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Onmyōdō

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Onmyōdō(Âm Dương Đạo,alsoIn'yōdō,lit. 'The Way of Yin and Yang')is a technique that uses knowledge of astronomy and calendars to divine good fortune in terms of date, time, direction and general personnel affairs, originating from the philosophy of the yin-yang and the five elements.[1]

Abe no Seimei,a famousonmyōji

The philosophy of yin and yang andwu xingwas introduced to Japan at the beginning of the 6th century, and, influenced byTaoism,Buddhism,andConfucianism,evolved into the earliest system ofOnmyōdōaround the late 7th century. In 701, theTaiho Codeestablished the departments and posts ofonmyōjiwho practicedOnmyōdōin the Imperial Court, andOnmyōdōwas institutionalized.[2][1]From around the 9th century during theHeian period,Onmyōdōinteracted withShintoandGoryōworship(Ngự linh tín ngưỡng)in Japan, and developed into a system unique to Japan.[3][4]Abe no Seimei,who was active during Heian period, is the most famousonmyōji(Onmyōdōpractitioner) in Japanese history and has appeared in various Japanese literature in later years.Onmyōdōwas under the control of the imperial government, and later its courtiers, theTsuchimikadofamily, until the middle of the 19th century, at which point it became prohibited assuperstition.[2][1]

Development

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In the 5th and 6th centuries, the principles of yin-yang and theFive Elementswere transmitted to Japan fromChinaandBaekjealong with Buddhism andConfucianism,particularly by the obscure Korean monkGwalleuk.Yin-yang and the Five Elements, as well as the divisions of learning to which they were linked –astronomy,calendar-making, the reckoning of time,divination,and studies based on observation of nature – were amalgamated into fortune telling. This process of judging auspicious or harmful signs present in the natural world, was accepted into Japanese society as a technique for predicting good or bad fortune in the human world. Such techniques were known mostly byBuddhist monksandphysicians[5]from mainland Asia, who were knowledgeable in reading and writing Chinese. Over time, demand from members of theImperial Courtwho believed thatOnmyōdōdivination would be helpful in decision-making, made it necessary for the laity to perform the art, andonmyōjibegan to appear around the middle of the 7th century. Under the Taiho Code enacted in the early 8th century, the departments of the Imperial Court to whichonmyōjibelonged were defined by law.[1]

From around the 9th century during theHeian period,Onmyōdōinteracted withShintoandGoryōworship in Japan, and developed into a system unique to Japan.[3][1]Until then,Onmyōdōemphasized divination for policy decisions by high government officials, but since the Heian period,Onmyōdōhas emphasized magic and religious services such as warding off evil for preventing natural disasters and epidemics and for the productiveness of grain, as well as curses against opponents.[3]Because Shinto places importance onpurity,Shinto priests were required to performmisogi(ritual purification) and fast before performing these religious services, so their activities were restricted. On the other hand, sinceonmyōjidid not have to performmisogior fast, they were able to deal withkegare(uncleanliness) more easily, and they expanded their activities beyond the support of Shinto priests.[3]It gradually spread from the Imperial Court to the general public.[4]In the 10th centuryKamo no Tadayuki(Hạ mậu trung hành)and his sonKamo no Yasunori(Hạ mậu bảo điển),made great advancements inOnmyōdō,astronomy and calendar science.[1]From among their students emergedAbe no Seimei(An lần thanh minh),who displayed superior skills in the divining arts ofOnmyōdō,by which he gained an uncommon amount of trust from the court society. Tadayuki and Yasunori passed on their skills in astronomy to Seimei while their advances in calendar-making went to Yasunori's son. From the end of the Heian period into the Middle Ages, astronomy and calendar science were completely subsumed intoOnmyōdō,and the Abe and Kamo families came to dominate the art in the Imperial Court.[1]

Onmyōji

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Further information:Onmyōji

Onmyōji(Âm dương sư,alsoIn'yōji)was one of the classifications of civil servants belonging to theBureau of Onmyō[ja]in ancient Japan'sritsuryosystem. People with this title were professional practitioners ofOnmyōdō.[2]

