Onmyōdō
Onmyōdō ( Japanese 陰陽 道 ) sometimes read In'yōdō , On'yōdō , denotes traditional cosmology in Japan . It was partially adopted from China ( doctrine of the five elements ). In connection with the observation of the moon and the planets, attempts have already been made in China to predict future developments. In Japan this teaching was also influenced by Taoism and Shintoism . It is a mixture of science and occultism .
The basics
Contemplation of nature / natural philosophy
From China one took over the observations that many phenomena of the world can be described in dual form. One differentiates:
- Male characteristics ( Yō ): like bright, sun, day, bright, open, warm, front, above, outside, upper world, life, south, south side of a mountain, north side of a river, left,
- Feminine characteristics ( In ): dark, moon, cloudy, wet, shadow, hidden, secret, cold, back, inside, below, underworld, death, north, north side of a mountain, south side of a river, right, female genitals closed.
These properties can be seen in the concrete world, which can be traced back to five elements , namely wood ( 木 , moku ), fire ( 火 , ka ), earth ( 土 , do ), metal ( 金 , gon ) and water ( 水 , sui ). So these two aspects are assigned to the In and the Yō, which results in a row of ten, the ten heavenly stems. These five elements merge with one another through constant, defined change.
Both the properties In and Yō and the five elements are subject to constant change, not only from hour to hour, but also from day to day, year to year. So the doctrine came together with the calendar client ( 歴 , reki ), Astronomy ( 天文 , temmon ) and geography ( 地理 , chiri ) already during the early contacts with China and Korea in the 7th century. For example, a separate department ( 陰陽 道 寮 , Onmyōdō-ryō ) was set up at the Japanese imperial court within the Interior Ministry ( 中 務 省 , Nakatsukasa-shō ) , the head of which was called the head of the Onmyōdō ( 陰陽 道 頭 , Onmyōdō no kami ). He headed the three departments Onmyōdo ( 陰陽 道 ), Tenmondō ( 天文道 ) and Rekidō ( 歴 道 ). In addition to ongoing work, the department also offered training for the next generation. The teaching specialists employed by the Onmyōdō department were called Onmyōji ( 陰陽師 ) - often translated in German as “Yin-Yang Master” or “Master of the Path”.
Reference to the time
The time of a day is divided into twelve parts, with an animal being assigned to each double hour in a fixed order, i.e. the twelve branches of the earth . But the twelve animals are also assigned to the years. Combined with the ten heavenly tribes, this results in a 60s cycle that has been counted since primeval times. This cycle offers dates that are independent of the current government currency . When the ten heavenly tribes were taken over, they were also given a Japanese reading, formed from the name of the element and the short name e for "older brother" (= Yō expression of the element) and to for "younger brother" (= In-expression of the element).
Relation to the room
Onmyōdō not only deals with chronological sequences and their predictions, but also sees the human habitat determined by cosmic forces. The north is determined by In, the south by Yō. The provincial group north of the mountains that cross Honshū was called San'indō ( 山 陰道 ) and the provincial groups south of the mountains San'yōdō ( 山陽 道 ), and the respective railway lines are still called accordingly today. - The aforementioned cycle of twelve describes spatial relationships in even more detail. The rat stands for north, the horse for south, the rabbit for east, the chicken for west. The four cardinal points are also represented by animals, the east by the blue-green dragon ( Seiryū ), the south by the red bird ( Suzaku ), the west by the white tiger ( Byakko ) and the north by a black mythical creature, a combination of black Tortoise and Snake ( Gembu ). In addition, the fifth “direction” is the center represented by the yellow dragon ( Kōryū ). The cardinal points and the four directions in between, i.e. the eight directions, are assigned to the eight trigrams (Hakke or Hakka, 八卦 ) of the Inyō doctrine and are identified by their own Chinese characters. The northeast and southwest were considered to be endangered by evil forces. By inserting the eight in the twelve cycle, the intermediate directions can also be described with a combination of two from this series, the southwest z. B. instead of ( 巽 , son ) with Tatsu-Mi ("dragon-snake").
