstract thinking of early people. This may come as a surprise to many moderns who have assumed that we have only recently come to this level of thought. Moreover, the activity of the Wosite mind included higher consciousness of spiritual understanding that we may aptly call “wisdom.”
Wosite Documents
Wosite researchers such as my teacher, Beace, state that Wosite existed 6,000 to 8,000 years ago, or 4,000 to 6,000 BCE, based on written, geophysical, and archaeological records. This would make the Wosite civilization the oldest known today, older than the Mayan, the Hindu, the Egyptian. Not that those civilizations did not exist long ago, but their glory days took place after Wosite was already highly developed. Why do I say this? The Wosite documents which are extant today are the Mikasahumi, Hotuma Tutaye, and the Hutomani. These titles are sometimes written, after transcribing from modern Japanese to Roman letters, as Mikasafumi, Hotsuma Tsutae, Futomani. They were edited at the time of Woshirowake Keikō Tennō, said to be around the year 100 in the Common Era. However, these three documents were compiled at the time of the Kami leader Amateru (Amaterasu), dozens of generations prior. I am using the indigenous term Kami for a person with high level of consciousness. Within these documents are references to dozens of earlier documents and statements that much of the wisdom knowledge base was formed millennia previously.
Kototama and Cosmology
I will teach Wosite Wisdom starting from the image of the Motoake Chart. It represents the cosmic origin of the universe as described in the Wosite documents. There are 48 Wosite characters, 48 syllables. They are the basic syllables of the Wosite spoken language as written to represent Wosite Kototama.
What is Kototama? Kototama is a very old word about Tama spirit. In the indigenous worldview that is so close to nature, there is a spirit in everything on earth and in the universe. From long ago, the people of Japan loved word-play and double-meanings. The word Koto has two meanings: word, and thing. This is saying that words themselves have spiritual energy, and that spiritual energy creates things. Kototama thus refers to the sacred power of human speech. Spoken words have a great energy to create, and sometimes to destroy, so we speak with full presence of mind and awareness.
Motoake Chart
The Motoake representation of cosmology is attributed to the Kami sage Toyoke, teacher and grandfather of Amateru. He credits earlier ancestors for achieving the deep understanding and the wisdom which he inherited. This cosmology is the basis of the spoken and written language of Wosite.
A-U-Wa represents Amemiwoya in Amoto
The central circle of the Motoake chart denotes the Amoto circle wherein dwells Amemiwoya, the Great Parent of All. We today may conceptualize Amemiwoya as the Quantum Void or the Buddhist Emptiness from which everything manifests. The three letters in the circle are the three Wosite characters for A-U-Wa. “A-U-Wa,” which in Wosite means the Birth (U) of Cosmos (A) and Earth (Wa), namely the origin of the universe.
The first ring contains 8 energies which directly support Amemiwoya. The next 8 energies enable human speech. The outer two rings each contain 16 energies necessary for human life. There are a total of 48 basic energies, and each energy is a syllable of sound.
Thus, speech which is made of these 48 syllables contain the sacred energies of the universe. In turn, the Wosite characters are the writing of symbols which represent these energies. Speaking Wosite with pure intention is Kototama.
In the next article, we will show how the Kototama of Motoake is contained in the Awanouta song and the Wosite language itself, both spoken and written.
The Prologue of the Mikasahumi is an aya entitled, Kuninazu ga Nobu (Kuninazu Speaks). Kuninazu is none other than Ōkasima, the second author of Mikasahumi. Ōkasima was the tenth generation descendant of the original author Amanokoyane. This Prologue was written by Ōtataneko, the second author of the Hotuma Tutaye. The Mikasahumi and the Hotuma Tutaye were revised by these two men and presented to Wosirowake (Keikō Tennō).
The Prologue of the Mikasahumi explains what the Mikusa no kantakara Three Sacred Treasures are. Below is a list of the three humi treasured documents and their respective physical symbols. The Three Sacred Treasures today are only known as objects, their deep meanings having regrettably been lost over the ages.
