Tag: silkworm

Hata pt 5 (Early Buddhism)

May 27, 2015 / John D. / 0 Comments

Those of us who live in Kyoto are aware of two vital clans in the river basin’s early history – the Hata and the Kamo. They played a decisive role in the religious development of the area, and their legacy remains evident nearly 2000 years later.

Though there were other clans, the Hata and Kamo achieved preeminence and the shrines they founded are amongst the city’s best-known. The Hata are associated with Matsuoo Taisha and Fushimi Inari, the Kamo with the Kamigamo and Shimogamo Shrines. At some point the two clans appear to have intermarried and formed an alliance.

It was with interest therefore that I came across an article about the early developments in Kyoto entitled ‘Activity of the Aya and Hata in the Domain of the Sacred’, by Bruno Lewin (tr. Richard Payne with Ellen Rozett, Pacific World, New Series, No. 10, 1994).

Sacred rock at Matsuoo Taisha in Kyoto, which recalls the rock worship of Korea and the immigrant origins of the Hata clan who founded the shrine

The article starts by pointing out that immigrants lay behind the introduction and dissemination of Buddhism in Japan. This was exemplified above all by the powerful Soga clan, who were opposed by conservative aristocrats backing vested interests in their tutelary kami. It even led to war between them.

Amongst the incoming waves of immigrants the most powerful were the Hata, who may have arrived in two waves before and after the turn of the fourth century. Their continental origins are unclear, and though they arrived in Japan from Korea it is thought they had previously entered the peninsula from China (there’s been much speculation about their Silk Road ties, leading to fanciful talk of middle eastern origins and Jewish or early Christian beliefs).

It is possible the Hata moved through Tsushima into Kyushu, then along the Inland Sea to a landing area in the Kobe/Osaka vicinity, before settling in Yamashiro (present-day Kyoto). There these Buddhist-inclined immigrants were to have a surprisingly strong influence on the native kami tradition, as we see in the extract below. The evidence suggests close connections of the ‘unique’ Japanese faith with its continental cousins.

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(Extracted from ‘Activity of the Aya and Hata in the Domain of the Sacred’

From amongst the old kikajin, the Hata acquired a special position in the domain of the sacred. It is remarkable that the Hata found entrance into the national kami cult, that they established Shinto shrines and were active as Shinto priests.

It is hardly probable that the Hata took on foreign religious forms, but rather that the Japanese cult of ancestors and nature deities may have corresponded with their own ancient religious form, which along with their ancient conceptions of the sacred had been influenced by many centuries of living with the Korean peoples.

Osake Jinja in Kyoto may once have represented the Hata family shrine where its ancestral founder Hata no Kimi Sake was worshipped

In contrast to the other old kikajin, the Hata possessed larger ancestral shrines, which were probably located at all of their places of settlement. The Osake shrines in Yamashiro (Kadono district) and Harima (Akaho district) are well known, which were consecrated to the memory of Hata no Kimi Sake. Also, a few Hata shrines should be noted which are mentioned in the Engi Shiki, but which no longer exist.

All of the kikajin (immigrants) have a close connection with the introduction and dissemination of Buddhism in Japan. In the same way that Buddhism was brought to Japan via China and Korea, they came into the country, and there are numerous monks to be found among the Korean and Chinese immigrants who had made Japan their adopted country since the sixth century. But also, the oldest strata of immigrants, who had already been residing in Japan for a century and a half prior to the introduction of Buddhism, show a certain affinity to the new teaching.

It is well known that beginning in the second half of the sixth century the powerful Soga clan brought their influence to bear in support of Buddhism, against the opposition of the conservative, high aristocracy. In close contact with the Soga stood the Kura families of the Aya and Hata, who-under the supervision of the Soga were to administer state finances. This may have contributed to the oldest foreign aristocrats, who, being under the influence of the Soga, accepted the Buddhist teachings early on.

