is a ''

shinshūkyō Japanese new religions are new religious movements established in Japan. In Japanese, they are called or . Japanese scholars classify all religious organizations founded since the middle of the 19th century as "new religions"; thus, the term refe ...

'' (Japanese new religion). It is headquartered in Muramori (村森), Sannan-cho (山南町), Tanba-shi,

Hyōgo Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Hyōgo Prefecture has a population of 5,469,762 () and a geographic area of . Hyōgo Prefecture borders Kyoto Prefecture to the east, Osaka Prefecture to th ...

, Japan. It is a

syncretic religion Religious syncretism is the blending of religious belief systems into a new system, or the incorporation of other beliefs into an existing religious tradition. This can occur for many reasons, where religious traditions exist in proximity to each ...

that combines features from

Shinto , also called Shintoism, is a religion originating in Japan. Classified as an East Asian religions, East Asian religion by Religious studies, scholars of religion, it is often regarded by its practitioners as Japan's indigenous religion and as ...

Buddhism Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

, and other religious traditions. Ennokyo was founded in 1919 and was officially established as a

religious corporation A religious corporation is a type of religious non-profit organization, which has been incorporated under the law. Often these types of corporations are recognized under the law on a subnational level, for instance by a state or province governm ...

in 1948.

History

(October 3, 1887 – January 6, 1925), the of the Ennokyo religion, founded Ennokyo on July 16, 1919 when she received a divine revelation. She was born in Ibara (井原), Sannan-cho (山南町), Tanba City,

, near Ennokyo's present-day headquarters. She died on January 6, 1925 from

valvular heart disease Valvular heart disease is any cardiovascular disease process involving one or more of the four valves of the heart (the aortic and mitral valves on the left side of heart and the pulmonic and tricuspid valves on the right side of heart). The ...

. Today, she is revered by Ennokyo followers as . Fukada Nagaharu (深田長治; March 25, 1908 – April 3, 1976), Chiyoko's eldest son, was the leader of the religion until his death in 1976. On June 10, 1948, he officially registered Ennokyo as a religious corporation as a merger of the two organizations Ennō Shūhōkai (円応修法会) and Ennō Hōonkai (円応報恩会). On July 16, 1951, Fukada Nagaharu finished writing the . On February 6, 1952, he published the and . Fukada Nagaharu became vice-chairman and director of the on November 28, 1975. Fukada Hiromitsu (深田充啓; born February 27, 1937), the eldest son of the first head priest Fukada Nagaharu, became the second head priest on April 6, 1976. In 1979, he published , a compilation of 277 questions and answers about Ennokyo. He is currently serving as Honorary Chairman of the Shinshuren. Fukada Keiko (深田惠子; born January 6, 1968), the eldest daughter of head priest Fukada Hiromitsu, is Fukada Hiromitsu's designated successor.

Beliefs and doctrines

Ennokyo is a

based on

, and other religious traditions. It permits its followers to worship any deity, as long as , also known as (the name for God in Ennokyo), and its founder Fukada Chiyoko are both revered. Ennokyo encourages its followers to perform

ancestor worship The veneration of the dead, including one's ancestors, is based on love and respect for the deceased. In some cultures, it is related to beliefs that the dead have a continued existence, and may possess the ability to influence the fortune of t ...

according to the family's or clan's own traditions. Ennokyo Jishoden

Ennokyo headquarters - view from train 2

Ennokyo has five official principles (教義の五綱目), which are: *''Mato'' (まと) ("object of worship"): God, Buddha, and other deities can all be worshipped as long as worship is performed with a sincere heart. *Sincerity (''makoto'' 誠) *Love (''ai'' 愛) *Virtue (''zen'' 善) *''Kage no gyō'' (陰の行) ("hidden good deeds") The religion's official

emblem An emblem is an abstract art, abstract or representational pictorial image that represents a concept, like a moral truth, or an allegory, or a person, like a monarch or saint. Emblems vs. symbols Although the words ''emblem'' and ''symbol'' ...

consists of the ''

kyūjitai ''Kyūjitai'' () are the traditional forms of kanji (Chinese written characters used in Japanese writing). Their simplified counterparts are '' shinjitai'' (). Some of the simplified characters arose centuries ago and were in everyday use in bot ...

kanji are logographic Chinese characters, adapted from Chinese family of scripts, Chinese script, used in the writing of Japanese language, Japanese. They were made a major part of the Japanese writing system during the time of Old Japanese and are ...

character 覺 (''kaku''), which means 'awakening', placed inside a five-petal flower. The five petals represent the five official principles (教義の五綱目).

Texts

Below is a list of Ennokyo scriptures and doctrinal texts. *''Nikka gongyōbun'' (日課勤行文) (daily prayers) *''Ennōkyō kyōten'' (円応教教典) (doctrine/scriptures) *''Kyōgi gaiyō'' (教義概要) (summary of doctrines) *''Kyōsoden'' (教祖伝) (biography of the foundress) *''O-kyōso-sama'' (御教祖様) (manga version of the biography of the foundress) *''O-kyōso-sama o-ibunshū'' (御教祖様御遺文集) (four volumes: upper, middle, lower, additional 上･中･下･補の4巻) (collection of writings by the foundress) *''Jikaku hansei sangemon'' (自覚反省懺悔文) (self-reflection and repentance) *''Seinen jikun'' (青年自訓) (self-instruction for youth) *''Shinja kunkai no kaigi'' (信者訓戒の解義) (interpretation of guidance for believers) *''Ennōkyō kisoku oyobi kitei'' (円応教規則及び規程) (Ennokyo rules and regulations) *''Makoto no michi'' (まことの道) (the sincere path) Ennokyo bookstore books 1.jpg Ennokyo bookstore books 2.jpg Ennokyo bookstore books 3.jpg Ennokyo bookstore books 4.jpg Ennokyo bookstore books 5.jpg

Affiliations

Ennokyo is part of the .

References

External links