Mikasa-humi Kagami
Hotuma-humi Tsurugi
Hutomani Magatama
Recall that the Mikasahumi (Mikasafumi) was written to teach the Miti (Way of Heaven). The Hotuma Tutaye (Hotsuma Tsutae) was written to show the proper way to preserve order in the land. Hutomani (Futomani) was edited by Amateru for decision-making following natural principles.
The Mikasahumi was first written by Amanokoyane and updated by Ōkasima who lived at his miya at the foot of Mikasayama in Nara. It is now the grand Kasuga Taisha. The revised Mikasahumi was presented to Wosirowake Keiko Tenno.
Hotuma Tutaye was presented by Ōtataneko to Wosirowake. Wosirowake announced: “Now we have mikusa no miti (three paths of wisdom) and we are happy. Both Kasima and Tataneko honor their ancestors andall descendants will prosper.”
(10818) Amateru kami no
yata kagami tukuri mikusa no
kantakara Ameno mimako ni
to o sazuke yamato wosamuru
mikagami ha koyane ni saguru
kami no mune hoko no minamoto
woko no kami
(10824) sikare to miti mo
moro iye ni tukasa tagae ha
hotuma humi arawasu toki ni
atuta kami tugete kimi ni ha
kagumi hata wosase tamae ha
kagami tomi humoto yasiro no
humi sasagu
(10830) ware mo akure ha
mikoto nori mikusa no miti no
sona warite sati yeru ima to
notamae ha onoono miwoya
maturu hesi hosue sakaeru
sono miti ha mikasa humi naru
amaterasu kami yori saguku
mitinoku no humi uyamaiete
tomo ni sasakeru.
The Prologue closes with the inscription by the author:
“I, Ōmiwa no Tataneko, age 234 years, humbly present this edition.”
Namekoto no Aya by Yasutoshi Waniko,courtesy Japan Translation Center
Tanahata (Tanabata)
Tanahata is a matsuri of the Jomon people, as told by the Wosite documents of Jomon Japan. The Law of Universe is explained in terms of a weaving metaphor. Tanahata is a weaving loom. When weaving, one uses a shuttle to connect horizontal threads with vertical threads. In a similar manner,AmeCosmos interacts withTutiEarth,just as woMale withmeFemale. The result isHito, a human being, like you and me.Tanahata connects us with time and space — and with each other. Tanahata is an event that fosters family, global and cosmic relationships.
Tanahata Maturi, Hosi Maturi
In the 7th month of the year, the heat of summer is softening and there is even a breeze tonight. It is the seventh day, the first quarter of the moon, so that the night sky is dark…
Editors Note: This article is about the book, Annotated Mikasahumi and Hutomani, by Yoshinosuke Matsumoto, editorial supervisor, and Mitsuru Ikeda, editor; published 1999 by Tenbosha (Tenbou Company); in Japanese:ミカサフミ・フトマニ Mikasahumi – Hutomani ,松本 善之助 (監修), 池田 満 , Matsumoto Yoshinosuke (author), Ikeda Mitsuru (series editor), 1999. We have translated the first ten pages into English.
*****
Preface
Mikasahumi and Hutomani were edited long before kanji was introduced to Japan. Both books are very precious because they explain basic ideas of how the country of Japan was established.
It is unfortunate that not all volumes of Mikasahumi were found. Seven more chapters existed around the middle of the Edo era. However, time just flew while trying to find them. Of course, the books we have already found give us great value without doubt. This is why it took twenty-seven years before publishing these two books. This time we are publishing not only the remaining volumes of Mikasahumi, but also selected quotations from them. We wished to find all volumes of Mikasahumi, but we could publish only those quotations from what we had.
I would like to thank Mr. Naohiro Nonomura who loaned us the precious original copies of Mikasahumi and Hutomani. I also wish to thank Daigu Library of Ryukoku University who repaired the books and conducted difficult searches. I also send heartfelt gratitude to Mr. Akiyoshi Karasawa of Tenbosha who agreed to publish these books which are probably difficult to sell although very precious.