Hata no Kawakatsu, close advisor to Shotoku Taishi

The proof is found in some temple foundations which go back to the activity of the Kochi-no-Aya no Obito, the descendants of Wani, and of the Hata no Miyatsuko, the descendants of Yuzuki. [They founded] the Koryuji in Yamashiro. According to the Nihongi this temple was established in the year 603.’ In the Suiko-ki it is reported:

“The crown prince (Shotoku-taishi) spoke to all the dignitaries: “I have a statue of the Buddha who is worthy of worship. Who would like to receive this statue and devotedly venerate it?” – Then Hata no Miyatsuko Kawakatsu stepped forward and said: “I would like to venerate it.” Thus he received the Buddha statue and constructed the Hachiokadera for it.”

Hachiokadera is the original name of this temple, named for the settlement beside Uzumasa, the site of the main family. It was henceforth the house temple of the Hata, therefore it was also known as the Hata-no-kimi-dera. It is the oldest Buddhist temple in the district of today’s Kyoto.

In the year 818 the temple burned down for the first time. In the reports transmitted by the Nihon-kiryaku it is called Uzumasa-no-Kimi-dera, a sign that its ties with the name of the Hata lasted after its founding in Heian-kyo. Besides, on the temple grounds there is an Uzumasaden, in which Hata no Kawakatsu is venerated as the temple’s founder.

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For earlier articles on the Hata, see Part One (Overview), or Part Two on Hata Kawakatsu, or Part Three on the Silkworm Shrine (Kaiko no Yashiro), or Part Four on the Triangular Torii.

Koryu-ji, once known as Hata-dera, is Kyoto’s earliest Buddhist temple and was founded by the powerful Hata clan

For earlier parts in this series on the Hata clan, please check out the following links:
Part 1: an overview of the Hata clan
Part 2: Hata no Kawakatsu
Part 3 on the silkworn shrine
Part 4 on the triangular torii

The three-sided torii that stands in the grounds of Konoshima Jinja

Hata Part 4: Triangular torii

May 7, 2015 / John D. / 3 Comments

According to the internet, there are seven triangular torii in the whole of Japan. Most of these are modern constructions, and may simply be copies of Kyoto’s Konoshima Jinja. Only one other has a genuine claim of antiquity – on the island of Tsushima, close to Korea. I happen to have visited that too.

A noticeboard in the grounds of the Konoshima Jinja says that the original construction of the triangular torii is unknown, but records show it was rebuilt 300 years ago after a fire. Regarding the purpose, there are two theories. One concerns the descent of the kami into the pile of stones in its midst, with the ‘spirit-body’ open to worship from all sides. The cosmic connection, open to the heavens, would thus have been complemented by the all-round access and immersion in nature.

The triangular torii should be standing in water, known in one variant as Moto Tadasu no Ike. The name suggests it was the original of that at Shimogamo, and as with the Kamo clan shrine there is a festival in which participants wade through the water for good health.

‘There’s another theory that it’s connected to Nestorian Christianity,’ the board states cryptically, without explaining what it is exactly. Fortunately, the Wikipedia entry for Mihashira Torii (three-legged torii) amplifies the theory somewhat:

The primary historical example of a mihashira torii is found in the records of Konoshima Shrine in Kyoto. These records states that a triangular torii was rebuilt in 1716-1736, after a fire. The text hints at a reference to Nestorianism in the construction of the torii, and says that the three pillars represent the heavens, the earth, and mankind. This is not an interpretation common in Shinto beliefs.

This, to me, is bizarre. First of all, no one in their right mind in eighteenth-century Japan would claim to possessing anything connected to Christianity. The Tokugawa were paranoid about the European religion, and every single known Christian in Kyoto had been burnt, crucified or forced into hiding in the remotest of villages. Persecution was so intense that mere suspicion could lead to the most excruciating torture. (See my book on Hidden Christians.)

Secondly, there is nothing at all odd about the three pillars representing heaven, earth and mankind. This is the Taoist triad, and as anyone familar with Shinto knows, there was a huge amount of borrowing from Taoism. The emblem of the mitsudomoe (mitsu tomoe) is a prime example, with its three commas twirling round each other. ‘Some view the mitsudomoe as representative of the threefold division (Man, Earth, and Sky) at the heart of the Shinto religion,’ says the Wikipedia page on mitsu tomoe. Wikipedia here confounds Wikipedia – a glaring instance of why it’s not to be trusted!

