Metamorphosis of a Deity. The Image of Hachiman in Yumi Yawata

Transcription

Metamorphosis of a Deity. The Image of Hachiman in Yumi Yawata
Author(s): Ross Bender
Source: Monumenta Nipponica, Vol. 33, No. 2 (Summer, 1978), pp. 165-178
Published by: Sophia University
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Metamorphosis of a Deity
The Image of Hachimanin Yuvi Yawata
by Ross BENDER
ALTHOUGH
the Noh play YumiYawata' ('The Bow of Hachiman') is a work
of no great literaryor dramatic interest,it does present a treatmentof the
.
)1 ^Shinto deityHachiman which is importantfromthestandpointofJapanese
intellectual history. Hachiman is commonly identified as the Minamoto clan
deity in particular and, by extension,as the god of the warrior clans, the Shinto
god of war. But the Minamoto cult in fact representsa comparativelylate stage of
development in the belief,and to comprehend the Hachiman cult in its entirety
one must not ignore the differingconceptions of the god's role which were current
in previous centuries. Yumi Yawata is valuable in this context because it demonstratesan attemptduring the Muromachi period to reinterpretthe faithin terms
of those earlier conceptions.
The play contains one great surprise,which it reveals almost immediately.An
old man presents a mulberrybow sheathed in a sack to envoys of the emperor
attendingthe JwashimizuHachiman shrinefestival;the envoys,regardingthisas
an auspicious sign, wish to unwrap the bow and worship beforethe god. But the
old man protests: 'Wrapping the bow in a sack, Restoring the sword to its sheath,
These are the marksof an age ofgreat peace.' This may not seem all that astonishing until one realizes that the play is rejectingthe view of Hachiman as a god of
war and the militaryhouses. Throughout the work Hachiman is depicted primarily as a deity who ensures a peaceful imperial reign.
Taikan comment
The political message is obvious. The editors of the YJkyoku
that the play 'advocates peace in a time of militaryrule; it lauds the imperial
house at a time of shogunal despotism.'2 Watsuji Tetsuro argues that the call for
1 iERIlJt. The play is generally attributed to
Zeami t!:I JT, 1363-1443, who in his Zeshi
Dangi t
+S 4*FfiAMR
RokujuIgo Sarugaku
discusses Yumi Yawata as a model of waki-no
ofJapan,
J;t. In his NJ: TheClassicalTheatre
Kodansha International,rev. ed. 1973,p. 102,
Donald Keene refersto the work as a 'god
play' by Zeami, adding, 'The authorshipof
the plays has yet to be establishedfirmly.The
above attributions
reflectcurrentscholarshipin
Japan.'
2 Sanari Kentaro ftJMCM, ed., Yokyoku
Taikan 'RIikt, Meiji Shoin, 2nd ed., 1954,
v, p. 3222.
166
XXXIII, 2
Monumenta
Nipponica,
peace and the nostalgia for imperial rule evident in Yumi Yawatarepresentthe
ethical values of the lower classes, values which were given articulation through
the medium of the Noh play. He also notes that the play has no referenceto the
Minamoto, and he suggeststhat the view of Hachiman as Ojin is importantto the
play's pacifisticsentiment.3This is an excellent insight, but it requires a more
extensive elaboration than Watsuji provides. The present essay will attempt to
explore more fullythe play's treatmentof earlier dimensions of the Hachiman
belief. Referencesto those dimensions abound, and the followingbriefoutline of
the cult's historyshould aid in understandingthe allusions.
does not appear in the Kojikior the Nihongi,and the historyofthe belief
beforethe Nara period is obscure. One Japanese scholar has studied the traditions
of the clans known to be associated with the cult by the early ninth centuryand
has constructed a theory of Hachiman's origins. Briefly, Nakano Hatayoshi
believes that the faith was the result of a process of amalgamation of Japanese
animisticand Korean shamanistic cults which finallyfound its center at the Usa
shrine in northeastKyushu toward the end of the sixth century.4Referencesto
fromthe ShokuNihongison, and in
Hachiman appear regularlyin the Rikkokushi
later historical works, and three major phases in the cult from Nara to early
medieval times can be discerned.