Onmyōjiwere specialists in magic and divination. Their court responsibilities ranged from tasks such as keeping track of thecalendar,to mystical duties such asdivinationand protection of the capital from evilspirits.They could divine auspicious or harmful influences in the earth, and were instrumental in the moving of capitals. It is said that anonmyōjicould also summon and controlshikigami.[6]During theHeian periodthe nobility organized their lives around practices recommended byonmyōji.The practice of "lucky and unlucky directions" provides an example. Depending on the season, time of day, and other circumstances, a particular direction might be bad luck for an individual. If one's house was located in that direction, such an individual was advised not to go back directly to his house but had to "change direction" (katatagae), by going in a different direction and lodging there. Such a person would not dare to go in the forbidden direction, but stayed where they were, even if that resulted in absence from the court, or passing up invitations from influential people.[3]

FamousonmyōjiincludeKamo no YasunoriandAbe no Seimei(921–1005). After Seimei's death, theEmperor Ichijōhad ashrineerected at his home inKyoto.[7]

Onmyōjihad political clout during the Heian period, but in later times when the imperial court fell into decline, their state patronage was lost completely. In modern-day Japan,onmyōjiare defined as a type of priest, and although there are many who claim to be mediums and spiritualists, theonmyōjicontinues to be a hallmark occult figure.

Later history

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Onmyōdō was officially abolished in 1870 by theTensha Shinto Prohibition Ordinance[ja],but it was permitted again after the propagation of religious freedom and the abolition ofState Shintoin 1945.[8]A new organization forTensha Tsuchimikado Shinto(Thiên xã thổ ngự môn thần nói),considered the modern form of Onmyōdō, was established in 1954.[9][10]As of 2023,the head was Yoshihito Fujita.[11]

See also

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References

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  1. ^abcdefg"Onmyōdō".Asahi Shimbun.Archived fromthe originalon 2021-01-12.Retrieved7 February2021.
  2. ^abcTình minh trực hệ Âm Dương Đạo đồ tuyệt の nguy cơ bình an から1000 năm sau kế なく.Tokyo Shimbun.29 February 2020. Archived fromthe originalon 2021-01-15.
  3. ^abcdeWakako Nakajima.Âm Dương Đạo の thức thần の thành lập と変 dời văn học tác phẩm の chú trớ にも xúc れつつ(PDF).Hokkaido University of Education.pp. 2–15. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2020-12-18.Retrieved11 February2021.
  4. ^abKoyama, Satoko (2020).Trước cận đại Nhật Bản の bệnh khí trị liệu と chú thuật.Shibunkaku Shuppan. pp. 172–173.ISBN978-4784219889.
  5. ^Ho, Peng Yoke; Lisowski, F. Peter (1997).A brief history of Chinese medicine(2nd ed.). Singapore; River Edge, N.J: World Scientific.ISBN978-981-02-2803-3.OCLC37205315.
  6. ^Wakako Nakajima.Âm Dương Đạo の thức thần の thành lập と変 dời văn học tác phẩm の chú trớ にも xúc れつつ(PDF).Hokkaido University of Education.p. 1. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2020-12-18.Retrieved6 February2021.
  7. ^Seimei Shrine.
  8. ^"Encyclopedia of Shinto kỹ càng tỉ mỉ".Quốc học viện đại học デジタルミュージアム(in Japanese).Retrieved2023-03-06.
  9. ^Makoto, Hayashi; Luers, Dylan; lâm thuần (2013)."The Development of Early Modern Onmyōdō".Japanese Journal of Religious Studies.40(1): 151–167.ISSN0304-1042.JSTOR41955534.
  10. ^"Bị quên lục thiên xã thổ ngự môn thần nói bổn sảnh".kashomemorandum.blog.fc2.Retrieved2023-03-06.
  11. ^"Thiên xã thổ ngự môn thần nói bổn sảnh".JAPANESE RELIGIONS(in Japanese). 5 October 2015.Retrieved2023-03-06.

Further reading

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Look uponmyōdōin Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
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