So if the torii has nothing to do with the Trinity, what has it to do with? As mentioned, there is another three-sided torii in Tsushima, and there are striking similarities between the two. Both were built at an unknown date and for an unknown reason. Both have a pile of stones or rocks at their centre. And both are in watery settings, the one in Kyoto standing in a pond, that at Tsushima standing in seawater as the incoming tide covers its base.

The three-legged torii at Watatsumi Shrine in Tsushima, close to the Korean peninsula. The notice says that this is how the structure is thought to have looked originally. That at Konoshima Jinja has been rebuilt in modern times.

Here I’d like to put forward a theory of my own, linking the two torii with the Hata. Since the clan moved en masse from Korea into Kyushu, it’s almost certain that the first port of call would have been Tsushima. You can actually see the island from the tip of the Busan shoreline.

The torii stands in the grounds of Watatsumi Shrine, which faces directly towards Korea. It would have made a natural landing ground. Indeed, this is almost spelt out by a row of torii running down into the sea to welcome visitors. Could not the torii mark the spot where a Hata leader first set foot upon the shore – the ‘descent’ of an ancestral kami? There are similar markers along the Inland Sea shoreline where ‘kami’ ‘descended’ onto sacred rocks (the one at Kamikura Shrine in Wakayama Prefecture being a notable example).

The Hata had spent centuries under the influence of the Koreans, whose religious outlook was shaped by Siberian shamanism. Rock worship is a notable element, with the permanence embodied in the rocks contrasting with the perishable nature of human life. For Koreans, you could say, immortality is carved in rock.

A characteristic of shamanism is the summoning down of spirits, and the pile of stones in the middle of the torii would have acted as spiritual vessel. In a material world, rock gives the insubstantial spirit substance. In Shinto mythology, gods are described as descending in ‘rock boats’ for a similar reason. Wooden boats rot; rock-boats last forever.

The Shinto emblem commonly seen at shrines, particularly on drums, is the mitsu tomoe (mitsudomoe), thought to symbolise Earth, Heaven and Humans.

The three-sided torii that surmounts the stones might well have represented the harmonious coming together of Heaven, Earth and Mankind in the shamanic ceremonies. The Hata would thus have been reflecting their continental origins, with Chinese teaching underpinning Korean shamanism.

Interestingly, Tsushima has a tradition known as the Tendo faith, in which a temporary altar is constructed in a lush forest for spirits to descend. ‘Such practices also appear as elements of rituals on the Korean peninsula,’ notes the Kokugakuin encyclopedia.

Torii only developed in Heian times, so one can presume the three-sided version dates from then or afterwards. But that doesn’t mean there wasn’t a three-sided structure of some kind before that, peculiar to the Hata (clans developed their own distinctive beliefs and rituals). Prototypes certainly existed in Korea in the form of gates at the edge of villages which were used as a chicken roost. (Torii literally means ‘bird roost’.)

Though gateways are two-legged, it’s worth noting the universal appeal of the number three in religious terms. It speaks to the tripartite nature of human thought. Past, present, future. Father, mother, child. Beginning, middle, end. Birth, life, death. Earth, Sun, Moon. Or in shamanic terms, the Upper, Middle and Lower Worlds. It’s worth noting too the structural solidity of the triangular structure itself, which makes it robust enough to withstand the elements and even the natural disasters that plague Japan.

When the Hata settled in Uzumasa, they would have brought with them the memory of their legendary migration with them. In place of the sea over which they had travelled, they turned a flowing stream into a pond. And in the middle they piled stones to assist the descent of their clan ancestors. Water, earth, wood, wind and sky – all the elements were there for drawing down the spirits of the past.