During the Nara period, the Usa shrine was the center of Hachiman worship.
The pronouncementsof its medium had dramatic impact on state affairsin the
eighthcentury; the oracle approving the casting of the Daibutsu in Nara brought
great wealth and prestigeto the shrine,so that by 749 its officialsheld court rank
higherthan those at Ise, and the god itselfhad been awarded the firstrank. Dokyo
justified his attempt on the throne in 769 with an alleged oracle fromUsa, and
there were other instances during the period when the god's will was claimed as
grounds forpolitical promotion.6 The firsthistorical phase of the cult is characterized by the primacy of Hachiman's oracular function.
Heian Japan saw the growth of a more complicated and sophisticated cult.
Most significantwas the development of the concept that Hachiman was actually
a Bodhisattva; the officialhistoriesawarded him thistitleforthe firsttimein 809.7
This Buddhist conception led to a view of the god as a protector,a guardian deity,
fromthe Nara image of a Hachiman
an interpretationwhich differedsignificantly
who rendered decisions on mattersof state througha medium.
HACHIMAN
3 Watsuji Tetsur6 Tfnhf5, 'Japanese Rikkokushi
/N[ ,
6 ShokuNihongi,
P
Tempy6 Sh6h6
Ethical Thought in the Noh Plays of the
MuromachiPeriod', tr.by David D. Dilworth, 1.12.27 & 2.10.1;Jingo Keiun * fiT 3.9.25,
ed., Kokushi
in Kuroita Katsumi 4;AO,
in MN, XXIV (1969),p. 473.
4 Nakano Hatayoshi rPVI,
Kokushi Taikei Kank6kai,
Hachiman Taikei J
noKenkyulW-AfXt@7Dt, Yoshikawa 1935,ii, pp. 204, 211 & 369.
Shinkoshi
7 Nihon Koki F1
*'NewJI,Daid6 7k PM 4.
K6bunkan, 1967.
5
tZ
*#, coveringthe period 697-791, intercalary2.21, in KokushiTaikei,iII, p. 82.
1i1
is the second of the Six National Histories,or
BENDER:
Metamorphosisof a Deity
167
theIwashimizuHachimanshrinewas established
century
In themid-ninth
thatHachimanat
relates
ofitsfounding
southofKyoto.The myth
onOtokoyama,
theemto
to
to
protect
desire
Kyoto
his
monk
proceed
Usa revealedtoa visiting
a
on Otokoyama,
whereupon greatlight
peror.The monkerecteda hermitage
haddreamsofa purplecloud
andempress
shoneuponthepeak,andtheemperor
of
to settleoverthepalace.Othertraditions
fromthemountain
thatdescended
Jingui
the
of
sovereigns
the
legends
with
Nihongi
theperiodassociateHachiman
as
and Ojin.An earlyHeianmythclaimedthatHachimanhad revealedhimself
of
oftheidentification
s reign.8Thesignificance
Kimmei'
Ojinduring
theEmperor
to
isthatitwasan attempt
clear;onesuggestion
Hachimanas Ojinisnotentirely
by makinghiman
thegod morecloselywiththeimperialinstitution
integrate
the
But it is evidentthatduringthisperiod godwasseenas
imperialancestor.9
as
and theHeiancultmaybe identified
oftheemperor,
theprotection
ensuring
god.
thephasein whichHachimanassumedtheaspectofa tutelary
withthe
clanbeganitsassociation
theMinamoto
century
Duringtheeleventh
Hachiman
of
center
a new
oftheshogunate
cultandbythetimeofthefounding
at Kamakura.Astheclan
shrine
at theTsurugaoka
hadbeenestablished
worship
deityoftheGenji,Hachimanhad developeda warlikeaspectand suchworksas
HereHachidepicthimaccordingly.