September 1, Heisei 11 (1999) by Matsumoto Yoshinosuke
These three books: Hotuma Tutaye, Mikasahumi, and Hutomani comprise the extant documents written in ancient Japanese Wosite.
EXPOSITION
1. Synopsis of Mikasahumi
In ancient times, the eighth Amakami Amateru said,
ware mukashi amenomichi yeru kagunohumi
“I learned Amenomichi by Kagunohumi long ago.” However, the Kagunohumi document has regretfully not been found. Therefore, it is difficult for us to understand the journey of Amateru’s mind. So, this introduction of Mikasahumi is important. People who want to understand its value need to know its contents.
The most important matter for the existence of a clan was to establish Ooyake [a principle of public administration]. This principle has lasted from the time when Amanokoyane also known as Kagaminotomi [Advisor of the Mirror] and his descendants served as priests of Ise Jingu or as Fujiwara ministers. We understand that Ooyake, which an ordinary person has difficulty in understanding, is the real purpose of existence for the Kagaminotomi. That is, Ooyake is the principle for which Kagaminotomi held responsibility. The eighth Amakami Amateru realized the depth of Amenomichi in Ooyake.
Mikasahumi, which Amanokoyane made sincere efforts to compose, fully explains the concept of Ooyake. It is the reason for the existence of Kagaminotomi. Therefore, we can trace the movement of Amateru’s mind through Mikasahumi.
Unfortunately, not all the volumes of Mikasahumi were found. Yoshinosuke Matsumoto Sensei and we students looked for them all over, but we had to publish this book based on what we found. It is still important to keep searching for the remaining chapters.
We confirm that Hotuma Tutaye and Mikasahumi were published at the same time and have the same world view becuase they have some of the same sentences. We left-lined the columns of the same sentences of Hotuma Tutaye and we also inserted annotations.
2. Synopsis of Hutomani
Hutomani is a book of poems used for decision-making. Its basic structure is Motoake, represented by a diagram of how the universe was created. Motoake represents the essence of the universe and it symbolizes every phenomenon in the world. Each poem in Hutomani is attached to one of 128 symbols of Motoake. Since all 128 poems in Hutomani currently exist, we can see how they understood the world. Words cannot express the value of the Hutomani we inherited.
Hutomani was compiled by the eighth Amakami, Amateru, when he retired and was in the last years of his life. This is the Hutomani which currently exists. However, in Hotuma Tutaye, only two of four examples of symbols (shichiri, akini, akoke, shihara) match the contents of poems in Hutomani. That is, akini (20-23) and akoke (20-52) have similar contents of poems seen in Hutomani. Interpretation of ancient times for shichiri (10-1) is seen in Hotuma Tutaye. A different interpretation of shihara (27-45) of Hutomani is written in Hotuma Tutaye.
After considering these things, we understand that the basic theory of Hutomani is based on the Motoake diagram, and the interpretation for each symbol changes depending on situations and times. Therefore, the method of Hutomani comes from the symbols in Motoake, namely Amenokokoro, and represent phenomena of the universe. The poems in Hutomani help us to interpret them.
3. Transmission [of Documents]
a. Nonomura Family [Mikasahumi, Hotuma Tutaye]
Eight chapters of Mikasahumi and Nonomura Ryuzo’s Hutomani were kept in the mud-walled storehouse of an old family of beautiful Takashima town on the north-west coast of Biwa Lake. Three volumes consist of seven chapters entitled Shinsaizanshoki in kanji, owned by Mr. Nonomura Tadahiro. The latter is a descendant of Nonomura Ryuzo who lives in Takashima-cho, Takashima-gun, Shiga-ken. These were the most important copies of the first seven chapters of Mikasahumi. The seventh chapter had the keys to the basic theory of Ooyake.
Waniko Yasutoshi who copied these volumes lived around the middle of the Edo period. He copied Hotuma Tutaye and attached a kanji translation. He also copied Mikasahumi and added a kanji translation. We should not forget that we can read the first seven chapters of Mikasahumi and Hanimatsuri no Aya because of his accomplishment.
