Pilgrim - Gyoja

A person who is believed to have superhuman spiritual powers through ascetic practices, and who performs religious acts such as prayer, prophecy, and divination. Unlike priests and monks, they are religious practitioners of magic, but because their beliefs match the beliefs of the common people, they are widely supported by the common people. Therefore, although it is natural for them not to belong to a specific religion, sect, or denomination, many of them belong to a sect or denomination due to religious control at the time and the pride of the practitioners. Historically, they belonged to Shugendo and followed its training methods, but now many have been incorporated into the Tendai sect, Shingon sect, Nichiren sect, and other sects. Some also belong to Fushimi Inari Taisha and Izumo Taisha as sects of Shinto. Also, the most active ascetics are those of the Ontake sect, and since Kiso Ontake Shugendo became Shintoized during the Edo period, they perform Shugendo-like training, prophecies, and prayers while adopting the form of Shinto. The ascetic practices to become an ascetic today consist almost entirely of purification rituals using water ablutions, but Shugendo-like training includes forest toso-gyo, goma-gyo, fire walking, sword climbing, and kukatachi (putting hands in boiling water and pouring the water over one's head). However, historically, there were ascetic practices such as burning one's body and skinning oneself, and it was believed that by repenting one's sins and eliminating worldly desires through secluded pilgrimages in isolation from the outside world, one's innate spiritual power would be drawn out. Therefore, in what are called ascetic prayers, miracles are said to occur when the spiritual power of the ascetic is added to the power of the god or Buddha worshipped. In addition to praying for the cure of illness, ascetic prayers are believed to drive away invisible evil spirits and animal spirits that cause disasters, and they exert their power in an irrational world that goes beyond science. For example, they can drive away vengeful demons, kill foxes, or kill dog gods. These are primitive incantations that are a response to primitive religious ideas, but even in modern times, ascetics' sphere of activity is extremely large. Famous mountain ascetics of the past were known as genja, and were highly esteemed in aristocratic society, with many stories of miracles being told. In the Nara period, a group of ascetics was placed in the emperor's entourage, and they were called the Ten Zen Masters. Ascetics such as Hayashi Jitsutaka, who appeared in the early Meiji period, attracted the faith of both the court and common people, and were even called the second-in-command of the ascetic sect after En no Gyoja in the Shugendo sect at Mt. Omine in Nara.

[Gorai Shigeru]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

苦行などによって超人間的な霊力をもつと信じられ、祈祷(きとう)、予言託宣(たくせん)、卜占(ぼくせん)などの宗教行為を行う人。神官や僧侶(そうりょ)と違う呪術(じゅじゅつ)宗教家であるが、それがかえって庶民信仰に合致するので、庶民の広い支持を受けている。したがって、特定の宗教や宗派、教派に属さないのが本来の姿であるけれども、時の宗教統制や行者のプライドなどから、宗派、教派に属している者が多い。歴史的には修験道(しゅげんどう)に属し、その修行方式に従ってきたが、いまは天台宗や真言宗、日蓮(にちれん)宗などに組み込まれた者が少なくない。また教派神道(しんとう)として伏見稲荷(ふしみいなり)大社や出雲(いずも)大社に属する者もある。また、もっとも活発に活動する行者は御嶽(おんたけ)教で、木曽(きそ)御嶽修験道が江戸時代から神道化したので、神道の形をとりながら修験的修行と予言託宣と祈祷を行う。行者になるための苦行はいまはほとんど水垢離(みずごり)による禊祓(みそぎはらえ)であるけれども、修験的修行では山林抖擻(とそう)行や護摩(ごま)行、火渡り、剣登り、盟神探湯(くかたち)（熱湯に手を入れ、熱湯を頭からかぶる）などがある。しかし歴史的には焚身剥皮(ふんじんはくひ)（身体を焼き、皮を剥(は)ぐ）などの苦行があり、また外界から隔絶された参籠(さんろう)行によって罪を懺悔(さんげ)し煩悩(ぼんのう)を滅ぼせば、人間本有の霊力が引き出されると信じられた。したがって、行者の加持(かじ)祈祷といわれるものは、その祀(まつ)る神仏の力に行者の霊力が加わって、奇跡がおこるといわれる。また行者の加持祈祷は、病気治癒の祈願のほかに、災いの原因をなす目に見えぬ悪霊や動物霊を払い落とすと信じられ、科学を超えた非合理の世界で力を発揮する。たとえば悪魔怨霊(おんりょう)を払うとか、狐落(きつねおと)しや犬神(いぬがみ)落しなどである。それは原始的宗教観念に対する原始呪術であるが、現代においても行者の活動領域はきわめて大きい。過去の有名な山伏(やまぶし)は験者(げんじゃ)とよばれる行者であって、貴族社会においてももてはやされ、多くの奇跡談が伝えられる。奈良時代、天皇の側近にも行者集団が置かれて十禅師とよばれた。明治初年に出た林実利(はやしじつかが)行者などは朝野の信仰を集め、奈良の大峯山(おおみねさん)修験道では役行者(えんのぎょうじゃ)に次ぐ二代行者とまで称せられた。

［五来　重］

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