andtheHeikeMonogatari
theAzumaKagami
are
sentiments
withbloodthirsty
manis labelledthe'godofbattles',andprayers
doubtthe
to us, without
recorded:'If thygraciousformbe purelymanifested
thyhelpwith
rebelswillbe putto thesword,and thusdo we eagerlyanticipate
tearsofjoy."?0
The tale ofthefeatofNasu no Yoichiat thebattleofYashimain thefinal
ofHachimanas
fortheidentification
stagesoftheGempeiWar is thelocusclassicus
shrine
a visittotheHachiman
a godofwar." WhenBashorecalledthistaleduring
had
which
Hachiman
of
an
of
aspect
the
memory
reviving
was
he
at Kurobane,
marthe
as
characterized
be
period.'2Thismay
in theearlymedieval
developed
tialaspectofHachiman.
one findsallusionsto eachofthesephases.The
TURNING again to YumiYawata,
passage
in theconcluding
ofthefaithis revealedmostclearly
dimension
animistic
manifestation
a
is
the
pines'
in
wind
of
the
the
sound
'even
that
whichproclaims
of thegod'sbody.The idea thatHachiman'renewseventhecolorofplants'
theplay
Pervading
festival.
spring
oftheshrine's
meaning
theunderlying
reflects
ofthemountain.
oftheholiness
conception
is theanimistic
8 Miyaji Naokazu IAI-,
no
Hachimangur Ris6sha, 1956, pp. 6-7.
Kenkyu
9 Saida Moriuji lMWiXA;,Hachimanjin
no
Kogai JAS$*)*WiCMt 5
ni kansuru
Honshitsu
tf*, Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shamusho,
Kamakura, 1947,pp. 16-8.
10 A. L. Sadler, tr., 'The HeikeMonogatari',
of theAsiaticSocietyof Japan,
in Transactions
1 (1921), p. 27.
Sadler, pp. 234-6. Sadler refersto him as
'Yoichi Munetaka', but Nasu no Yoichi
is his usually
g
(Munetaka)
accepted name.
Road to
12 NobuyukiYuasa, tr., The Narrow
Penguin
theDeep NorthandOtherTravelSketches,
Books,Baltimore,1966,p. 103.
XLIX,
"
168
XXXIII, 2
Nipponica,
Monumenta
Allusions to the early oracular role of Hachiman are relativelyfew. Accepting
the bow, the envoy inquires whetherthe giftwas the old man's own idea or was
rather inspired by an oracle of the god. Indignantly the man replies that it was
indeed the god's decree that he presenta bow. When the old man reappears as the
the god of the Kawara sub-shrine,he recalls an oracle of Hachiman
nochi-jite,
which is traditionallyascribed to the Nara period: 'Beforeforeignlands, our land;
beforeforeignpeoples, our people.'
Conspicuously absent in the play is the martial aspect of the god. The playwrightmakes no referenceto the Tsurugaoka shrine or the Minamoto cult, and
throughthis deliberate oversighthe creates an image of the god which denies the
deity's military function. Although there are allusions to Jingul's conquest of
Korea, these are balanced by longer passages on the reign of Ojin, a pacific sovereign under whom 'The countrywas rich, the people prosperous,all under heaven
was at peace.' The fundamentaltensionin the play arises fromthe negation of the
god's martial aspect. References to Hachiman's bow in the title and in the first
scene create martial overtones, and the theme is brieflysounded in the Jingii
sections.But in factthe war god theme is most notable forits absence, and its very
absence constitutesa counterpointto the primarymotifof the play.
From the beginning,ours has been a land
Where the gods protect the emperor.
The vow of this god in particular
Illumines the night
Like the light of the moon.
The waters of Iwashimizu flow ceaselessly,
And as long as the stream runs on
Living beings are released.
How glorious is the god's compassion!
Truly this is an auspicious time.
These lines express the true theme of the play. The work presentsan image
of Hachiman in his tutelary aspect; this is the Heian conception of the god,
and that most closely associated with the Iwashimizu shrine and the protection
of the emperor. Near the end of the play Hachiman is revealed as a Bodhisattva,
the symbol of profound and eternal compassion. But the Bodhisattva is seen as
having a political function:not only does he release living beings, but he protects
the emperor as well.
