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First published: May 17, 2025
Last updated: June 14, 2025
The webmaster is currently translating the Reikai Monogatari (Tales of the Spirit World) and would like to share it with you.
The webmaster may be mistaken in his translation despite his best efforts to make it as accurate as possible. Therefore, HE SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES ARISING FROM THE USE OF THIS TRANSLATION. Your understanding would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
The Reikai Monogatari
Volume 3[1]: Volume of the Tora (Tiger)[2] in the Reishu Taiju (Spirit the Master, Flesh the Servant, or simply, Spirit over Body)[3] series
Author: Onisburo Deguchi
The webmaster's note:
[1] ^ Publication data:
- Dictated at the Zuishoh-kaku Hall in Kameoka, Kyoto, and the Ryugu-yakata Hall in Ayabe, Kyoto.
- Dictated November 12-18, 20, 28, 29, December 6-10, Taisho 10 (1921), and January 3, Taisho 11 (1922) - a total of 15 days.
- Dictated by Mr. Toyoji Toyama, Ms. Haruko Katoh, Mr. Shigeo Sakurai, and several others.
- First edition issued on March 3, Taisho 11 (1922).
- Revised by the author at the Kandabashi Inn, Miyazaki-shi, Miyazaki on the early morning of January 19, Showa 10 (1935).
[2] ^ The first sign of the Japanese eto (sexagenary cycle) zodiac. Each series of the Reikai Monogatari (except the Tensho-chizui series) consists of 12 volumes bearing the corresponding names of the following 12 zodiac signs:
- Ne (Rat)
- Ushi (Ox)
- Tora (Tiger)
- U (Hare)
- Tatsu (Dragon)
- Mi (Serpent)
- Uma (Horse)
- Hitsuji (Sheep)
- Saru (Monkey)
- Tori (Rooster)
- Inu (Dog)
- I (or Wi ) (Boar)
[3] ^ The series of the Reikai Monogatari is shown in the table below:
| Series | Volumes | No. of Books |
|---|
Reishu Taiju
(Spirit the Master, Flesh the Servent, or simply, Spirit over Body) | 1-12 | 12 |
Nyoi Hosshu
(Cintamani, or Wish-Fulfilling Gem) | 13-24 | 12 |
Kaiyoh Banri
(Thousands of Miles of Seas and
Oceans) | 25-36 | 12 |
Shashin Katsuyaku
(Outstanding Performance as a
Living Shrine of the Kami) | 37-48 | 12 |
Shin Zen Bi Ai
(Truth, Good, Beauty, and Love) | 49-60 | 12 |
Sanka Sohmoku
(Mountains, Rivers, Plants, and Trees) | 61-72 | 14(*) |
| (*) Volumes 64 Parts 1 & 2, as well as the Nyumohki (Onisaburo's Mission in Mongolia) included. |
Tenshoh Chizui
(Auspicious Signs of the Mizu Spirit
in Heaven and on Earth) | 73-81 | 9 |
| Total | 81 | 83 |
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Table of Contents
Foreword
Introductory Notes
General Remarks
Part 1: The Arrangement of the Souls of Specific Lands
Chapter 1: The Appointment of Multiple Deities 〔101〕
Chapter 2: Guardians of the Yatsuoh Rulers 〔102〕
Part 2: Mount Niitaka[4]
Chapter 3: A Tragedy in the Valley 〔103〕
Chapter 4: On the Tiptoe of Expectation 〔104〕
Part 3: The Rocky Mountains
Chapter 5: A Suspicious Envoy 〔105〕
Chapter 6: Caged Birds 〔106〕
Chapter 7: By Virtue of Satirical Poems 〔107〕
Chapter 8: Distinguished Services Rendered by Attendant Kami Officials 〔108〕
Part 4: Mount Kijoh[5]
Chapter 9: An Orator versus an Orator 〔109〕
Chapter 10: Indiscretion 〔110〕
Chapter 11: A Naked Escapee 〔111〕
Chapter 12: The Power of Faith 〔112〕
Chapter 13: The Consequences Of Jealousy 〔113〕
Chapter 14: The Extraordinary Selection of a Deity from a Legitimate Spiritual Lineage 〔114〕
Part 5: Mount Wanshou[6]
Chapter 15: A Carbon Copy of the Great Maitreya Kami's Reign 〔115〕
Chapter 16: The Tama no Wi Shrine 〔116〕
Chapter 17: Ascetic Practices in a Rock Cave 〔117〕
Chapter 18: The Transfer of the Seat of the Divine Spirit 〔118〕
Part 6: Mount Seiun[7]
Chapter 19: The Base of a Camphor Tree 〔119〕
Chapter 20: His Innocence Established 〔120〕
Chapter 21: The Tails of Foxes 〔121〕
