Twentieth-Century Examples
Sekaikyuseikyo, founded in 1934 by Mokichi Okada, at one time a member of Omotokyo, has for its main object of worship the True God of the Marvellous Light, and concentrates on healing.
The principal healing rite is jorei, spirit purification, which consists essentially in raising the palm of a hand of a member wearing an amulet called ohihari towards a recipient, who may or may not believe in the movement’s teachings. Critical of the Western medical approach to the treatment of illness as found in Japanese hospitals and in private medical practice, Okada developed a theory of healing which related sickness to spiritual clouds and also prescribed, among other things, the use of herbal medicines for the removal of such clouds. Further, believing like Omotokyo that religion is the source of peace, both inner and collective, this movement has constructed models of paradise at Atami and Hakone, situated between Tokyo and Kyoto, and these are not only meant to serve as prototypes of a world where peace reigns supreme but also to promote a consciousness of a new age of peace and harmony. Sekaikyuseikyo has over 800,000 members in Japan and has also established itself in the West, Latin America and Thailand.Sekai Mahikari Bumei Kyodan, World True Light Civilisation, established in 1959 by Okada Kotama (1901-74), also lays great stress on the importance of healing through radiation transmitted via the hand. However, whereas Sekaikyuseikyo attributes evil and sickness to spiritual clouds, this religion believes that the cause of evil is to be found in unpacified spirits. It is chiefly known for its o-kiyome, purification, which is used to eradicate the misfortune and disease caused by the angry spirits of the ancestors and of the rest of the dead. Once these spirits have been placated then wholeness, harmony and peace can return to the troubled individual or society.
Mahikari like Omotokyo and Sekaikyuseikyo has its cosmic vision and grand theory of history. As for the present, this is a time of crisis described using both Buddhist and Christian imagery and myth—the Old Testament story of the Flood being one of the illustrations used to depict the contemporary situation—and people are warned that now is the time to enter the ark of salvation provided by Mahikari. So far an estimated 50,000 people have joined this movement which now has centres in a number of Western countries and which specialises not only in healing but also in clairvoyance, ecstasy and prophesy. There is also a splinter group Sukyo Mahikari, Religion of True Light, which broke away from the main body in 1978 and is at present building a temple or sacred centre for the ‘Civilisation of Light’ in the mountains north of Tokyo. In some Japanese traditions mountains are regarded as holy places and have been treated by shamanistic diviners and exorcists, among others, as shintai, that is kami objects charged with the power of the spirits. Traces of this mountain worship are to be found in some of the new religions and the climbing of a sacred mountain such as Mount Fuji, an act of worship in itself, is seen by members as a means of purification, of acquiring spiritual strength and of contributing to the wellbeing of the nation.
Seicho no le, House of Growth, also derives many of its beliefs from Omotokyo. Its founder Masaharu Taniguchi (b. 1893) was formerly a member of Omotokyo and in fact a scribe in the employment of Onizaburo Daguchi, In 1930 Taniguchi started a publishing house and since then this movement has stressed the ‘word’ in its spoken or written form as the principle of the cosmos. This is a clear example of Omotokyo influence. The words of the founder are believed to be the divine media par excellence and to have the power to heal, and it is for this reason that his books are read aloud. Taniguchi has paid great attention to the concept of the word or logos as found in St John’s Gospel and has even written a commentary on this theme.
Seicho no le, then, is primarily about healing. It regards sickness as in essence an illusion or ‘deceit of the mind’ to be conquered by spiritual means and in particular through the healing power of the word. Like a number of other Japanese new religions this movement has altered its political views and its views of Japan on more than one occasion. Prior to 1945 it was an ultra-nationalist movement which proclaimed that Japan was the centre of the universe and its Emperor its overlord. Since 1945 these beliefs have been modified and although today members are among the strongest supporters of emperor-worship they now see the Emperor as the centre of the Japanese nation only.
Seicho no le has a large following in Japan, estimated at over three million members, and many branches in North and South America and several others in Europe and Africa. Its main temples or sacred centres are in the Nagasaki Prefecture and at Uji in Kyoto, while the principal object of worship is the Great God of the House of Growth.
Perfect Liberty Kyodan was first established in 1924 as Hitonomichi, the Way of Man, but was dissolved by the government in 1937 on the grounds that, like Omotokyo, it was a threat to the position of the Emperor. Reorganised in 1946 by Miki Tokuchika (b. 1900) under the name Perfect Liberty, it emphasised the importance of art as a religious pursuit. Its use of computers and other forms of modern technology for providing members and other interested parties with information, of English in contrast to Omoto’s use of Esperanto, and of fashionably-dressed female attendants known as ‘angels’, all give to this movement the appearance of a modern, international organisation. This religion is also well known for its golf courses and other sporting activities and for its highly colourful display of fireworks put on to celebrate the founder’s birthday, a display which is regarded as remarkable even by Japanese standards.
The members believe that God has revealed a number of precepts, one of which is that the individual is a manifestation of the divine and another that individuals suffer if they do not ‘show forth’ or express their ‘divine’ nature. Furthermore, they see artistic and religious pursuits as means to happiness which is the ultimate goal of Perfect Liberty Kyodan. Believers regularly assess by questionnaires the progress they have made towards this goal. The movement promotes itself at home and abroad under the slogan ‘a joyful religion’ and compares and contrasts itself with the ‘gloomy’ religion of Christianity which, it believes, places too much emphasis on sin and suffering. Perfect Liberty Kyodan which, according to some estimates, has over one million followers, has its main centre of worship at Osaka.