Rosary - Rosario (English spelling) Rosarium (Latin)

A rosary-like tool used in the Catholic Church for prayers other than liturgy. It is made of six large beads and 53 small beads connected by a chain to form a ring, with a cross attached to the bottom, and is also called a rosary chain (contas contas). The rosary originally referred to a crown of roses, and represents the spirit of "offering a spiritual crown of roses to the Virgin Mary." The prayer is performed by holding the large beads with the fingers and reciting the Lord's Prayer, then reciting the Hail Mary ten times while turning the ten small beads, and finishing with one Glory. This is called a series, and repeating it five times is called a circle. Repeating this five series three times is the official prayer of the rosary. While reciting this, one meditates on the life of Christ and the Virgin Mary. The meditation is based on the "Fifteen Mysteries of the Rosary." It is composed of three parts: the Joyful Mystery, the Sorrowful Mystery, and the Glorious Mystery, each of which is divided into five parts. For example, the first of the Joyful Mysteries is the "Annunciation," in which God sends the Archangel Gabriel to Mary to announce the plan of salvation (the Annunciation). While meditating on this mystery, we pray for the grace to accept God's will, just like Mary.

It is said that St. Dominic taught and popularized this method of prayer, but this is merely a legend. From the early Middle Ages, people would recite the "Lord's Prayer" several times and count the number of pebbles or seeds, and this practice was combined with devotion to Mary and over the course of several centuries developed into its modern form. It is true that Dominicans contributed greatly to the spread of this devotion. Encouraged by many popes, including Leo XIII, known as the "Pope of the Rosary," the rosary was of great help in deepening the faith of the people.

[Kadowaki Yoshiyoshi]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

カトリック教会で典礼以外の祈祷(きとう)に使われる数珠(じゅず)風の道具。大珠6、小珠53を鎖でつないで輪状にし、下に十字架をつないだもので、ロザリオの鎖（コンタス・コンタツ）ともよばれる。ロザリオとは本来バラの花冠のことで、「聖母へ霊的なバラの花冠を捧(ささ)げる」という精神を示す。祈りは、大珠の部分を指でつまみ「主の祈り」を唱え、小珠10個を繰りながら「天使祝詞」を10回唱え、栄誦(えいしょう)を1回唱えて終わる。これを一連とよび、これを5回繰り返すことを一環（串(かん)）とよぶ。この五連一環を3回繰り返すのが、正式のロザリオの祈りである。これを唱えながら、キリストおよび聖母の生涯を黙想する。黙想は「ロザリオの十五玄義」mysteriumに基づく。すなわち喜びの玄義、苦しみの玄義、栄えの玄義の三部構成で、その各部は五つに分かれている。一例をあげれば、喜びの玄義の第一は「お告げ」であり、神が大天使ガブリエルをマリアのもとに遣わして、救いの計画を告げる（受胎告知）。この玄義を黙想しながら、マリアに倣って、神の意志を受け入れる恵みを願うのである。

　この祈りの方法を教え広めたのは聖ドミニコといわれるが、伝説にすぎない。中世の初めから、「主の祈り」を数回唱え、小石や種子を使ってその数を勘定したことが行われており、それがマリア信心と結び付き、数世紀かかって現代の形にまで発展したとみるべきであろう。この信心業の拡大にドミニコ会員が大いに貢献したことは事実である。「ロザリオの教皇」といわれたレオ13世をはじめ、多くの教皇によって奨励され、ロザリオは民衆の信心を深めるために大いに役だった。

［門脇佳吉］

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