Category Archives: Literature

Annotated Mikasahumi and Hutomani, by Yoshinosuke Matsumoto

*Mikasahumi Hutomani by Yoshinosuke* *Matsumoto*

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.

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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.

[End of p10]

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Agō Kiyohiko on Kototama

Agō Kiyohiko on Kototama

“Kototama no michi is explained in super-ancient history of Biwako’s esoteric doctrine. Dr. Agō accomplished this momentous research in a lifetime career as pioneering director of the Biwako Research Center. “

These statements were retrieved in November 2013 from the website of the Biwako Research Center. The website is no longer online. Biwako, largest lake in Japan, lies in the center of Shiga Prefecture. It is of particular interest to students of Wosite as the Naka-Kuni Central Land of Isanami and Isanagi. Biwako is also of historical interest to geologists, biologists, archaeologists, and anthropologists as a region rich in human and natural activity from ancient times.

Agō Kiyohiko, former electrical engineer who spent his long retirement years studying ancient matters such as Wosite, made the following remarks about Kototama on this website.

“Kototama is the recognized spiritual function of Japan’s ancient language.”

“Kototama is a language inseparable from sending the supernatural…”

“Kototama is the sound coming from kami, as distinct from the sound made by ordinary people.”

“When ordinary people speak a language of understanding, then it is kototama. ‘That person has kototama’ we often hear, meaning that he/she has grasped spiritual phenomena.”

“In today’s scientific, materialistic civilization, there are those who deride it mistakenly. But wise people find a deep recognition.”

Brief Biography of 吾郷清彦 Agō Kiyohiko (1909-2003)

Agō Kiyohiko is best known for his research into Old Shinto and ancient literature of Japan. He went to school in Shimane-ken. He had a degree in electrical engineering from the Manchuria Institute of Electrical Engineering. He worked as a power engineer at Manchu Electric Industry in a thermal power plant. After returning to Japan, he played a central role in the construction and operation of a hydroelectric power plant in Shimane.

After his retirement, he devoted himself to research in ancient Japan and leadership of the Biwako Research Center. He published fifteen or more books on topics such as Old Shinto, Takamahara, Uetsufumi, Kuki Shinden, Kamiyo-moji, ultra-ancient history, Takeuchi documents, Hotsuma Tsutaye, and Kototama. Introduction to Old Shinto (Koshinto Nyumon ), a book of three-person dialogues on many of the above subjects, was published in 2000 when Dr. Agō was 90 years old. He died three years later.

*Koshinto Nyumon* by Agō Kiyohiko et al.

“In today’s scientific, materialistic civilization, there are those who deride it [Kototama] mistakenly. But wise people find a deep recognition.” — Agō Kiyohiko

1.1 Revised References and Resources

Wosite Fundamentals 1. Similarity of Wosite and Modern Nihongo

Wosite Language

Wosite, the language spoken in the land of Hinomoto up until 2,000 years ago was very similar to modern Japanese!

When we look at a Wosite passage, we are startled to see strange writing. Examining more closely we notice a great regularity of form. Fortunately for us, preceding researchers have decoded the characters.

Wosite writing is highly regular and symbolic of cosmic energies. It reveals the physics and philosophy of a forgotten people. After we learn the Wosite language, we come to understand a little better the worldview of modern Japanese and origins of their culture.

We say that Wosite and modern Nihongo are similar, out of surprise and delight. Of course, they are quite different. And yet, after learning how to read Wosite and having translated some of the passages in the documents, we are convinced of this because we can read and understand the writing! Very little of real consequence has changed in (1) word order, (2) joshi (particles, connecting words, postpositions), (3) basic vocabulary words. Examples are (1) verb at the end; (2) particles no, ni, to and others serving the same roles as now; (3) words such as ki for tree, mi for fruit, yama for mountain, hirakeru verb meaning spread, umu verb meaning to give birth.

Wosite Literature

There are only three extant documents written in Wosite script. They are the Hotsuma Tsutae, the Futomani, and the Mikasafumi. Here is a passage from Hotsuma Tsutae lines 2576-258e. Wosite literature is read from right to left, top to bottom as in traditional Nihongo. Wosite documents were written in poetry with five and seven syllables, a rhythm said to be the rhythm of earth and cosmos. The spoken Wosite is naturally syllabic and lends itself well to poetry.
Ametuti Passage H.T

Let us show you how easy it can be to read Wosite. Here is line 2576. It reads:

a me tu ti no hi ra ke ru to ki no

Even today, ame means sky or cosmos, and tuti means earth (tsuchi). Hirakeru is to separate, toki is time. The particle no, indicating possessive, appears twice. Literally, we may say, sky-earth’s separation time’s… We translate this phrase as, at the time when sky and earth separate, …

The first character is read a and it is written as a spiral opening to the left at the top to indicate the cosmic meaning of sky/cosmos.

