Kami
The Shinto Deities
A Popular Dictionary of Shinto defines the kami as follows:
"Kami may refer to the divine, sacred, spiritual and
numinous quality or energy of places, and things, deities of
imperial and local mythology, spirits of nature and place,
divinised heroes, ancestors, rulers, and statesman." (p.
84)
In Japan, a theory called honji-suijaku was created
in order to explain the relationship between the kami of Shinto,
and the buddhas and bodhisattvas of Buddhism. The term means
"root essence and trace manifestation" and it was based
on the Tendai teaching that the historical Buddha of the first
half of the Lotus Sutra was the trace manifestation of the
Eternal Buddha of the second half of the Lotus Sutra.
The honji-suijaku theory was that the Shinto kami were
actually temporary manifestations of the buddhas and
bodhisattvas. In Foundations of Japanese Buddhism (Vol.
II), Nichiren's relationship to the kami is summarized:
"Nichiren was confronted with the same problem all
Kamakura leaders faced in respect to the role of the native
gods. Like the founders of other movements, he instinctively
identified the kami with the land of Japan itself and was
keenly aware of the importance of the gods and folk beliefs
to the masses, whom he sought to influence. In order to
explain the role of the gods within his teachings, Nichiren
used the honji-suijaku (true-nature-manifestation)
theory. He considered every Shinto god commencing with the
Sun Goddess to be a suijaku (manifestation) of the
Eternal Shakyamuni of the Lotus Sutra and he also
believed that the gods had an obligation to protect the
followers of the Lotus, as well to punish their
enemies. Faced with what he considered to be so many strange
heresies dominating the land, Nichiren could merely conclude
that the gods had abandoned the nation and returned to their
heavenly abodes." (pp.167-168)
"Nichiren's attitude toward the native gods tended
to be quite ambivalent. On Sado Island, observers who watched
him cry out on a mountain top to the sun and moon, believed
he had gone mad, but this was Nichiren's way of communing
with the gods, imploring them to fulfill their obligation,
and strike down the enemies of the Lotus and end the
heresies prevailing throughout the land. He also scolded them
for neglect of their duties. Thus he wavered between
hostility when he considered them derelict, to the certain
belief that they hovered above him and protected him against
evil." (p. 168)
Nichiren also may have felt that the Shinto kami were also local gods and therefore not as important as the more powerful
Vedic devas who had been universalized through Buddhism. In The
Actions of the Votary of the Lotus Sutra, a writing
attributed to Nichiren, the Shinto kami are compared to the Vedic
devas, and both kami and devas are said to be servants and
protectors of the votary of the Lotus Sutra:
"Although I myself may be insignificant, I propagate
the Lotus Sutra and therefore am the envoy of
Shakyamuni Buddha. The Sun Goddess and Great Bodhisattva
Hachiman, who are insignificant, are treated with great
respect in this country, but they are only petty gods as
compared with Brahma, Shakra, the gods of the sun and moon, and the four heavenly kings... As I am the envoy of Shakyamuni Buddha, the lord of the teachings, the Sun Goddess and Great Bodhisattva Hachiman should bow their heads before me, press their palms together, and prostrate themselves. The votary of
the Lotus Sutra is attended by Brahma and Shakra on
either side, and the gods of the sun and moon light his path
before and behind." (pp.772-773)
Tensho Daijin
This deity is the Shinto sun goddess otherwise known as
Amaterasu Omikami. A Dictionary of Buddhist Terms and
Concepts relates the following information about her:
"The Sun Goddess in Japanese mythology, who was
later adopted as a protective god in Buddhism. According to
the oldest extant histories, the Kojiki (Record
of Ancient Matters) and the Nihon Shoki (Chronicles
of Japan), she was the chief deity and also the
progenitor of the imperial family. In many of his writings,
Nichiren Daishonin views Tensho Daijin as a personification
of the workings which protect the prosperity of those people
who have faith in the True Law." (p. 438)
Dr. Barbara Mori of the California Polytechnic State
University gives the following account of the story about
Amaterasu Omikami according to the ancient Japanese myths:
"A long, long time ago, there was the female deity
known as Amaterasu. One account says she was born from the
god Izanagi when he used water to purify his left eye after a
visit to the nether world. Another says she was born after
intercourse between Izanagi and Izanami (Nihon Shoki 720).