In Syuusinseidenki Denrai Yuishogaki, Waniko Yasutoshi was said to have used a common name, Ibo Yunoshin. It must have been some kind of fate that the late Ibo Kichibei and Ibo Takao (who lives at Nishimanngi, Azumigawa-machi, Takashima-gun, Shiga-ken) found all volumes of Hotuma Tutaye by Waniko in Heisei 4 (1992). We refer for details to the Hotuma Tutaye by Waniko (published by Shin-Jinbutsu Ourai Sha in Hesei 5).
Mr. Nonomura Tadahiro who owns the Mikasahumi by Waniko is a great-grand son of Nonomura Ryuzo who was a samurai retainer of Oomizo Han during the last period of the Edo era. The castle of Oomizo Han of Wakebe Clan of Nimangoku was a center of culture situated at the south end of the large Azumigawa Plain during the Edo era.
During the last period of the Edo era, the Keio period, all volumes of Hotuma Tutaye and the remaining volumes of Mikasahumi were found in Nishiyurugi-mura and turned in to the Oomizo Han, and were put in the charge of a temple-shrine. After the turbulent end of the Edo era and Meiji Ishin and the abolishment of the Oomizo Han, Nonomura Ryuzo became chief priest of Mio shrine. He is described as a healthy eighty-five year old man in Kondo Seisai Zenshu (Kokusho Kankokai, Meiji 38). All documents that belonged to Oomizo Han were transferred to Shiga-ken, but regarding the Wosite documents, Nonomura Ryuzo made copies, and the Hotuma Tutaye was given to the Hiyoshi Shrine of Nishimagi as an offering in Meiji 22. Of the remaining Wosite documents, a copy of Hutomani was handed down to Oomizo Naohiro, the current head of the Nonomura family. This copy of Hutomani is the oldest complete copy that we now have. Nonomura Ryuzo passed away before he could make a copy of Mikasahumi which was handed down to his descendants.
b. Ogasawara Family [Hutomani, Hotuma Tutaye]
The Ogasawara family in Uwajima, Shikoku, are well known to have kept the Hotuma Tutaye. They also had Hutomani handed down from their ancestor.
Ogasawara Michimasa encountered Hotuma Tutaye when he visited the west of the lake area during Bunka or Bunsei period of Edo era. He realized the importance of this document. He wanted to let the world know that it would supplement the Nihon Shoki by publishing Kamiyokan Shuushin Seiden (kept at the Kokuritsu Koubunshokan National Archive).
Ogasawara Nagahiro, a descendant of Michimasa, earnestly studied the Wosite documents. Nagahiro was assigned to be a priest at Akama shrine located at the Kanmon channel, and he copied all volumes of Hotuma Tutaye; he returned the old version of Hotuma Tutaye without translation in kanji to Takashima-gun. (They were damaged by mice and lost around Showa 10.) Nagahiro visited Takashima-gun with his strong passion and will, and he saw them when he was 74 years old. He knew that Wosite documents were true writings.
Ogasawara Nagatake was a nephew of Ogasawara Nagahiro. He is the one who really began a modern era search. He copied all volumes of Hotuma Tutaye, and he created a method of comparing these books. He also tried to ask Sasaki Nobutsuna to acknowledge Wosite documents. It is to his credit that Hotuma Tutaye is kept in the National Archives. He also left us a precious copy of Hutomani.
c. Fusen [Kasugayamaki, Mikasahumi, Hotuma Tutaye]
Fusen, a priest in Nara, left us the oldest Wosite documents which have been found so far. Considering that he was already quite elderly when he published Kasugayamaki in Anei 8 (1779), he was one of the earliest scholars who studied Wosite documents in our times, as far as we know. We are strongly interested in the sentences quoted from Wosite documents in his books, Kasugayamaki and Asahishinki. We really hope that the original Hotuma Tutaye and Mikasahumi which Fusen used will actually be found. Only Toshiuchi ni nasukoto no Aya was found, and we were able to publish the contents of this oldest Wosite document with the permission of Ryukoku University.
