Close to Hinagata or Divine Model
| Author: Rev. TAKAHASHI Sasatsugu; the head minister of Soryo branch church This is the story that I experienced more than ten years ago. The anniversary of the founding of Tohon Grand Church was held on October 31, 1988 (Showa 63). ---This essay is contained in the book titled ‘Suichuzumai no Saru’ or ‘An Ape Living in the Water.’ At 5:30 p.m. on October 30, the day before the anniversary day, we arrived at the Shinbashira’s residence and were shown to the waiting room. It was very cold. I saw an oil heater in the room, that didn’t work. The quite weak tea was brought to us. Though the Shinbashira’s residence looked large and wonderful by appearances, I found that the inside of it was not so good or comfortable. The wooden interior was old and naturally the windows were not metal-framed glass sliding ones. They live a simple life?this was my first impression at that time. At 6:30, the Shinbashira appeared with his wife and son. He looked very tired. His wife smiled and greeted to us with the word ‘Gokuro-san.’ And then we got into the cars. I thought it was natural for the group of the Shinbashira to use a VIP room when they arrived at the Oaska International Airport. Most of famous people like TV personarities and stars or politician use VIP rooms in order to avoid danger or confusion. The Shinbashira, his wife and their son, Zenji-sama, however, went to the general waiting room that we, attendants, also used. Sitting on the bench, the Shinbashira had a pleasant talk with his wife. I was very much surprised to see that. I saw Rev. Kajimoto who had been standing in back, holding a yellow suitcase in his both hands. I walked up to him and asked, “Shall I hold the suitcase, sir?” He answered, “No thank you. This is the Shinbashira’s, so I must always keep my eyes peeled.” In spite of his refusal, I still asked him, “Please let me hold it. I will always try to be close to you.” Finally I could get the Shinbashira’s suitcase. I found that it was a very old suitcase--- Its grip was stained with finger grease and it lost its shape. Then I stared at the Shinbashira’s business suit again. I had worn my best blue clothes at that time because I went to Tokyo from Tenri with the Shinbashira, his wife and their son, Zenji-sama. Though I knew little of fashions, it was obvious that my suit was superior to the Shinbashira’s. Thinking that you got me, I looked at his wife in a two-piece suit. Then I found that she dressed in quiet and subdued colors. How about Zenji-sama’s suit then? It was a regular dark blue suit as a freshman usually wore. It seemed to be the same as the suit that I bought cheap at a sale. When I felt that we wore better suits than the Shinbashira and his family did, I sighed. “The Shinbashira seems to be tired,” I said to Rev. Kajimoto. He told me, “The Shinbashira has been busy since this morning all day long. He attended the ceremony of the 30th anniversary of Japanese course of TLI (a section of the Tenri University and then harvested the rice in Church Headquarters’ rice paddy and carried the truth of the Sazuke or Divine Grant. I was astonished to hear that. I have harvested the rice only once in the Kyushu district. I kept on stooping to reap rice one turnip by one. Then I couldn’t straighten up my posture because of my backache. It will take me no more than one hour to suffer from it. I thought it was no wonder that the Shinbashira had gotten tired. I am sure that only one work of them will make me come down with my fatigue. Return to the top of the page. I couldn’t forget various things that I saw and heard when I had accompanied the Shinbashira. So I told a series of these stories to some members of the editorial staff when I had a dinner at a restaurant with them after the meeting to edit a booklet titled “Yokigurashi-koza no susume?? Recommending the Lectures for Joyous Life.” Mr. Ninomiya Katsumi said, “The head ministers should listen to these stories, shouldn’t they?” Then Mr. Fujioka, a member staff of Yonomoto-kai office, told us another story. The story is this: In winter several years ago at the Tenri Elementary School, the head asked all children, “Please raise your hand if you wear patched socks.” Only the Shinbashira’s child raised its hand. We admired this story. We can buy a pair of socks for 100 yen (less than 1 dollar) at a discount shop in Tenri City. Mr. Kyozuka Mitsugu told us the following story with a smile: This is the story when we were on a committee of the Tenrikyo Boys and Girls’ Association. There was no Karaoke machine in the Shinbashira’s residence. So if a guest who liked Karaoke visited the Shinbashira, Mrs. Nakayama called a youth working at the Headquarters and said to him, “Can you please lend me your Karaoke machine a minute?” Having heard this matter, we gave the Shinbashira a Karaoke machine when our term of office of the Tenrikyo Boys and Girls’ Association expired. All these stories were great surprises to me. I thought we, common church head ministers, lived in much more luxurious way of life than the Shinbashiras. I just remembered that I was invited to the party at the Shinbashira’s residence for the first time while I had worked for the Tenrikyo Young Men’s Association appointed to a committee member. If I remember rightly, it was on November 27, 1970 (Showa 45). Giving me pain to be treated free, I took 10 packages of shibazuke (a kind of pickles) to the Shinbashira’s residence, which I bought at Nishidaya in Kyoto. A retail price of shibazuke was 200 yen (about 60 cents) per 1 package at that time. Getting a salesclerk to put them into a plastic bag, I went through the gate of the Shinbashira’s residence after worshipping in the sanctuary. Then right in front of me, two people wearing haori and hakama (in full dress in Japanese traditional style) were just carrying something into the Shinbashira’s residence. I looked at my baggage that I was taking to the Shinbashira. There were some Kyoto pickles at the bottom of a plastic bag. It looked quite poor compared with the things of people walking just ahead of me. I ran out in panic. Return to the top of the page. Then I walked up and down in front of the gate again and again. My gift looked quite poor and I was wondering if it is rather rude of me to present the Shinbashira with the kind of things. With a sigh, I thought I should have rapped it up in a packing paper rather than a plastic bag. But I bought these pickles for the Shinbashira, so I came to the conclusion that I should take them to him. Dared to go through the gate, then I pushed a bell button. A young man came out to the entrance. “I would like the Shinbashira to eat these things,” I said offering the plastic bag to him. Straightening his back, he said “I will certainly hand them to the Shinbashira. I'll be back soon, so please wait a moment,” and he was back bringing a pack of goku, sacred rice. I had some doubt about his words, thinking that they will be left somewhere in the house at best. Six or seven hours later, the banquet began in the Shinbashira's residence. Though I expected much that I might be able to eat the food that I had never eaten, it was plain rather than luxurious. They served mizutaki (food cooked in a pot at the table) of chicken, sashimi (sliced raw fish) of hamachi (young yellowtail) and something like wet cocoon. We sometimes have mizutaki of chicken at Soryo church. Sashimi of hamachi is popular food in Kansai area (around Kyoto and Osaka). Taking something like wet cocoon in my hand, I asked a woman who received us by me, "Please tell me what kind of food this is." "We simmered peanut with its skin. It's good, isn't it?" she answered. "I haven't eaten this kind of food yet," I replied. "Do you remember me?" she asked. Though I looked hard at her face, I didn't remember seeing her anywhere. When I said to her, "Well, I'm sure I don't remember you. Speaking of women's face, I always remember only my wife's," she said to me, "I'm a wife of the head minister of Sakai Grand Church.” The wife of Sakai Grand Church is an elder sister of the Shinbashira. I was amazed that the Shinbashira's sister was receiving us, members of the Young Men's Association. And what was more, it has been half a year since I delivered a lecture at Sakai Grand Church. So it was extremely impolite not to remember her face. I went to the Shinbashira in order to receive the cup. Return to the top of the page. (To be continued.) |
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