She was the sun goddess and assigned to rule the High
Celestial Plain (Takamagahara). Later she sent her
grandson, Ninigi no Mikoto, to pacify the Japanese islands,
having given him the sacred mirror, sword and jewels that
became the Imperial Regalia. His great-grandson became the
first Emperor Jimmu. She had a beautiful garden in heaven.
When she was around, birds sang merrily and flowers bloomed
happily. She had a younger brother, Susanoo, who was a storm
deity and very mischievous.
"One day Susanoo looked around his sister's garden,
and finding no one around, had a bad idea to show off what
the could do. He blew strong winds and scattered Amaterasu's
beautiful flowers all over the area. Having seen her garden
totally ruined by his misdeeds, Amaterasu was deeply
saddened, and hid herself in a cave behind a thick, heavy
rock door. The whole world became completely dark and very
cold. Days and weeks passed without sun, and everybody became
sick and depressed. One day a female deity said, "I
cannot stand this anymore. I will dance to cheer you
all." So she started dancing a lewd dance. Then
musicians started playing enticing music with drums and
instruments. The dance and the music were so outrageous that
everyone began laughing out loud. It turned out to be a big
party in the darkness.
"Meanwhile, behind the rock door in the cave,
Amaterasu heard the strange noises outside and wondered what
they were. She approached the door, and found that the noise
was music. She felt that something interesting must be going
on outside, so she came even closer to the door. Outside, the
strongest deity was awaiting for that moment. as soon as he
saw the first line of light coming through the rock door, he
pulled on the door with his full strength. Amaterasu came out
and shined again and order was restored. This was the
beginning of the country of Japan."
(http://cla.calpoly.edu/~bmori/syll/351EAWomen/Amaterasu.html)
Nichiren apparently felt that it was very significant that
there was a connection between his home in Awa where he first
began to propagate the Odaimoku and an important shrine of
Amaterasu Omikami. In the letter Reply to Niiama he states:
"Though it is a remote place, Tojo Village in Awa
Province is like the center of Japan because the Sun Goddess
resides there. Though in ancient times she lived in Ise
Province, when the emperors came to have deep faith in
Hachiman and the Kamo shrines, and neglected the Sun Goddess,
she became enraged. At that time, Minamoto no Yoritomo, the
general of the right, wrote a pledge and ordered Aoka no
Kodayu to enshrine her in the outer shrine of Ise. Perhaps
because Yoritomo fulfilled the goddess's wish, he became the
shogun who ruled all of Japan. This man then decided on Tojo
District as the residence of the Sun Goddess. That may be why
this goddess no longer lives in Ise but in Tojo District in
Awa Province...Out of all the places in the entire land of
Jambudvipa, Nichiren began to propagate this correct teaching
in Tojo District, in Awa Province in Japan." (p. 468)
In The Swords of Good and Evil which is attributed
to Nichiren, is the following statement:
"Of all the many places in Japan, Nichiren was born
in the province of Awa. It is said that the Sun Goddess first
dwelt in this province, where she began exploring the land of
Japan. An estate exists there dedicated to the goddess, who
is the compassionate father and mother to all living beings
in this country. Therefore, this province must be of great
significance. What karma from the past caused Nichiren to be born in this same province?" (p. 452)
Icon: A Japanese noblewoman or nun.
Hachiman Daibosatsu
This Shinto deity presides over archery, agriculture, and
other important parts of Japanese life. A Dictionary of
Buddhist Terms and Concepts relates the following information about him:
"One of the main deities in Japanese mythology,
along with Tensho Daijin (Sun Goddess). There are several
views concerning the question of how he came to be
worshipped. According to one explanation, in the reign of the
twenty-ninth emperor, Kimmei, the god Hachiman appeared as a
smith in Usa, Kyushu, the southern part of Japan, and
declared that in a past life he had been Emperor Ojin, the
fifteenth emperor of Japan. His aid was sought after in his
capacity as the god of smiths when the great image of
Vairochana was erected at Todai-ji temple in Nara, and from
that time on, Hachiman came to be more and more closely
associated with Buddhism. Early in the Heian period
(794-1185), the imperial court named him Great Bodhisattva
(Jap daibosatsu), an early example of the fusion of
Buddhist and Shinto elements. Around the mid-ninth century
Hachiman was revered as a protector of the capital, and
later, with the rise of the samurai class, he was
particularly venerated by the Minamoto clan. In the latter
part of the twelfth century, Minamoto no Yoritomo, the
founder of the Kamakura shogunate, built a Hachiman shrine at
Tsurugaoka in Kamakura, and, with the spread of the samurai
government, the worship of Hachiman as a protective deity of
the villages became a predominant throughout Japan. In his
writings, Nichiren Daishonin views Hachiman as a
personification of the function which promotes the
agricultural fertility of a land whose inhabitants embrace the Law." (p. 150)
In a letter called The Great Bodhisattva Hachiman
which is attributed to Nichiren, the Kamakuran belief that
Hachiman is a manifestation of Amitabha Buddha is denied and
instead Hachiman is explicitly identified as a manifestation of
the Eternal Shakyamuni Buddha. In fact, because the Japanese
people insisted on identifying him with Amitabha Buddha, he
burned down his shrine in Kamakura and returned to the heavens.
