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Yamantaka
10th December 2001, 10:01
Dear friends,

About a year ago, a friend told me that some Ueshiba's remains were to be enshrined at a Shinto Temple. At the time I asked the best connections I had and they all told me it was hardly possible, since there was no confirmation and Ueshiba's grand son and present Doshu wouldn't be present.
Now I got the same information on the page of the Reverend Koichi Barrish :
http://www.tsubakishrine.com/test/kannushi/about.asp
Does anyone have further information on that?
Best :confused:

Yamantaka
14th December 2001, 11:52
Dear friends,

I contacted US representative of the Tsubaki Grand Shrine and got some additional information, as shown below :

"To the Reverend Koichi T. Barrish

Dear Sir,

Recently, I came across a reference, in your webpage, about "the enshrinement of O Sensei's remains" at Tsubaki Grand Shrine, in Japan.
Dr. Fred Little, a noted scholar in japanese questions, including Aikido and Shinto,raised some indagations, which we would like very much if you could answer us.
This is Dr. Little's e-mail with his questions :
"I have looked over the site that you point to and have a couple of comments. First is on the nature of "enshrining" within a Shinto building or complex. In short, this requires only a "representative object," rather than any actual "remains."

Second, the sense of "tsumi" that attaches to death makes the actual presence of human remains at Shinto shrines fairly unusual. This may be one reason why many Japanese are both Buddhist and Shinto -- without the Buddhist priests there would be no one to deal with diseased and/or dying people.

(I should note in passing that O-Sensei's beard is said to be enshrined in Hikitsuchi Sensei's dojo in Shingu, but being a dojo rather than a Shrine per se, albeit with a strong Shinto influence, the requirements of ritual purity are somewhat different.)

Third, both Shinto and some forms of Japanese Buddhist practice have a well developed doctrine of "equivalence" that essentially erases all distinctions between fabricated relics and original relics, with the possible exception of ability of the relic to "multiply" or "reproduce itself."

This last exception prevents branch temples/shrines from assuming primacy, since any new temples/shrines will have to go back to the original temple/shrine for the ritual object associated with one or another entity who is to be "enshrined." Thus, O-Sensei's concern with finding Sarutahiko O-Kami's "original shrine," and arranging with the priests there to formally enshrine Sarutahiko O-Kami in Iwama, where the founder himself had already enshrined Sarutahiko O-kami.

One area of further research suggested by this information is the identification of the full list of kami enshrined in Iwama along with backtracking to determine in which instances O-Sensei made arrangements similar to those undertaken in this instance.

Best regards,

Fred Little "

Your help and advice will be, of course, much appreciated.

Respectfully

Ubaldo Alcantara

ShinToKai DoJo of AiKiDo"


"Dear Alcantara,
E-mail doumo....now I will try to speak to your concerns.

1.)I don't see this as a interrogative

1 1/2.)I don't know where the idea of remains came from...I am relatively clear that it is not implied in anything authorized from Tsubaki Daihonguu or Tsubaki America.

2.)Actually in the SHINREI TAISAI of Tsubaki O Kami Yashiro Gyomandou the enshrined object is the REIJI or memorial plaque to which the Mitama (spirit) is asked to alight by a secret process (KOUSHIN) that is known to and carried out by Jinja Shinto Priests.

again,thank you for your e-mail and interest,and for sharing the letter of Dr.Little (we have never met)who seems quite knowledgeable.

Every wish for your success and happiness throughout the New Year,
K.Barrish
Tsubaki Kannagara Guji"

Reverend Barrish also sent this additional information to another request of mine :

"Dear Barrish Sensei,

Thank you very much for a kind and informative answer. Many things were made clear.
I have just a last question for you to answer, if possible. Why no representative of Ueshiba's family was present at the enshrinement?
Best regards and again many thanks
Ubaldo Alcantara
ShinToKai DoJo of AiKiDo"



"Dear Alcantara,
E-mail doumo and thank you for your kind words.
As to the question re:Ueshiba family members not being present...I cannot say.Any thinking I have on such a subject is only speculation..........it is possible that the family is currently creating a little space between itself and Jinja Shinto......Yamamoto Guji (96th High Priest of Tsubaki O Kami Yashiro-the Oldest Shinto Shrine in Japan) and O Sensei were I believe of a like mind/spirit.......they completely share the same view re:the inner/Kototama meaning of NAKATOMI-NO-O-HARAHI-NO-KOTOBA...(the most important words in shinto......this is of prime importance as this sacred Norito contains all information the human being need to live as well as explaining creation and the Mission of Kamisama,Human Beings and Aikido).
Every wish for your success and happiness.

K.Barrish
Chief Priest
Tsubaki America"

Further discussion and comments will be appreciated
Best

kokumo
19th December 2001, 02:06
Originally posted by Yamantaka
Dr. Fred Little, a noted scholar in japanese questions, including Aikido and Shinto,raised some indagations, which we would like very much if you could answer us.



Keeping in mind the snippiness of both academics and budoka about appropriate titles, as noted on another forum, I do not claim to have earned a Ph.D.; even if I had, I would still insist that Dr. is best reserved for a particular class of medical professionals, though I also recognize that customs in North and South America differ on this point.

One of these days, Yamantaka and I may argue the point over a bottle or two of Xingu. ; ) I could certainly use an excuse to go to Brazil.

And yes, I make my own smileys before breakfast after walking forty miles through the snow.

Fred Little