An importantelementin the developmentof the theme is the play's use of time.
In the firstsection the old man explains the meaning of his giftto the envoys:
'In the August Reign of the Gods, the world was pacified with the mulberrybow
and arrowsof artemisia.' The seriesof legends which followsis ordered in chronological sequence descending fromthe age of the gods, the primordial time of origins. The age of the Chou, the time of human emperorsin Japan, the reigns of
Jinguiand Ojin, the era of Kimmei, the foundingof the Iwashimizu shrine-the
BENDER:
Metamorphosisof a Deity
169
recital of this sequence of historical eras is an attempt to unite the primordial
time with the present age. In the end, the shrinefestivalitselfis transformedinto
an event of the divine age-the festivalis a re-enactmentof the gatheringof the
gods which lured Amaterasu fromthe heavenly rock cave.
Through the celebration the peace and order of the age of the gods are again
restoredon earth. The presenttime is a divine era: 'Truly, truly,in theAge of the
Gods, in our own age, the sign of the god's favor is manifest.' Mircea Eliade's
assessmentof the meaning of religiousfestivalsapplies accurately to the Hachiman
festival of the play: 'To reintegrate the sacred time of origin is equivalent to
becoming contemporary with the gods, hence to living in their presence...
Man desiresto recoverthe active presence of the gods; he also desiresto live in the
world as it came fromthe Creator's hands, fresh,pure, and strong.'13
To recapitulate, Yumi Yawata presents an interpretationof the god which emphasizes its tutelaryaspect. All other phases of the cult are subsumed under the
god's guardian function.Although the play was writtenin Muromachi times and
set in the thirteenthcentury, its view of Hachiman denies the contemporary
association of the god with the ruling military house. It rather dramatizes an
earlier conception of the deity, portrayinga Hachiman who is intimatelylinked
with the imperial institution.The sentiment of imperial loyalism in the play
constitutespart of a larger trend,and Wilhelm Gundert points out that throughout the Noh literatureit is the emperor rather than the shogun who is the focus
of allegiance. 14
Yet the work expressesa desire for an age more perfectthan the reign of any
historical emperor. The play's specificattempt to recover the earlier meaning of
Hachiman must be seen as part of its larger effortto recapture the peace of the
earliest time, the age of the gods. In this sense Yumi Yawata presentsan excellent
illustrationof the intentionof Shinto worship in the Muromachi period.
*
*
*
*
The texts consulted in translating this Noh play were Sanari Kentaro, ed.,
(Nihon
YJkyokuTaikan, v, pp. 3221-35, and Tanaka Makoto, ed., YJkyoku-shu
Koten Zensho, 80), Asahi Shimbunsha, 1957, iii, pp. 103-8.'5 The stage directions are abridged in the translation.
In the firstpart of the play the ancient Japanese reading of the god's name,
'Yawata', is used; in the latter part it is given the Sino-Japanese reading 'Hachiman'. It may also be noted that the title of the work contains a play on words,
combiningyumiandya intoyumiya,or 'bow and arrows'.
filr Natur-und Volkerkunde
Gesellschaft
andtheProfane: Deutschen
13 Mircea Eliade, TheSacred
XIX (1925), p. 231.
Ostasiens,
The Natureof Religion,Harcourt, Brace &
15 ffl p-jI, &A f. For the full referenceto
World,New York, 1959,pp. 91-2.
Taikan,see n. 2, above.
im Yokyoku
14 Wilhelm Gundert, Der Schintoismus
JapanischenNd-Drama, in Mitteilungender
170
Monumenta
Nipponica,
xxxiii,2
YzumiYawata
by KANZE MOTOKIYO ZEAMI
Persons
A retainerof the Cloistered Emperor Go-Uda (waki)
Two of his servants (wakizure)
An old man (shite)
The god of Kawara (nochi-jite)
The old man's companion (tsure)
Place
Otokoyama, south of Kyoto (site of the JwashimizuHachiman Shrine)
Time
The reign of the Cloistered Emperor Go-Uda (late thirteenthcentury).
