伊勢神宮の式年遷宮「遷御の儀」にお参りして
(Visiting the “Transfer of the Sacred Symbol” Ceremony at Ise Jingu)
平成25年11月号掲載(Publisehd in November Heisei 25 (2013) issue)
１０月２日午後６時、西の空にまだ明るさがわずかに残る中で「遷御(せんぎょ)の儀(ぎ)」は始まりました。いつも新春の参宮で皆様と一緒にお祓いを上げる所である「板垣南御門内東側」に幄舎(あくしゃ)が造られていて、特別参列員二百数十名の席が用意されてありました。
On October 2 at 6:00 p.m., with a faint light still lingering in the western sky, the Sengyo no Gi 遷御の儀 (the “Transfer of the Sacred Symbol” Ceremony) of Ise Jingu 伊勢神宮 began. At the east side inside the Itagaki South Gate—where we usually join in purification rites during the New Year pilgrimage—a temporary pavilion had been built, with seats prepared for more than two hundred special participants.
昭和４８年の家内祥重(よしえ)との参拝、平成５年の長男宗道とのお参りに続いて今回は、副教主の宗道と共に八代の宗芳もお参りさせていただき、三代揃(そろ)っての参拝という光栄に浴しました。まことにおおけなき思いの私たちでして、これもひとえに教祖神以来の有形無形のご神縁をいただく本教なればこそであり、その上、前回に続いてこの度の式年遷宮にも奉賛の誠を捧(ささ)げ続けられたお道づれの皆様のおかげでお参りできたことで、心から有り難く緊張の中に席に着きました。
Following my visit with my wife Yoshie in Shōwa 48 (1973), and with my eldest son Munemichi in Heisei 5 (1993), this time I was blessed to attend together with Vice Chief Patriarch Munemichi and my grandson Muneyoshi, making three generations present. For us, it was an honor beyond measure, possible only because our faith has received both tangible and intangible bonds with the Divine Founder since its origin. Moreover, thanks to the companions on the Way who continued to offer their sincerity of support through Shikinen Sengū 式年遷宮, as in the previous occasion, we were able to join this time as well. With heartfelt gratitude, I took my seat in solemn anticipation.
２０年間、全国民の祈りが込められたと言っても過言ではない内宮(ないくう)は、夜の帳(とばり)が下りるにつれていよいよ神さびて、見つめるのももったいない思いに駆られました。
Naikū 内宮 (the Inner Shrine), into which the prayers of the entire nation have been poured for twenty years, grew ever more divine as night descended, filling me with the sense that even to gaze upon it was almost too great a privilege.
日が落ちてまさに浄闇(じょうあん)の中、はるか離れた所の御(ご)正宮(しょうぐう)で遷御のための所作が続けられているのでしょうが、辺りは全くの静寂に包まれ、そこに人が居るのかと思うほどの沈黙の時間が流れていきました。心の中でお祓いを上げつつ、私の中では教祖神以来のお伊勢様が走馬灯のように、今で言うなら動画のように現れてきました。
When the sun had set and pure darkness surrounded us, the rites of transfer must have been continuing far away at the Main Sanctuary. Yet all around was complete silence, so deep that one wondered if anyone was present at all. In that stillness, while offering purification in my heart, visions of Ise Jingu as revered by the Divine Founder appeared before me like a revolving lantern—indeed, like a moving picture in today’s terms.