As the imperial regime tightened its control over the clans, the shamanic element of their early ways died away in favour of a centralised priesthood. Uniform officials replaced feathered shamans. And as the ritualists took charge, the whole purpose of the three-legged torii was forgotten as the art of summoning spirits was replaced by formulaic utterances. With the openness of outdoor worship replaced by buildings that housed an unseen ‘spirit-body’, the three-sided torii was left to decay in the water in which it stood. A once magical triangle had lost its magic.

The torii at Watatsumi Shrine lead significantly down to the sea with the outermost becoming semi-submerged at high tide. The shrine is on the side of the island facing towards Korea: what ancestral spirits might they be welcoming?

For an Overview of the Hata, see Part One of this series.
See Part Two, about Hata Kawakatsu, founder of Koryu-ji.
Or see Part Three about Konoshima Jinja (Kaiko no Yashiro).
For part five of the series on ties with Buddhism, please click here.

Hata Part 3: Silkworm Shrine

May 6, 2015 / John D. / 0 Comments

Entrance to Konoshima Jinja, better known as Kaiko no Yashiro (Silkworm Shrine), in the Uzumasa district of Kyoto.

Much about the Hata is shrouded in mystery and lost in time. In which century did they arrive into Japan? Did they come from Korea, from China – or somewhere far beyond that along the Silk Road? What belief systems did they pick up on their trails – Buddhism, Judaism, Korean shamanism, Nestorian Christianity?

The uncertainty has led to some fanciful theories, sparked by the triangular torii that stands to the side of the Worship Hall at Konoshima Jinja. (See next post.) The shrine is known popularly as the Silkworm Shrine or Kaiko no Yashiro, because of a subshrine in the grounds dedicated to the silkworm deity. It was for their work in spreading sericulture in Japan that the Hata are best known.

Through the torii is a section of Inari subshrines, one of which is in a cave-like hollow beneath the ground.

The shrine is a curious affair, well-kept yet always strangely deserted whenever I’ve been there. There is nothing to suggest any interest in visitors, no note to explain when the shrine office is open, no invitation to ring a bell for the priest, and no indication of any goods for sale. Worst of all, in my opinion, the pond is empty of water though a noticeboard boasts of how it shows a connection with nature. (What factors are involved in maintaining the water I’m uncertain.)

My Japanese companion suggested the shrine had made money from selling off land and therefore had no interest in attending to business. Perhaps she’s right. But nonetheless it’s sad that a shrine boasting such a rich heritage should be unprepared to do more for visitors.

As one might expect from a Hata shrine, a section of the grounds is set aside for Inari worship. There is not just one subshrine, but three or four. One of them, unusually, is in a cave-like hollow below ground, as if to suggest a fox’s lair.

Another curious feature is that the pond is called Moto Tadasu no ike (Original Tadasu Pond). Shimogamo Jinja is well known for its Tadasu Woods, but it seems Konoshima Jinja claims to have had the original (tadasu has the sense of atonement, or cleansing negativity through purification). At one time, apparently, there was a surrounding mulberry forest known as ‘Mototadasu-no-Mori’ to feed the silkworms. It suggests some kind of connection between the two shrines.

The Worship Hall (Haiden). Notice the distinctive aoi emblem on the lanterns, usually associated with the Kamo clan.

Another connection with Shimogamo Jinja lies in the use of the aoi emblem. The flower is closely connected with the Kamo clan, who had also settled in the Kyoto basin in pre-Heian times and founded the Kamigamo and Shimogamo Shrines.

At the Aoi Festival every May the plant is used to decorate the costumes of participants, and it is widely used as an emblem at the shrines. It seems at some stage the Hata clan became allied to the Kamo through marriage and adopted the aoi emblem too (Matsuo Taisha also uses it).

But the most intriguing feature of the Konoshima Shrine is undoubtedly the triangular torii that stands to the left of the Worship Hall. Its date and purpose are unknown, but it is closely connected with the Hata. And it’s a subject I’d like to deal with in a separate post. Dear Reader, read on…

The Maiden or Kaguraden is used for performances to entertain the kami. To the left of the picture stands a most unusual three-sided torii.

For Part Four on this series about the Hata clan, please click here.