Spring, the second month.
Retainer&
servants:
Retainer:
enter
thestageandface each
[The retainer
of Go-Udaand hisservants
other.]
Otokoyama, that prospers the emperor's reign,
Otokoyama, where the god's glory increases,
Let us go to the shrine of the famous god.
[The retainer
facesfront.]
I am a retainer serving at the court of the Cloistered Emperor
Go-Uda. It is the second month'6 and today is the Yawata festival
when the sacred chants are recited.As we have been put in charge
of the ceremonies,we have received the imperial command to go
and attend, and now we are proceeding to Yawata Mountain. 7
[Theyturntofaceeachother.]
16 Actually,the first
day of the hare of the
secondmonthin the lunar calendar.
17
OtokoyamaM [LI
ZEAMI:
Retainer &
servants:
Retainer:
YumiYawata
171
In our time
The waves on the four seas are calm,
The waves on the fourseas are calm,
Clouds over the Eight Islands are dispelled.
Along the nine roads fromthe capital,
Coming and going,
Travelers are plentifulindeed.
and advancesafew steps.]
[The retainerfacesfront
The sun's rays slant to the south,
They fall on Yawata Mountain;
Now we have arrived at Yawata Mountain.
to his originalposition,signifying
theirarrival.]
[He returns
Because we have hurried, we have arrived at Yawata Mountain.
Let us serenelygo to pay homage to the god.
[Theygo towardthewaki positionand kneeltherein turn.An old man
a bowwrappedin a sackand he is accomenters;hecarriesonhisshoulder
man.Theyproceedalongthehashigakari,theoldmanto
paniedbyanother
tothefirst,thenstopandfaceeachother.]
thethirdpineandhis companions
Old man &
companion: It is the second month and the day of the god's festival has
arrived. Can this be the reason forthe genial spring weather?
Companion:
facefront.]
[ They
Can it be that the sky reflectsthe flowerycapital?
[Theyfaceeachother.]
Old man &
companion: The clouds are dispelled. There is no wind.
[They enterthestage. The old manstandsat theshite positionand his
at stagecenter.]
companion
Old man:
'May the emperor's reign endure
For a thousand years,
For thousands of years,
Till small pebbles become a large boulder
Covered with moss.'18
Old man &
companion:
[Theyfaceeachother.]
May it endure forever
Like the color of the pine needles
On EternityMountain.
The azure skyis calm,
The emperor's reign secure;
18
Kokinshlii'4f
343.
172
XXXIII, 2
Monumenta
Nipponica,
The people are kind-hearted,
Passes have not been closed.'9
From the beginning,ours has been a land
Where the gods protect the emperor.
The vow of this god in particular
Illumines the night
Like the light of the moon.
The waters of Jwashimizuflow ceaselessly,
And as long as the stream runs on
Living beings are released.20
How glorious is the god's compassion!
Truly this is an auspicious time.
Retainer:
Old man:
We shall make our pilgrimage straightaway
In the Way of God and Emperor.
On the mountain the pines rise high,
Row upon row on the Peak of the Doves,
Row upon row on the Peak of the Doves.
The unclouded reign endures,
How brilliantis the moon on Otokoyama!
Praying fora reign of ten thousand years,
We make our pilgrimage to the god.
to thefrontof thestage.
thecompanion
[The old mangoes tostagecenter,
of Go-Uda risesandfacestheold man.]
The retainer
Today is the festivalof this shrine and many people have come.
Among them is this old man, and he is carryingwhat appears
to be a bow, wrapped in a brocaded sack. Tell me, whence have
you come?