The word ka か(日) appears in a modern Japanese dictionary as: day of month; counter for days. How did it get to be so? Wosite word analysis has an answer.
The circle of a represents utuho. Utuho is a state of energy. It has other meanings: that which is not visible to the eye; superior; something light and floating; primordial; a certain place; possibility of change, potentiality of transformation. It is the unborn which is unseen, just before birth (umu).
Combine the vertical line of k with the circle of a and we get the ideogram for syllable ka. Ka is the light of the sun shining on the ground. As a result, ka came to mean the time of one day duration, from one sunrise to the next sunrise.
Even today, we find ka meaning day in spoken Japanese. We count (numerals) and the days become:
hi (1), tsui-tachi, the first day of the month
fu (2), futsuka, the second day
mi (3), mikka, the third day
yo (4), yokka, the fourth day
yi (5), itsuka, the fifth day
…
to (10), toka, the tenth day.
Why is the first day is called tsui-tachi? From tsuki (moon) tachi (starting), namely the month begins on day one with the new moon. So, until the tenth day of the month, the number is followed by ka. Other meanings of ka are bright; right; wealthy; right-side; west; autumn.
The glyph for i
The glyph for i
This is the glyph for the sound i. Its name is kase. The shape describes light and heat from the sun from sunrise to sunset, first rising to its peak midday and then declining to sunset. The daily temperature follows a similar pattern. To ancient people, light and heating from the sun were vitally important. Kase is separated out from male cosmic energy of utuho, the glyph for the sound a. It is the part that has regular movement like sunrise and sunset. Kase means there is movement or change. Something has actually occurred. However what has occurred is not visible to the eye. Therefore kase has this meaning of a regularly repeating movement, although it may be unseen. We can think of kase as vibration. Furthermore, it has the even deeper connotation that time exists.
The Words ki, iki
The syllable ki. When we combine the vertical line of k with the bell-shape of i we get the syllable ki. The vertical line represents the powerful energy of the sun, of space, coming down to earth.
The word ki. You may be familiar with the Nihongo word ki. It is found in Aikido, the spiritual “martial art” of Morihei Ueshiba; and in the healing art of Reiki first introduced by by Dr. Mikao Usui. It is the subtle energy that runs through our meridians, and the energy that a spiritual-martial master projects across the room. It is also found in ordinary words such as tenki weather and denki electricity. Is the word ki found in Wosite literature? In Wosite literature, there are frequent mentions of iki which may be the equivalent of ki.
What is iki? The quick and simple answer is いき (息) iki is breath. But Wosite teaches us more, gives us a better understanding through character analysis.
The word iki and verse from Hotuma Tutaye
The word iki. Now let us study the word iki. This is shown in the third figure. The word iki appears in the ancient document, Mikasafumi, lines 11349-11352. The passage about the breath of Amemiwoya the Great Source reads:
ame tuti imata
naru zaru ni ame no miwoya no
nasu iki ha kiwanaku ugoku
amotokami mitu ni ahurano
When ame Heavens and tuti Earth are not yet separated, Amenomiwoya’s breath is eternally and everywhere moving. Supporting the breath of Amemiwoya are the Amoto Kami, powerful energies of space.
Remember that ka is energy from space that goes straight down to the ground. And the glyph for i expresses repetitive movement of an invisible very light thing. Therefore, that is the meaning of iki, a regular movement of an invisible very light thing. Even now, iki is commonly used to mean breath, the breath of life.
If you have visited Shiga prefecture surrounding Lake Biwa, you may have heard its old name, Ōmi. What is Ōmi? Ōmi may be spelled out as Oumi, O-umi, where O is great and umi is body of water. In Wosite times it was called Awa-umi. The body of water is Biwako, Lake Biwa, but that is its modern name from the Edo period. The earliest civilization was centered at Ōmi. In fact, the area was called Naka-kuni, the center of the land. This is where Isanami and Isanagi made their home.