Hata Part 2: Kawakatsu

May 5, 2015 / John D. / 2 Comments

Statue of Hata no Kawakatsu at Koryu-ji, together with his wife

Statue in Koryu-ji of a stern-looking Hata no Kawakatsu, together with his wife

The sixth-century Hata no Kawakatsu was one of the key figures of his time. He was an influential ally of the devout Buddhist Prince Shōtoku, credited with the spread of the new religion in Japan. As a member of the immigrant Hata, Kawakatsu too was receptive to Buddhism and founded Koryu-ji, the first temple to be built in the Kyoto basin. He is also said to have introduced Shinto-style kagura dance/plays into Japan.

According to records left by Noh playwright Zeami, Hata no Kawakatsu fist became known as a young child during the reign of Emperor Kimmei (509-571), when he was discovered by a high court official in a jar near the gates to Miwa Shrine. The official assumed the child to have come from heaven, which was reported to the emperor.

That night the emperor had a dream in which the child said he was the spirit of the first Chinese Qin Emperor. As a result he was introduced to court, later serving as a minister with the name of Hata (the Japanese reading for the Chinese character of Qin).

The famed statue of Miroku Bosatsu, said to have originated in Korea like Kawakatsu himself. (Image courtesy heritageofjapan)

Kawakatsu was asked by Shōtoku Taishi to perform sixty-six dramatic pieces, in order to help settle disturbances in the land. The prince made masks for each piece, and the performances were held at the imperial palace. Since this was successful, Prince Shōtoku decided that this form of entertainment should be maintained, and dubbed it kagura (神楽, entertainment for the gods).

Kawakatsu founded Koryu-ji in 603 after receiving a statue from Shotoku. The temple functioned as a clan temple for the Hata, being known locally as Uzumasa Temple or Hatanokimi Temple. In later centuries it was twice destroyed by fire, but rebuilt. Now a Shingon temple, it is the oldest Buddhist foundation in the Kyoto area and famous for a strikingly graceful Miroku statue whose long fingers extend towards its cheek (though controversial, the statue is thought to be Korean in origin).

According to tradition, Kawakatsu lies buried in a sacred grove on the small island of Ikishima in the Inland Sea (also known as Inamijima). It has a special connection to a shrine on the mainland called Osake Jinja, which uses the island as a ‘tabisho‘ (resting place) during its annual festival in October. Legend says that Kawakatsu often visited the area and villagers built a hill to welcome him, from the top of which is a view over the nearby bay containing Ikishima.

View of Koryu-ji Main Hall. The temple has an Uzumasa-den for veneration of founder, Hata Kawakatsu.

I can only presume that the place had strong ancestral memories for Kawakatsu and the Hata clan as they arrived through the Inland sea from Korea. It’s surely no coincidence that the island name echoes that of Iki Island, one of the stepping stones between Korea and Kyushu. Did Kawakatsu travel to the Osake hill to look pensively at the sea with nostalgic thoughts of his origins overseas? Did he brood on the sea palace that according to mythology lay beneath the watery depths? Did he envisage death as a returning to the sea from where his ancestors had come?

Some six or seven centuries after Kawakatsu’s time a shrine was put up and dedicated to his ancestor, Hata Sake no kimi. It thus bears the same name as the Osake Shrine in Kyoto. (Kawakatsu was a sixth generation descendant of Sake no kimi).

Second in power to legendary Prince Shotoku, Kawakatsu’s time marks a peak in Hata power. Nonetheless a century later the clan founded the large and influential shrines of Matsuo Taisha and Fushimi Inari, as well as working with Emperor Kammu to build a new and permanent capital. But never again would the Hata produce a figure as powerful as Kawakatsu. Buddhist by faith, he is remembered by posterity through the ancestral traditions of Shinto – dead, but not forgotten for the mark he left on Japanese history.

One of the boats in the annual festival of Osake Shrine when mikoshi are taken to Iki Island where Kawakatsu’s grave lies, to the accompaniment of music and kagura performances. (photo courtesy tripadvisor)

For part three of this series on the Hata clan, please click here.

For a full report on the Sakoshi Festival at Osake Shrine, see part 8 here.