I have been serving for many years at this shrine, praying for
the safetyof the emperor. What I carry is a mulberrybow. As
one of humble rank, I have as yet been unable to offerit up,
19 An indication that the country is at
peace. Watsuji, p. 471, commentsthat this
also symbolizesa timebeforemilitaryrule was
established.
to the Buddhistho-jo5e
&T.ti
20 A reference
ceremonyat whichbirds,fishand otherliving
creatures are released; Emperor Temmu
orderedthatthe ritebe carriedout forthefirst
time in Japan in 677. The hoj5ecame to be
withHachiman shrines;
associatedparticularly
accordingto tradition,the ceremonywas first
associated with Hachiman when it was
carriedout at the Usa shrinein 720. The Noh
deals withthe festivalat
play HojigawaA&4LJII
the Iwashimizushrine.Nakano, p. 79, argues
that the ceremonyhad been practicedat Usa
in previouscenturies,and thereare suggestions
that the Hachiman festivalwas actually a
primitiveShinto rite which was later given
Buddhistdesignationbecause of its similarity
to the Buddhistceremony(Saida, pp. 9-10).
in thispassage to the moon,
The references
the god's vow, his compassion,and the release
oflivingbeingspresagethe play's laterrevelationofHachiman as a Bodhisattva.
ZEAMI:
Retainer:
Old man:
Companion:
Old man &
companion:
Retainer:
Old man:
Companion:
Old man:
YumiYawata
173
and I have awaited your coming today with the hope that you
will present this giftto the emperor.
We are most gratefulfor your gift,and it is indeed auspicious
that it should be a bow of mulberry.But did you yourselfarrive
at the idea of presentinga bow, or was the giftinspired by an
oracle of the shrine? Tell me preciselyhow it happened.
An ill-advised and irreverentquestion! That I should wait for
your coming today and present a mulberry bow was indeed a
decree of the god.
In the August
Reign of the Gods, the world was pacified with
the mulberrybow and arrows of artemisia.2' This is a precedent
froman age of correctgovernment;please advise His Majesty.
Truly thisis an omen of an age of great peace. Unsheath the bow
and let us worship beforethe god.
No, no, it would be vain to unsheath the bow.
In ancient China, the land was well ordered in the age of the
Chou.
They stored away the bow and arrow,
They laid aside the shield and spear.
Following this example,
Wrapping the bow in a sack,
Restoring the sword to its sheath,
These are the marks of an age of great peace.
Companion:
Old man:
Companion:
Old man &
companion: That was the age of the Chou, but this is our country. Our land
is also called the Mulberry Country.
Take up the mulberrybow,
Chorus:
Take arrows of artemisia,
Yawata Mountain,
Yawata Mountain,
The god's vow of compassion is vast as the ocean;
The emperor is the ship,
The subjects are the sea.
21 Yomogi
g or mugwort.The Li ch'i 4LE
prescribesthat six mugwortarrows be shot
froma mulberrybow upon the birthof a son.
Watsuji,p. 472, remarksthatmugwortarrows
would have been uselessas a weapon and the
symbolismis the same as thatofwrappingthe
bow in a sack.
22 The Shanhai ching
[4AR, a mythological
geographywrittenperhapsas earlyas theChou
period,reportsthatin the land wherethe sun
risestwinmulberrytreesgrow fromthe same
root. Fuso 4*a thus means 'the mulberries
whichsupporteach other',butheretheassociation is with the mulberryas such ratherthan
the idea of twintrees.
174
Retainer:
Chorus:
Old man:
Chorus:
Monumenta
XXXIII, 2
Nipponica,
In this Land of Fertile Rice Ears
All yield to his authority,
Like grass and treesswayed by the wind.
The god renews even the color of plants,
How auspicious is the oracle of the god,
How auspicious is the oracle of the god.
[The old man lowersthe bowfrom his shoulder.Holdingitforthwith
kneels,and theold
it to theretainer.The retainer
bothhands,hepresents
pillar
goes towardtheflute
mangoes to theshiteposition;his companion
and kneels.]
Relate to us furtherhow the realm was pacified with bow and
arrow.
[The old mancomesoutto stagecenterand kneels.]
The origin of pacifyingthe world with bow and arrow was in the
time of the human emperorsand it was throughthe divine power
of this shrine.