Basics of Wosite

Wosite Literature

There are three extant documents written in Wosite script. They are called the Hotsuma Tsutae, the Futomani, and the Misakafumi. Here we show an excerpt from the Hotsuma Tsutae, lines 2576-2583. Wosite literature is read from top to bottom and right to left, the same as in traditional Nihongo. The Wosite documents have been composed and written as poetry with a five-seven rhythm, said to be the rhythm of earth and cosmos.

Each character is read as a syllable, consonant first and vowel second. There are only two sounds, a consonant and a vowel in each syllable. For pure vowels, of course, there is no consonant at all. There are 48 such syllables.

We will show how the syllables are written, starting with their vowel sounds. We will find that the Wosite written language is full of meaning, especially having to do with the energies of creation of Universe. As for spoken Wosite, it may be considered kototama, that is, spoken Wosite carries the power of sound energy. Therefore, one speaks in a responsible manner.

Vowels

There are five vowels. The vowels are a, i, u, e, o. They are always given in this order because the order represents cosmological process.

Utsuho tai A Utuho “space” Originating energy/process

Kase tai I Kase “wind” Vibrating energy/process

Ho tai U Ho “fire” Burning energy/process

Mitu tai E Mitu “water” Flowing energy/process

O Hani “earth” Solidifying energy/process

Vowel sounds are similar to Hawaiian and Spanish. There are no diphthongs.

Each vowel represents a cosmic energy or process. Although their names seem to be “things” or “elements,” they are really “actions” or “movements.” Universe creates through movement.

Exercise: Pronounce the vowels out loud. Imagine the type of process each vowel represents.

Consonants

There are ten consonants if we count the null sound as a consonant. The consonant order is important for cosmological reasons.

The first five consonant glyphs read (top to bottom):

– K H N M Ten consonants

T R S Y W

Ten consonants copy

In Nihongo, since there are no consonants per se, one would say, “a ka ha na ma ta ra sa ya wa.”

Exercise: Learn the order of the ten consonants, reciting “a ka ha na ma ta ra sa ya wa.”

1. Woshite Literature

Woshite Documents

There are only three documents extant in the Woshite corpus, even though many others are mentioned in the ones that we have. The three documents are the Mikasafumi, the Hotsuma Tsutae, and the Futomani. They are written in verse of five and seven syllables. Even today, Japanese poems, called waka, have five and seven syllables. In Woshite World, we study the Woshite written language and equip ourselves to read and understand the messages contained in these ancient documents. This is an introduction to the three documents. As you read this article, you will begin to become familiar with the Woshite World. There is much to learn, and it will be tough-going at first. But fascinating as well! Your understanding will grow as you keep studying with us.

A note about the Wosite society. In Wosite times, wise and compassionate persons rose to leadership positions. They took on the responsibility to oversee the welfare of the people of the land. At the top was the Amakami, and he was assisted by his Tomi. Today, we may think they were rulers governing people, but it was not quite like that. They kept the best interests of the people in mind as they dealt with issues from time to time. They approached situations from the view of the Amenaru-miti teachings. In a particularly difficult situation they consulted the Hutomani for inspiration and guidance. Therefore, for the most part, their society lived in peace and sufficiency for a long period of time.

Sounds of Wosite. Woshite in the old days was pronounced Wosite. You will learn how to pronounce Wosite syllables and words in later lessons. You will note some differences with contemporary Japanese, namely the syllables: hu, ti, tu, si in Wosite versus fu, chi, tsu, shi in contemporary Japanese. We are writing Wosite words for English readers using Roman letters that are close to the way the Wosite language was spoken. In Wosite times, the H syllables were pronounced like fa, fi, fu, fe, fo. However, the F sound spoken by Japanese is very gentle and very similar to an H sound. This is unlike the Western F sound which is very fricative. Therefore, we will use the letter H. Later the sounds of language changed so that the syllable hu became sounded more like fu, as it is written now. So these days most people say and write Futomani. Here on these pages we will write it Hutomani. And instead of Mikasafumi we write Mikasahumi. Let us start using the Wosite spellings of words. At first, you may have encountered some Wosite words before in their modern soundings and will find the traditional way a bit strange.

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Hotuma Tutaye (Hotsuma Tsutae)

The Hotuma Tutaye, at age around 2,000 years, is the youngest of the three documents and is, fortunately, complete. Of course, what we have are copies of copies. Tutaye is a term meaning a document that imparts knowledge and wisdom for later generations. All forty chapters, called aya, have been found and can be read today. The Hotuma Tutaye is an epic history of the land of Hotuma, the events and developments as well as the people who were prime movers. It shows that they tried to live in harmony with Universe, and most of the time succeeded in doing so. It conveys the lessons learned so that future generations can benefit.