The development in Japan
In the Heian period Onmyōdō was cultivated by the court nobility ( Kuge ). An important representative of the doctrine in the 10th century was Kamo no Yasunori ( 賀 茂 保 憲 ; 917–977), who in addition to his son Abe no Seimei ( 阿 部 清明 , † 1005) handed over an office. Both Yasunori and Seimei were at the head of two schools, each with a few hundred students. When the imperial court lost its power at the end of the 12th century, the use of the Onmyōdō also changed, which was now maintained by the sword nobility ( Buke ), the shrines and also by the temple . Since the Muromachi period, the Tsuchimikado came as part of the Onmyōdō as another family in the Abe line.
With the beginning of the Edo period and the beginning of general prosperity, the people became interested in this teaching. In practice, this teaching was combined with our own fortune-telling art ( 卜 , boku or ok , bokuzei ), which has been cultivated here since time immemorial , or it was carried out in parallel to other competing fortune-telling arts in order to meet the various requests for hints for a good future. The Buddhist monks remained critical and pointed to their teaching. However, since Buddhism remained largely incomprehensible to the people, Onmyōdō flourished. In the middle and later Edo period, the Shushi scholars Yamazaki Ansai ( 山崎 闇 斎 ; 1619–1682), Minagawa Kien ( 皆川 淇 園 ; 1735–1807) dealt with Ōmmyōdo.
Fortune tellers based on the Hakke were and are particularly popular, as the eight combinations of three of a solid yō-line and a broken in-line. The fortune tellers are called Hakkemi ( 八卦 見 ) or Hakkeoki ( 八卦 置 ), they work with a bundle of bamboo sticks ( 筮 竹 , grafiku ). Inyō commentators ( 陰陽師 ) used the six-day sequence to explain good and bad days, and pointed out to men that the 25th, 42nd and 61st year of life is a year of danger ( 厄 年 , yakudoshi ) for them. The same applies to women, for them the age of 19, 33 and 61 is dangerous.
Onmyōdō today
In the Meiji period, Takashima Kaemon ( 高 島 嘉 右衛門 , 1832-1914), also known as Takashima Eki ( 高 島 易 ) for short , was active. He was an entrepreneur, also engaged in fortune-telling, drawing on his life experience. - A modern exhibition yearbook ( 暦 本 , goyomihon ) is published by the Tōkyō Jingūkan. It contains information for the current year as well as for each day, references to the most favorable spatial and temporal constellations, and goes beyond Ōnmyōdō in terms of content.
The Onmyōji are now a type of Shintō priests and are officially part of the Association of Shinto Shrines ( 神社 本 庁 Jinja Honchō ).
Remarks
- ↑ This calendar, developed in China in 822, was adopted in Japan in 862 and used until 1684. Then it was replaced by an improved in-house development.
- ↑ 60 is the least common multiple. This means that only half of the 120 possible combinations occur. That is usually enough to describe a human life. If someone is older than 60, this person begins a second round, is quasi reborn. This second birthday is celebrated as a "calendar pass " ( 還 暦 , Kanreki).
- ↑ 360 ° ring u. a. suggests an export model from the end of the 19th century.
- ↑ There is no relationship with Emperor Tsuchimikado .
literature
- Suzuki, Toshihiko (Ed.): Denshihan bukku-han. Nihon daihyakka zensho. Shogakukan, 1996.
- Kyōto National Museum (Ed.): Abe Seimei to Ommyōdo-ten. Yōmiuri Shimbun Osaka, 2003.
- Hanasaki Kazuo (Ed.): Oedo monoshiri zukan. Shufu-to-Seikatsusha, 2000, ISBN 4-391-12386-X .
- Y. Hirakoba (Ed.): 2000. Heisei juninen jingukan katei reki. Jingukan, 1999, ISBN 4-915261-85-9 . (Example)
Pop Culture
In the popular culture of manga or anime , "Onmyojis" are protagonists of a story in the manga series Twin Star Exorcists: Onmyoji .
See also
Web links
- Onmyō (Yin-Yang) from Religion-in-Japan, a web manual from the University of Vienna
Individual evidence
- ↑ Rüdenberg. Werner: Chinese-German dictionary. 3. Edition. Cram, De Gruyter, Hamburg. 1961.