江戸時代、ひたすら大御神様の御開運を祈られてのご生涯６度ものご参宮。教えの大元とのひとことをいただき霊地大元と称され始めた二代様時代の千人参り。明治時代の三代様、四代様と続いた５回の萬人(まんにん)参り。戦前、戦中、戦後と子供の頃から度々連れて参って下さった五代様のご参宮、とりわけ装束姿のその堂々たるご参拝に神宮の方々も並んで迎えられたご参宮などが、次々と浮かんできました。
In the Edo period, the Divine Founder devoted his life to praying for the prosperity of Amaterasu Ōmikami, making six pilgrimages to Ise. In the era of the Second Patriarch, the phrase “Oshie no Ōmoto 教えの大元” (the source of the teaching) was bestowed to Kurozumikyō, and the sacred site Ōmoto came to be named, marked by the thousand‑person pilgrimage. In the Meiji period, under the Third and Fourth Chief Patriarchs, five great “ten‑thousand‑person pilgrimages” followed. Before the war, during the war, and after the war, the Fifth Chief Patriarch often took me along as a child to Ise. Especially memorable was his majestic pilgrimage in full ceremonial attire, which was so dignified that even the priests of Ise Jingu lined up to welcome him. These scenes rose vividly before my eyes one after another.
中でも、昭和４９年、神道山における大教殿ご造営の最終段階で、前年の昭和４８年のご遷宮で古殿となった内宮御正宮のご神木を大量に賜って、大教殿御神殿のほとんどを設(しつら)えることのできたこと、そして昭和５５年、５９年、さらに平成６年の萬人参りなど、いずれも胸熱くなりながら、その一つひとつを「遷御の儀」のさ中に再び三度かみしめることのできることを、この上なく有り難く思いました。
Among them, in Shōwa 49 (1974), during the final stage of constructing Daikyōden 大教殿 (the Main Shrine) at Shintōzan, we were granted a large amount of sacred timber from the he Main Sanctuary of the Inner Shrine of the Ise Jingu, which had become the old shrine after the Shikinen Sengū of Shōwa 48 (1973). With it, we were able to furnish almost the entire sanctuary of Daikyōden. Also, the great “ten‑thousand‑person pilgrimages” in Shōwa 55 (1980), Shōwa 59 (1984), and Heisei 6 (1994) each stirred my heart deeply. To be able to relive each of these memories once again, three times over, in the midst of the Sengyo no Gi was an experience for which I felt the utmost gratitude.
前回もまた前々回もそうでしたが、耳に聞こえてくる秋の虫の音(ね)はほんのわずかで、その静けさの中の祈りは、大御神様の２０年間の御神威に感謝して幕を閉じる御祭(みまつ)りのようにも感じられました。
As in the previous occasion and the one before that, only the faintest sounds of autumn insects could be heard. In that quiet, the prayer felt like a festival drawing to its close, offering gratitude for Amaterasu Ōmikami’s divine power over the past twenty years.
９月の末、宗教紙「中外日報」から「遷御の儀」について求められて送ったコメントが蘇(よみがえ)ってきました。
「わが国日本の生命の核と崇(あが)め奉(まつ)る神宮、第６２回式年遷宮遷御の儀。５月の出雲大社の遷宮祭と相まって、わが国に新たな生気が満ちて来るのを有り難く実感するきょうこの頃です」。
At the end of September, I recalled the comment I had sent to the religious newspaper Chūgai Nippō regarding the Sengyo no Gi (Transfer Ceremony):
“Ise Jingu, revered as the very core of life in our nation Japan — the 62nd Shikinen Sengū Sengyo no Gi. Together with the transfer festival of Izumo Taisha in May, I feel with deep gratitude that new vitality is now filling our country.”
まさに、わが国日本の生命の核が蘇る御祭りです。
It is truly a festival in which the very core of Japan’s life is renewed.
秋篠宮殿下、臨時祭主の黒田清子(さやこ)様、御祭りの中心をなす御(ご)祭文(さいもん)を奏上するのは、天皇陛下に代わって参拝の勅使(ちょくし)の方です。
His Highness Prince Akishino was present, with Lady Kuroda Sayako serving as the special festival officiant. The central saimon (ritual proclamation) was offered by the imperial envoy, representing His Majesty the Emperor.