Chapter 22: A Judgment Before the Altar 〔122〕
Part 7: Mount Kunlun[8]
Chapter 23: A Word from the Top 〔123〕
Chapter 24: Black Clouds Over Mount Tacoma[9] 〔124〕
Chapter 25: The Annihilation of Evil Deities 〔125〕
Chapter 26: The Serpent's Long Bridge 〔126〕
Part 8: Turbulent Changes in the Divine World
Chapter 27: An Unexpected Ascension 〔127〕
Chapter 28: Great Toil and Trouble 〔128〕
Chapter 29: Advancing and Receding Waves 〔129〕
Chapter 30: United in an Embrace 〔130〕
Chapter 31: The Dragon Deity's Waterfall 〔131〕
Chapter 32: An Army-Defeating Sword 〔132〕
Part 9: Covert Operations of Good Deities
Chapter 33: Comma-Shaped Heraldic Spots 〔133〕
Chapter 34: In the Ascendant 〔134〕
Chapter 35: The Excavation of Buried Treasures 〔135〕
Chapter 36: A Deaf-Mute's Shout 〔136〕
Chapter 37: The Dance of a Heavenly Maiden to Music 〔137〕
Chapter 38: Forty-Eight Waterfalls 〔138〕
Chapter 39: A Coincidental Boat-Sharing 〔139〕
Part 10: The Destruction of the Divine Reign
Chapter 40: The Kuni no Hiromiya Shrine 〔140〕
Chapter 41: The Return of Two Deities to the Castle 〔141〕
Chapter 42: The Tokoyo Conference 〔142〕
Chapter 43: The Moon over the Place of Exile 〔143〕
Part 11: A Fresh Start
Chapter 44: An Auspicious Reign 〔144〕
Chapter 45: Monkeys and Astringent Persimmons 〔145〕
Chapter 46: The Divine Ritual of Kugatachi[10] 〔146〕
Chapter 47: The Moral Principle of Husband and Wife 〔147〕
Chapter 48: Eternal Darkeness 〔148〕
Chapter 49: Idle Spectators Leaving All to Chance 〔149〕
Part 12: Spirit, Power, and Body
Chapter 50: The Sabbath 〔150〕
Appendix: Poems on Onisaburo and His Believers' Journey to the Iwai Hot Spring
The webmaster's note:
[4] ^ The highest peak on the Island of Taiwan; synonymous with Yu Shan, Yushan, Mount Jade or Jade Mountain. (See map below)
[5] ^ Literally "Mount Ogre Castle." It was located in the Land of Tokoyo (Eternity), which usually refers to North America. (See map below)
[6] ^ A mountain in China; synonymous with Wan Shou Shan, Wanshousan or Wanshou Mountain. (See map below)
[7] ^ A mountain in ancient India on the border with Tibet. (See map below)
[8] ^ A mountain or a mountain range in China; synonymous with Kunlun Shan or the Kunlun Mountains. (See map below)
[9] ^ A mountain in the modern-day United States; currently called Mount Rainier. (See map below)
[10] ^ A trial by ordeal where the guilt or innocence of an accused person is determined by putting the person's hand in boiling water based on the belief that the innocent will not be scalded.
Note 1: In the age of gods 350,000 years back from today, Jerusalem was located in Asia Minor, east of Turkey, near the border of Armenia.
Note 2: The number 350,000 should not be taken literally because it might be a figurative expression.
Foreword
In Meiji 55, or Taisho 11 (1922), the time is finally ripe for the 30-year demolition of the world following Ushitora no Konjin's emergence to burst into full bloom like plum blossoms permeating throughout the three major realms of the Spirit World all at once. The time is also ripe for the 25-year divine revelations, which have spoken for themselves since Hitsujisaru no Konjin's emergence, to blossom as peach flowers in the spring. At the kazoedoshi age[11] of 52, or the Gregorian calendar age of 50, I began to dictate my expedition to the Spirit World in the form of the Reikai Monogatari, as encouraged by the enlightening illumination of the Moon. Since then hundreds of kinds of plants and birds have stopped asking hundreds of kinds of questions, and have come to perceive divine missions associated with March 3 (the 3rd day of the 3rd month) and May 5 (the 5th day of the 5th month) in detail. This is nothing less than a harbinger of the advent of a divine reign, and a sheer product of the power of time.