The original 28 ayas of Hotuma Tutaye were composed by Kushimikatama, the Oomononushi who wrote it for Ihawarehiko (now called Jinmu Tenno). Oo-Tataneko of the same blood relationship added to it 12 more ayas in the times of Woshirowake (Keikou Tenno), approximately 800 years later. Oo-tataneko was Turugi-tomi and a descendant of Sosano-o, and this lineage called the Oo-mononusi held the position of Turugi-tomi from genertion to generation. His duty was to maintain peace and order in the land according to the principles of Amenaru-miti. (The title of Turugi-tomi is also called Migi-no-tomi which translates fo Minister of the Right. However, at that time, the position was different from what Migi-no-tomi came to mean later.)

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Hutomani (Futomani)

The Hutomani was compiled by Amateru Amakami. In order to have the best document for use by the leaders of society, Amateru compiled 128 waka verses. He was in his last years of life. The Kagami-tomi Amano-koyane assisted. The Wosite original calls this document Moto ra tutaye no humi. A humi, like a tutaye, is a written document to convey wisdom of the elders to succeeding generations. The term Moto ra tutaye no humi refers to how the solution to a problem is found. It is based on applying the principles of creation of Ame-tuti Universe. The words, Hutomani and Motoake, also refer to the creation process. The teachings were vital to understanding the process of creation, and thus to deriving a solution. The creation of Universe is taught through the Motoake chart shown here, and details are given in Post 6.1 and other posts. Please search on Category Motoake.

Motoake chart depicts the forty-eight creation Kami as the ideograms of phonemes. What is the relationship of the Motoake Kami to waka? Waka poetry is made of the combination of sounds of two kinds of Kami and their effects. Waka has a connection with the energies of Universe and the solution of a problem. When a problem arose, one of these waka poems would be selected to assist in the solution. Regretfully, we do not know the selection rules.

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Mikasahumi (Mikasafumi)

Mikasahumi is an older Wosite narrative of which only around 14% has been discovered so far. The fragment that we have consists of approximately 10,000 Wosite characters. The contents include history similar to that of the later Hotuma Tutaye. They also describe important events more precisely than does the Hotuma Tutaye. The theme of Mikasahumi is how to keep Amenaru-miti, the Way of Cosmos, alive for daily life. It carefully analyzes the changes that take place seasonally. It formed the basis for festivals and other events that observe the seasonal changes and express thanks for their blessings.

This seasonality has been transmitted even to today’s matsuri/festivals of gratitude: New Year’s eve and New Year’s day, Nanakusa (rice porridge with seven herbs), Setsubun (the traditional end of the winter festival), the Hina-matsuri doll festival in the third month, the Aoi-matsuri in the fifth month, the Tanabata-matsuri star festival in the seventh month. This is also continued in the observances of Jichin-sai (ceremony of calming the ground prior to building construction) and of Shichi-go-san (for children 7-5-3 years of age), and others. The origins and the ideas of all these traditional festivals are written in the ancient Mikasahumi.

There’s even more. Mikasahumi describes how the size of Universe is determined by a certain measurement technique. More familiarly, there is a measure to use for everyday purposes.

We learn from Mikasahumi that those who took on the responsibility for the welfare of people operated in accordance to the Laws of Ama, the Universe. (It would not be fitting to call them rulers or governors.) These ideas from Universe form the basis of the academic study of Japanese tetsugaku (philosophy).

Mikasahumi was written by Oo-Kasima who held the position of Kagami-tomi. It is said that the first half of Mikasafumi was written by the first Kagami-tomi Amano-koyane. Amano-koyane was a great-great-grandson of Toyoke-sama. Kagami-tomi was a top leadership position according to Wosite tradition. After Amano-koyane, the position was inherited for many generations by members in the lineage of Toyoke-sama. Kagami-tomi’s duty was to keep alive the transmission of the Kagami tradition: the discernment of good and bad in pursuit of Amenaru-miti, the right Way, in running society for the sake of the people. The word, Kagami, comes from ka (good) ga (not good) mi (to see). Kagami-tomi held the important responsibility of upholding the principles of Kagami. (In those days, Kagami-tomi was also called Hidari-tomi, which can be literally translated as Minister of the Left. The title, Minister of the Left, has continued but has come to carry a different meaning for his role.)

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Wosite Literature

Wosite writing is found extant only in the three documents described above. Two primary characteristics of Wosite literature are: (1) Writing and reading proceed from top to bottom, and from right to left. This is similar to traditional Japanese writing. (2) Documents were written in columns of 5 and 7 ideograms each. When read aloud, these lines amount to verses with rhythms of 5 and 7 syllables.

You will see selections from the Wosite literature in following lessons.

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WoshiteWorld

physics and philosophy of an ancient language

Category Archives: Literature

Annotated Mikasahumi and Hutomani, by Yoshinosuke Matsumoto

Agō Kiyohiko on Kototama

1.1 Revised References and Resources

Wosite Fundamentals 1. Similarity of Wosite and Modern Nihongo

Basics of Wosite

1. Woshite Literature

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