事実、この日この時、陛下は皇居の神嘉殿(しんかでん)の前に立たれて伊勢に向かって祈り続けられる「遥拝(ようはい)の儀」をおつとめされていたのです。安倍総理夫妻をはじめ、麻生副総理ら多くの閣僚方の参拝。わが国の本体に関わる尊い祈りの時です。
In fact, at that very moment, His Majesty was standing before Shinkaden 神嘉殿 in the Imperial Palace, performing Yōhai no Gi 遥拝の儀 (Distant Worship Ceremony), continuing his prayers toward Ise. Prime Minister Abe and his wife, Deputy Prime Minister Asō, and many other cabinet ministers also attended. It was a sacred time of prayer touching upon the very essence of our nation.
厳粛な中に確かな御神威を感じながら頭をよぎったのは、昭和２０年９月２７日の先帝昭和天皇のことでした。
折から、全国で上映されている映画「終戦のエンペラー」のクライマックスシーンが、まぶたの裏に再現してきました。これは日本人の製作者によるアメリカ製の映画で、名のごとく先の大戦の昭和天皇を追い求めたものです。
In the solemn atmosphere, as I felt the sure presence of divine power, my thoughts turned to Emperor Shōwa on September 27, Shōwa 20 (1945). At that moment, the climax scene of the film Emperor—which has been shown nationwide—came vividly to mind. This American production, created by Japanese filmmakers, as its title suggests, seeks to portray Emperor Shōwa in the final days of the war.
太平洋のテニアン島から飛び立ったＢ29が、広島に原爆を投下するところから始まったこの映画は、わが国の無残に焼き尽くされた各都市を映し出します。世界の戦争の歴史の中で、二度まで原爆を投下され、都市という都市が壊滅した戦争は未曽有(みぞう)のものでした。映画の終盤、昭和天皇が御自ら連合軍最高司令長官マッカーサー元帥を訪ねられます。戦争の歴史が常にそうであるように、命乞いに来たと思っていたマ元帥の思いとは丸反対に、陛下は静かに、「この度の戦争の責任はすべて自分にある」と明言されました。驚き、目がうろうろし、涙さえにじみ出るマ元帥が演じられていました。
The film begins with the B‑29 taking off from Tinian Island in the Pacific to drop the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, then shows the devastation of Japan’s cities burned to ashes. In the history of world wars, no other conflict has ever seen atomic bombs dropped twice, reducing city after city to ruins—an unprecedented tragedy.
Toward the end of the film, Emperor Shōwa himself visits General Douglas MacArthur, Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces. As in the usual course of history, MacArthur assumed the Emperor had come to plead for his life. Yet, in complete contrast, His Majesty quietly declared: “I take full responsibility for this war.” The film depicts MacArthur astonished, his eyes darting, even moved to tears.
戦後日本の始まりと言える尊い一瞬が、こうしてアメリカ映画に登場したことは実に意義深く感激を新たにしたことですが、陛下のこのご言動の寄ってくるところこそ、この伊勢神宮、内宮の御正殿(ごしょうでん)にお鎮まりになる大御神様であることをあらためて確信させてくれた映画でした。
That precious moment—the true beginning of postwar Japan—appearing in an American film was profoundly significant and renewed my emotion. Yet the source of the Emperor’s words and actions was none other than Amaterasu Ōmikami enshrined in the Main Sanctuary of the Inner Shrine at Ise.
それは２年前の大災害の時にも現れました。今上(きんじょう)陛下の３月１６日のテレビを通じてのお言葉。そして、現地に行幸(ぎょうこう)なっての被災した人々にかけられた「よくぞ生きていて下さいました」のご一言です。
This same spirit appeared two years ago in the great disaster: His Majesty the present Emperor’s televised words on March 16, and his visit to the stricken areas where he said to the survivors, “How wonderful that you have lived.”