The Ofudesaki (Tip of the Writing Brush)[12] automatic writing dated September 8, Meiji 33 (1900) reads as follows:
Nao Deguchi is given a leading role in writing about subjects ranging from the fundamental origins of the three major realms of the Spirit World to their future developments, whereas Kaichoh[13] is tasked with shedding light on those subjects by providing minute details of them. When first Henjo Nanshi[14] and then Henjo Nyoshi[15] come to the fore, executive Omoto members will realize how much they have misunderstood the organization's founders, making some of them happier to serve their leaders with tremendous enthusiasm, leaving others running around like chickens with their heads cut off in agony, and prompting still others to lash out at Henjo Nanshi and Henjo Nyoshi with a vengeance for their own self-interest. Many of Omoto's intermediaries will act for self-serving purposes and walk around speaking ill of Nanshi and Nyoshi despite their worship of Omoto's Kami. (snip)
Omoto's divine revelations show that the true interpreters of the Ofudesaki are only Nanshi and Nyoshi. However, some Omoto members warn others against literally taking Nyoshi's automatic writing without verifying its authenticity, whenever the content is inconvenient to them. This is quite annoying. I finally assumed the role of Nyoshi on September 8 as per the divine revelations, and the instant I dictated the state of the Spirit World to my scribes in a secluded place, those conceited members started criticizing all sorts of things about me behind my back yet again. The Kami would be very happy to see an increasing number of venerable adherents who have the nerve to judge His messages automatically written by Nyoshi as a medium, I might add - with sarcasm.
I also need to mention the Kami's abstract revelation about March 3 (the 3rd day of the 3rd month) and May 5 (the 5th day of the 5th month) in Meiji 55 (1922). Meiji 55 corresponds to Taisho 11 (1922), so I hear that some Omoto members are expecting good things for the physical attributes of Nyoshi's soul or hoping for a spectacular milestone in Omoto's divine schemes. Nevertheless, the divine mind is a far cry from the human mind, and no human wisdom or thought can discover the truth. The year 55 refers to the year in which the 30-year divine schemes starting in Meiji 25 (1892) will begin to surface and take shape.
March 3 (the 3rd day of the 3rd month) signifies the day in which the Great Deity of the Moon, also known as the Mitsu no Mitama (Three Souls or Three Jewels), will become manifest and shine over the Three Bodies of Heaven, Earth, and Humans. The Japanese word for 'day' is hi, which is also read 'ka' meaning kagayaku (to shine). The Kami's revelation mentioned earlier suggests that Omoto members have come to fully understand the true intention of Nanshi's 30-year automatic writings, and that the time is finally ripe for Nyoshi's soul to shine as a 25-year follower of the divine path. For the last 25 years, Nyoshi has been obstructed by hostile members and other obstacles around him from engaging in the divine work, but a number of believers will begin to lend a slightly serious ear to Nyoshi's interpretation of the divine programs. The Kami's revelation describes this predicted improvement as "an auspicious day for Nyoshi." May 5 (the 5th day of the 5th month) alludes to a propitious augury in which the Sun and the Moon appear in the eastern sky to shine through pitch-dark heaven and earth. The Japanese word for 'five' is itsu, which is synonymous with idzu (to emerge) according to the study of kototama (word spirit), or mystical power believed to reside in spoken words of the Japanese language. Thus, the 5th day of the 5th month represents the emergence of the Sun, and the emergence of the Moon. The aforementioned divine message bodes well for the future tide of the times as it reveals that the 25-year heavenly wind will begin to blow, enlightening the world with the warp and weft of divine revelations to establish a 55-year reign on Earth (manifestation of the Kami and His will), whose divine blessings will finally emerge and spread through the universe ruled under the profound will of the Divine.
To be continued...
The webmaster's note:
[11] ^ The ages mentioned in this sacred text are based on the kazoedoshi method of age counting where a baby is counted as one year old at birth (after only nine months in the womb) and thereafter becomes a year older at every New Year, rather than on its birthday. This results in people usually being one or two years older than by western calendar.
[12] ^ A collection of holy messages from the Great Kami Kunitokotachi no Mikoto as automatically written by the poor and illiterate Foundress Nao Deguchi. These writings had reached nearly 10,000 folios, or 100,000 sheets, by her death in Taisho 7 (1918).
[13] ^ One of Onisaburo's pseudonyms.
[14] ^ Literally "a man's spirit in a woman's body," it refers to the Foundress Nao Deguchi.
[15] ^ Literally "a woman's spirit in a man's body," it refers to the Co-Founder Onisaburo Deguchi.
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