Afterthe Empress Jinguihad conquered Korea,
The reign of Emperor Ojin flourishedin turn.
His reign was lengthy,
The countryrich and the people prosperous,
All under heaven was at peace.23
Tribute to the emperor has never ceased
Down to our time.
From the nobles, resplendentlike the moon
At the court above the clouds,
To the multitudesof common people below,
The joyful voices never cease.
The god protectsthe emperor;
So profoundis his favor
That in Kimmei's reign
In the province of Buzen
In the districtof Usa
Near the Rendai Temple
The god appeared at the Hachiman Shrine.24
With eightfold-bannerclouds as guide
Accordingto the Nihongiaccount,Ojin's
onlywarlikeattributewas thefleshypad on his
arm which resembledan archer'sarm guard.
24 The oldestversionof the legendis found
in the Usa Engi VtORR, compiledin theJowa
period,834-48. An old blacksmithliving
WnTh
near Usa during the reign of the Emperor
Kimmeiwas visitedby a man who stayedthere
for three years. At the end of this time the
23
intoa goldenhawk,
was transformed
blacksmith
into a golden
which in turn was transformed
boy, who
dove and then into a three-year-old
announced: 'I am the sixteenthhuman emperor, Homuda [Ojin], the broad-bannered
Hachiman-maro.' The referenceto Rendaiji
does not appear in thisversion.Miyaji,
X@+
pp. 6-7; Saida, p. 12.
ZEAMI:
Old man:
Chorus:
Yumi Yawata
175
Ascendingto the mountainheights
Southofthecapital;
Manifestedat theholyshrineJwashimizu,
whosewatersare pure,
Jwashimizu,
The god vowsto ensurean uncloudedreign.
WhenJingiuprayedforsevendays
For successin theconquestofa foreignland,
It was on a mountainin Kyushu
At the Temple ofthe Four Kings.
In thelong distantpast
The gods playedat the HeavenlyRock Door;
They gatheredand sang,
They tied blue and whiteclothofferings
tree.
To thesakaki
Thus theinvocationofdivinespirits
Is in imitationofthe Age ofthe Gods.25
In thisage ofcorrectgovernment
are everywhere
performed.
The properfestivals
Withinthesacredprecincts
Golden bellsare tied
To branchesofthesakaki.
oftheAugustGods
The entertainment
Continuesforsevendaysand nights.
Surelytheheavenlydeitieswill acceptit;
The favorofthe earthlydeitieswill extend
Wide as theocean, highas the mountains.
The realmhas returnedto an age ofpeace.
How auspiciousare thepronouncements
Of the threegods ofthe Hachiman Shrine26
Who lend theirprotectionto theland.
indeed,
The god's vow shinesforthbrightly
The festivalofthesecondmonth
25 The firstreferenceis to the time when
Jingulwas possessed,while the second is to the
attempt to lure Amaterasu from the cave.
Both are thusprecedentsforthe invocationof
spirits.
26 Ojin, Jinguiand Tamayorihime.Tamayorihimewas the youngersisterof Toyotamahime and cared for the latter's child by
Hikohohodemi.It is uncertainwhen the idencultwithHachiman
oftheOjin/Jingii
tification
occurred.Nakano, pp. 134-40, guessesthat it
may have been as early as the sixthcentury,
of such an
but the firstnote in the Rikkokushi
identification
is in 879. The Usa Engi account
has alreadybeen notedin n. 24, above.
The date and significanceof the association
of Tamayorihime with Hachiman is even
more uncertain. A medieval myth depicts
Hachiman as a compositedeity representing
the union of Hikihohodemiand Toyotamahime,but it makesno referenceto Tamayorihime. Saida, pp. 2-4; NihonSandai Jitsuroku
El
Gangyo 5R 3.3.16, in Kokushi
Taikei,iv, p. 449.
XXXIII, 2
Nipponica,
Monumenta
176
Expresses thanksforthe god's favor
Awaiting the dawn
Of the thousand-yearreign,
Let us present dances under the moon,
Praying forthe emperor deep into the night.