The letter also refers to the legendary early 9th century oracle
in which Hachiman is reputed to have vowed to protect the reign
of one hundred emperors. The fall of the emperors to the bakufu
(military government) seemed to have invalidated that oracle.
However, if Hachiman was a manifestation of the Eternal
Shakyamuni Buddha, then he was under no obligation to protect
sovereigns who turned their backs on the Lotus Sutra and
that is why Hachiman withdrew his protection from the emperors
and bestowed it upon the shoguns instead. The assumption is that
Hachiman only protects those with integrity who uphold the truth.
The letter states:
"On considering this, we can see that, because
persons who put their faith in the Lotus Sutra are
following an honest doctrine, Shakyamuni Buddha himself will
protect them. How then could it happen that Great Bodhisattva
Hachiman, who is his manifestation, would fail to protect them?" (p.1082)
Nichiren also reportedly berated Hachiman at the Hachiman
shrine in Kamakura just before the attempt to execute him at
Tatsunokuchi. This incident is recounted in the writing called The Actions of the Votary of the Lotus Sutra and Nichiren's
scolding illustrates his attitude towards Hachiman and the other gods:
"That night of the twelfth, I was placed under the
custody of the lord of the province of Musashi and around
midnight was taken out of Kamakura to be executed. As we set
out on Wakamiya Avenue, I looked at the crowd of warriors
surrounding me and said, 'Don't make a fuss. I won't cause
any trouble. I merely wish to say my last words to Great
Bodhisattva Hachiman.' I got down from my horse and called
out in a loud voice, 'Great Bodhisattva Hachiman, are you
truly a god? When Wake no Kiyomaro was about to be beheaded,
you appeared as a moon ten feet wide. When the Great Teacher
Dengyo lectured on the Lotus Sutra, you bestowed
upon him a purple surplice as an offering. Now I, Nichiren,
am the foremost votary of the Lotus Sutra in all of
Japan, and am entirely without guilt. I have expounded the
doctrine to save all the people of Japan from falling into
the great citadel of the hell of incessant suffering for
slandering the Lotus Sutra. Moreover, if the forces
of the great Mongol empire attack this country, can even the
Sun Goddess and Great Bodhisattva Hachiman remain safe and
unharmed? When Shakyamuni Buddha expounded the Lotus
Sutra, Many Treasures Buddha and the Buddhas and
bodhisattvas of the ten directions gathered, shining like so
many suns and moons, stars and mirrors. In the presence of
the countless heavenly gods as well as the benevolent deities
and sages of India, China, and Japan, Shakyamuni Buddha urged
each one to submit a written pledge to protect the votary of
the Lotus Sutra at all times. Each and every one of
the gods made this pledge. I should not have to remind you.
Why do you not appear at once to fulfill your solemn oath?'
Finally I called out: 'If I am executed tonight and go to the
pure land of Eagle Peak, I will dare to report to Shakyamuni
Buddha, the lord of the teachings, that the Sun Goddess and
Great Bodhisattva Hachiman are the deities who have broken
their oath to him. If you feel this will go hard with you,
you had better do something about it right away!' Then I
remounted my horse." (pp. 766-767)
Icon: A Japanese samurai with bow and arrows or a monk with a
beggar's staff (a staff with iron rings at the top).
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Lotus World: an Illustrated Guide to the Gohonzon
