Nao Deguchi - Nao Deguchi

Japanese: 出口なお - でぐち・なお

Year of death: November 6, 1918
Year of birth: Tempo 7.12.16 (1837.1.22)
The founder of Omotokyo. Born in Fukuchiyama, Tanba Province (Kyoto Prefecture). Fukuchiyama was a castle town with a stipend of 32,000 koku. Her grandfather served as a carpenter for the feudal domain and was allowed to use the family name and carry a sword. Her father was also a carpenter, but was an alcoholic, and the family went bankrupt during his generation. She began working as a servant at the age of eight (based on her full age) to help with the family finances, and at the age of 19 she married a man named Toyosuke, who took the name of Nao's grandfather and was named Deguchi Masagoro. Her husband sold the land and fields, and the couple began living in a rented house. Eventually Nao began spinning thread and buying rags, living a life of misery. She gave birth to 11 children, three boys and five girls. Her daughters Hisa and Yone went insane, and in 1892 (Meiji 25), Nao became possessed by a god and fasted for 13 days. The following year, he was detained by the police on suspicion of arson, and after he was released, he was imprisoned in a room in Nao's empty house for 40 days. It was from this time that Nao started writing calligraphy, and at first he carved it into a stake with kanakuji. After he was released from prison, he left his calligraphy on 200,000 pieces of washi paper. The words that Nao, who was supposed to be illiterate, left behind were a mixture of hiragana and numbers written in a phonetic style, and at first Nao himself was unable to read his own calligraphy. The god that appeared to Nao was the Konjin of Ushitora (Gold), because Nao had a connection with Konkokyo. Thus, the Konkokyo Ayabe Mission was established, and Nao preached there after working for Okumura Sadajiro, who was sent from the headquarters. However, conflict arose between him and Okumura, and also with Adachi Masanobu, who was sent next, and he eventually opened an independent mission. On August 23, 1898, Nao met Ueda Kisaburo (later taking the name Deguchi Onisaburo) for the first time. Onisaburo belonged to the Inari Kosha, and Nao's sect eventually became a branch of the Inari Kosha, causing a rift. Nao hoped that Onisaburo would be able to identify the gods and bring them out into the world. Eventually Onisaburo married Nao's youngest daughter, Sumi, who was destined to be Nao's successor. After that, conflict continued between Nao and Onisaburo, and Omotokyo continued its elliptical movement with two centers: Nao's festival center (Ayabe) and Onisaburo's teaching center (Kameoka). Nao's writings were compiled into a single system by Onisaburo, who created a divine spirit as a branch of State Shinto, but Onisaburo used this form as criticism of the state, and after Nao's death, it survived two crackdowns, in 1921 (Taisho 10) and 1935 (Showa 10). In this sense, the call to the Emperor's government to "resign" in the writing of February 23, 1900 (Meiji 33) was maintained throughout the Fifteen-Year War (1931-45). In Nao's words, it is "tatekae" and "tatenaoshi." "No matter how many times the world has been rebuilt, it has been rebuilt without the essential major rebuilding, so after a short while the world has gone back to the way it was... Even if the rebuilding has been completed, the subsequent rebuilding is quite an ambitious goal" (October 5, 1912). Deguchi Nao's activities are in the tradition of Fuji-ko, Kurozumi-kyo, Tenrikyo, and Konko-kyo sects from the end of the Edo period, and apart from the importation of overseas theories, they are a brilliant record of what kind of norms emerge when one's own unconscious begins to cry out. <References> Yasumaru Yoshio, Deguchi Nao

(Tsurumi Shunsuke)

Source: Asahi Japanese Historical Biography: Asahi Shimbun Publications Inc. About Asahi Japanese Historical Biography

Japanese:

没年：大正7.11.6(1918)
生年：天保7.12.16(1837.1.22)
大本教の教祖。丹波国(京都府)福知山生まれ。福知山は3万2000石の城下町。祖父は藩の御上大工を勤め,苗字帯刀を許されていた。父も大工だったが酒のみで彼の代で家は傾く。満年齢でかぞえるとまだ8歳のころから奉公に出て家計を助け,19歳で婿をむかえ,夫豊助はなおの祖父の名をとって出口政五郎と名乗る。夫は土地と田畑を売ってしまい,夫妻は借家ずまいとなり,やがてなおは糸ひき,ボロ買いに出るようになり,最低のくらしをつづける。11人の子どもを生み,3男5女を育てた。娘のひさ,よねは発狂し,明治25(1892)年なおは神がかり状態に入り,13日の断食。あくる年には放火のうたがいで警察に留置され,そこを出てからは,誰もいないなおひとりの家で40日間座敷牢に入れられた。なおがお筆先を書きだしたのは,このときからのことで,はじめは杭にカナクギできざんだ。出獄後,20万枚の半紙に筆先をのこした。無学であるはずのなおののこした文言は,ひらがなと数字を表音風にまぜて書いたもので,はじめはなお自身が自分の書いたお筆先を読めないことがあった。なおにあらわれた神はウシトラ(艮)の金神で,それはなおが金光教につながりを持っていたからである。こうして金光教綾部布教所がつくられ,そこでなおは本部から派遣された奥村定次郎につかえてから布教をした。しかし奥村とのあいだに対立がおこり,次に派遣された足立正信とも対立し,ついに独立の布教所をひらく。明治31年8月23日,なおははじめて上田喜三郎(のちに出口王仁三郎を名のる)と会う。王仁三郎は稲荷講社に属し,やがてなおの教団は稲荷講社の分会となり亀裂が生じた。なおは,王仁三郎が神を見わけて世に出してくれることを期待した。やがて王仁三郎はなおの末娘でなおのよつぎと決まっているすみと結婚した。その後なおと王仁三郎のあいだには対立がつづき,大本教は,なおの祭りの中心(綾部)と王仁三郎の教学の中心(亀岡)とのふたつの中心をもつ楕円形の運動をつづけてゆく。なおのお筆先は,王仁三郎によってひとつの大系にまとめられ,国家神道の一派としての神霊をつくるが,王仁三郎はこの形を国家批判として運用し,なおの死後,大正10(1921)年と昭和10(1935)年と2度にわたる弾圧をくぐって生きのびる。この意味では,「じんびき(退陣)いたされよ」と天皇の政治に明治33(1900)年2月23日のお筆先でよびかけた姿勢は15年戦争(1931～45)のあいだもたもたれた。なおの言葉づかいでは「たてかえ」と「たてなおし」である。「世を何遍立替致しても,肝腎の大立直しを致さずに立替してあるから,ちっと行きよると又世が後へ戻りた……立替はらちよう致したところで,後の立直しが中々大望であるぞよ」(大正1年10月5日のお筆先)。出口なおの活動は,江戸時代末期の富士講,黒住教,天理教,金光教の流れをひき,海外の理論の輸入とは別に,自分の腹の底の無意識がさけびだすときにどのような規範があらわれるかを示すあざやかな記録である。<参考文献>安丸良夫『出口なお』

(鶴見俊輔)

出典　朝日日本歴史人物事典：（株）朝日新聞出版朝日日本歴史人物事典について　情報

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