With our prayersthe vow will surely be fulfilled.
'I have been servingsince ancient times.
The ages have passed
'Until this year has arrived.'
Releasing living things,
'I am the god of Kawara,27
Now I have come here
Thinking to watch over the present age.'
Old man:
Chorus:
Old man:
Chorus:
Old man:
Chorus:
[The oldmanrises.]
'This is the divine pronouncement
Of the Great Bodhisattva Hachiman.
It is not to be doubted.'
So saying, as though meltingaway,
His formis lost to sight.
At thispointthereis a
followedbyhiscompanion.
[The oldmanexits,
other
myths
far andrecounting
theplaythus
kyogeninterlude
explaining
oftheshrine.]
Retainer &
servants:
'Let us returnto the capital with this divine decree,
Let us returnto the capital with this divine decree;
We shall presentit in its entiretyto the emperor.'
When they say this,
Music is heard on the mountain,
A rare fragranceis diffused.
Wondrous indeed are the works of the god,
Wondrous indeed are the works of the god.
and proceeds
as thegod of Kawara, re-enters
[The old man,revealed
pine.]
alongthehashigakaritothefirst
God of Kawara:
'Before foreignlands, our land;
Beforeforeignpeoples, our people.'28
From beginning to end
The Kawara shrineis a sub-shrineof the
Iwashimizu shrine; Takeuchi no Sukune
AtVgjff,the long-livedministerwho served
Ojin and Jingiu,among other sovereigns,is
enshrinedthere.
27
Attributedby the TodaijiHachimanGenki
At'kPo aMV, 1294, to the Nara period. The
ShokuNihongirecordsno such oracle, and in
factthe militanttone is unlikethe oraclesthat
the ShokuNihongidoes record.
28
ZEAMI:
YumiYawata
177
The god's vow shines bright
Like the moon of absolute reality.
The bow and arrow endure foruncounted ages.
I am the god of Kawara
Who protectsthe emperor.
How delightfulare the dances
Of the festivalof the second month.
Chorus:
thestage.]
[Thegodenters
God of Kawara:
Chorus:
Sing, sing, until dawn's light.
The sleeves of white cotton
Flutteringand returning,
The voices raised in song
Acclaim the thousand-yearreign.
Truly, though these be the Latter Days,
Truly, though these be the Latter Days,29
The god's power and gloryincrease.
How exalted a thing
To worship the manifestgod.
[Thegoddances.]
God of Kawara:
Chorus:
God of Kawara:
Chorus:
God of Kawara:
Chorus:
The providence which protectsthe emperor
Is unchanging fromthe beginning of time.
But in particular
The gods guard this emperor
Whose divine virtue unites the realm.
Truly, truly,
In the Age of the Gods,
In our own age,
The sign of the god's favor is manifest.
The foundingof the shrine on this mountain
Was in divine antiquity.
Throughout the long ages
The moon illumines Otokoyama,
This is the place of brilliantlight.
So sacred is this place that
Beast and bird,
The cooing of doves,
Even the sound of the wind in the pines-
29 A rather
paradoxical statementin view
of the themeof the whole play stressingthat
this is an auspicious time. Gundert,p. 216,
commentson the juxtapositionof the 'Latter
Days' (mappi &iX)withthe 'Age of the Gods'
(kamiyoOft) in other plays, remarkingthat
the concept of kamiyoformsa joyfulcounterthat
point to the resignedemotionsof mappJ,
the generalatmosphereof doomsdayinvolved
in the mappobeliefproduced a religiousdesire
foran experiencewhichwould makeit possible
to forgetthe currenttimeofdecadence.
178
XXXIII, 2
Monumenta
Nipponica,
All are manifestations
Of the bodyofthegod.
We relyon the deity'swill
Manifestedas a god,
The GreatBodhisattvaHachiman,
How profoundare his revelations,
How profoundare his revelations.

Metamorphosis of a Deity. The Image of Hachiman in Yumi Yawata

Transcription

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