Lake Biwa is the largest lake in Japan. It clearly shows on maps of Japan. It is also one of the most ancient lakes in the world, 4.5 million years old. However, its maximum depth is only 104 m, so it is far from being one of the world’s deepest lakes. For comparison, Lake Baikal in southern Russia is the world’s deepest lake, 1,642 m. The deepest lake in the United States is Crater Lake in southern Oregon. Its depth is 594 m.
While hundreds of small rivers flow into Lake Biwa, there is only one outflow, the Seta river. The Seto river leads to the Uji River, then the Katsura and the Kizu. Further downstream is the Yodo River which exits into Osaka Bay.
Human beings have lived around Lake Biwa for more than 20,000 years, as archaeological evidence demonstrates.
Ashihara no Nakatsukuni
Ashihara no Nakatsukuni is a puzzling name for the land of Japan in the myths of the 8th century Kojiki document. Here is the Wosite explanation for this name. Nakatsukuni is another way of saying Naka-kuni. Ashihara means field of reeds, because the low-lying area around Lake Biwa was marshy and covered with reeds. Why was attention called to the reed fields? Wosite people were proud to have reclaimed the marshy land by draining excess water and planting rice fields. It may seem amazing that there was such engineering ability in those days.
Lake Biwa, Center of WositeCivilization
The people of Wosite settled in the environs of Lake Biwa. When Isanami and Isanagi made it their center of unification, they called it Naka-kuni, the Center of the Land. And where, in Naka-kuni was the actual center? It may have been in the district of Takashima, now Takashima City of Shiga Prefecture.
TakashimaCity, Adogawa Town
Takashima City, on the left bank of Biwako, is made up of several towns including Takashima Town and Adogawa Town. If you have read our previous post on Kusuhiko’s forest, you will have seen that the forest is located in Adogawa, and a map of Takashima is shown. This location is marked by the red arrow in upper left of mep.
The discovery of the Hotuma Tutaye document was traced to this area. Mr. Yoshinosuke Matsumoto found a manuscript, of three chapters written in Wosite characters, which was entitled, Hotuma Tutaye, Sacred Treasure of the Mio Shrine, Sanjo Village, Takashima County, Province of Ōmi. The shrine and the village no longer exist. But Mr. Matsumoto eventually located all forty chapters of the Hotuma Tutaye at Hiyoshi Taisha.
WositeShrines
The arrows in the above map of Ōmi point to six important Wosite shrines. They are, counter clockwise from upper left:
Sasaki Jinja, in Ōmi Hachiman, Sakunami Kami of sake-making
Taga Taisha, in Taga, Isanagi Taga no Kami, Toyoke, and Amateru
In Summary, people have lived around Lake Biwa since ancient times. The Wosite civilization took root in Ōmi, and Isanami and Isanagi made Takashima their center of activity. There are many places associated with Wosite kami which are now Shinto shrines. The first Wosite document discovered by Y. Matsumoto, the Hotuma Tutaye, had once been kept in a shrine in Takashima.
Ultra Ancient Document Hotsuma Tsutae, 2013, two volumes bySudaMasako
Editor’s Note: Please refer to previous posts on Hotsuma Tsutae, especially the initial post, https://okunomichi.wordpress.com/2013/05/17/hotsuma-tsutae/. Briefly, the Hotsuma Tsutae’s first 28 aya were written for JimmuTenno (r. 660-585 BCE) by Kushimikatama. 12 additional aya were written underKeiko Tenno (r. 71-130 CE) by Ohtataneko. The 40 aya were copied and annotated with kanbun by Waniko Yasutoshi in 1775. The Hotsuma Tsutae was discovered in recent times by Matsumoto Yoshinosuke in 1966.
Maegaki Preface
Suda Masako who is now 87 has been searching for Truth for forty years, as her mother Ryo did. Ryo’s father was a surgeon who died when she was 17. Ryo wanted to learn the right perspective for life which was precious. Her mother died around the time she graduated from college.
Namekoto no Aya by Yasutoshi Waniko,courtesy Japan Translation Center
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