Schisms in Tenrikyo
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There are various schisms that were inspired by the practices and doctrine of Tenrikyo that result in the creation of separate religious organizations.[n 1][2][3] The Tenrikyo Church Headquarters treats these spiritual traditions as heresies that employ different interpretations of the teachings and practices formulated by Nakayama Miki, the founder of Tenrikyo. Schisms within Tenrikyo are known for experiencing lack of violence during irreconcilable schismatic disputes throughout its history.[4]
Some religious organizations that were created as a result of schisms from Tenrikyo also experienced multiple schisms and the eventual creation of separate organizations. One prominent example among them is Honmichi that produced Tenri Sanrinkō and Tenri Kami no Kuchiake Basho.
Tenrikyo used to be one of the thirteen Sect Shinto groups and is officially designated not as a Sect Shinto religion starting from 1970.[5] This indirectly shows the different religious classifications of current religious organizations that stemmed from Tenrikyo's schisms under the criteria by the Government of Japan and the governmental authorities in prefectures.[n 2]
Most of these religious organizations either have their own sacred scriptures and typically have their own additional doctrinal texts. They reject the authority of the Tenrikyo Church Headquarters in Tenri. Some of them worship other deities other than Tenri-Ō-no-Mikoto. For example, the central deity of Hachirakukai Kyōdan is the kami-fication of Himiko, the legendary ruler of Japan.[7]
A prominent example of a Tenrikyo theologian who organized the doctrinal criticism of such schisms is Ueda Yoshinaru (上田嘉成), the first child of Ueda Naraito, who released Criticism against heresy (異端に対する批判, Itan ni taisuru hihan) in 1950.[8][9]
List of organizations created as a result of schisms in Tenrikyo
Below is a non-exhaustive list of current and defunct organizations that are derived from schisms in Tenrikyo.[10]
Defunct organizations are marked with daggers (†).
- †Tenrin-Ō Kyōkai (天輪王教会)[n 3] in 1865, founded by Imai Shinjirō (今井新治郎).[n 4]
- Tenrin-Ō Meisei Kyōdan (天輪王明誠教団), founded by Oku Rokubē (奥六兵衛) in 1881.
- Daidōkyō (大道教), founded by Iida Iwajirō (飯田岩治郎) in 1897 who also founded the Tenrikyō Heian Shikyōkai (天理教平安支教会) and claimed to have received divine revelations (tenkei) from 1894–1897.
- Asahi Jinja (朝日神社) founded by Ide Kuniko in 1907.
- Ibaragi Ippa (茨木一派),founded by Ibaragi Mototaka (茨木基敬).[n 5]
- Honmichi (ほんみち), founded by Ōnishi Aijirō in 1913.
- Taidōkyō (太道教), founded by Nakamura Shige (中村シゲ) in 1940.
- †Hikawakyō (日月教), founded by Maeda Toku (前田トク) in 1942.
- Shizen Shindō (自然真道), founded by Maeshima Reiki (前島麗祈) in 1942.
- Hachirakukai Kyōdan (八楽会教団), founded by Ogawa Kōichirō (小川耕一郎) in 1946.
- †Meiseikyō (明聖教), founded by Watanabe Naoki (渡辺直己) in 1947.[n 6][13]
- Daehan Cheolligyo (대한천리교) in 1952.[n 7]
- Shinkōen (神光苑), founded by Matsuki Tesōn (松木草垣) in 1952.