このような大御心(おおみこころ)こそ、実に、陛下がご即位後ほどなくおつとめになる大(だい)嘗(じょう)祭(さい)の時、伊勢神宮に鎮まります皇祖天照大御神の御神霊を神迎(かみむか)えされる神秘の祈りによってお鎮まりになる天皇霊であります。従って天皇陛下の御日々は、この天皇霊すなわち大御心をお養いになることに終始されていると恐れながら拝察しています。不遜(ふ そん)ながら、このような思いに浸りながら侍(はべ)っていますと、有り難さが迫るように大きく強くなってまいりました。
This very Ōmikokoro—the Great Divine Heart—is indeed the Emperor’s spirit, which is settled within him through the mysterious prayer of the rite called Daijōsai 大嘗祭 soon after his enthronement, when he receives the divine spirit of Amaterasu Ōmikami enshrined at Ise Jingu. Thus, His Majesty’s daily life is wholly devoted to nurturing this imperial spirit, Ōmikokoro. Humbly reflecting on this while attending, I felt the sense of gratitude pressing upon me, growing ever greater and stronger.
静寂、沈黙の世界から我に帰ったのは、大宮司、少宮司をはじめ数多くの神職の方々の浅沓(あさぐつ)の音でした。いよいよ御神体の出御(しゅつぎょ)です。絹垣(きんがい)に覆われ、篳篥(ひちりき)の音と楽人の低い歌声に先導された御神体は、西の御(み)敷地(しきち)に立つ新正殿に向かわれました。奉仕の神職方に付いて、私ども二百数十名も新しい御敷地内の旧と同じ所に向かいます。参道と五十鈴川の間に設えられた特別奉拝席が埋め尽くされているのが、夜目にも分かります。三千名の方々の、ひとつ心に新宮(にい みや)に向かっていらっしゃる熱いものが伝わって来て、また別の感動に包まれました。事実、奉拝席に座る本教の３人の総務は、その瞬間、東から西に吹いた一陣の風に身を固くしたと話していました。前回も前々回もそうでしたが、新御敷地にすだく虫の音は力強く、大御神様を喜び迎えているように感じられました。
From the world of silence and stillness, I was brought back by the sound of the shallow wooden clogs of the High Priest, the Assistant High Priest, and many other priests. It was the moment of the divine body’s departure. Covered by silk screens and led by the tones of hichiriki 篳篥 (the small double-reed wind instrument used in the Japanese court music) and the low voices of musicians, the sacred body moved toward the new Main Sanctuary standing on the western site.
Following the priests in service, we—more than two hundred special participants—also proceeded to the same place within the new precincts as before. Even in the night, one could see the special worship seats arranged between the approach and the Isuzu River filled completely. The fervent devotion of three thousand people, united in heart toward the new shrine, was palpable, enveloping us in another wave of emotion.
Indeed, three senior administrators of our faith seated in the worship area later told how, at that very instant, a gust of wind blew from east to west, making them stiffen. As in the previous occasions, the strong sounds of insects in the new precincts seemed to rejoice in welcoming Amaterasu Ōmikami.
翌朝１０時、抜けるような青空の下、斎服に御身を包まれた祭主池田厚子様以下祭員百数十名によって、天皇陛下の御供(おそなえ)物(もの)「幣帛(へいはく)」を供(きょう)する「奉幣(ほうへい)の儀」が執り行われ、いよいよ新たな２０年が始まりました。
At 10:00 a.m. the next morning, under a clear blue sky, the Hōhei no Gi (Offering Ceremony) was conducted. Lady Ikeda Atsuko, serving as the Supreme Priest, together with more than one hundred priests in ritual attire, presented the Emperor’s offerings (heihaku 幣帛) to Amaterasu Ōmikami. Thus began a new twenty‑year cycle.
天皇陛下の御(ご)聖寿(せいじゅ)の萬歳(ばんざい)、わが国日本の隆昌、さらに天地のご安泰、世界の大和(たいわ)を祈って心の中で上げ続けてきた大(おお)祓(はらえの)詞(ことば)の終わりに、「謹みて天照大御神の御開運を祈り奉(たてまつ)る」とともに「立教二百年大祝祭の成就を祈り奉る」の祈りを心中でつとめて、私の「遷御の儀」参拝の締めといたしました。
In my heart, I continued to recite Ōharae no Kotoba (the Great Purification Prayer), invoking long life for His Majesty the Emperor, prosperity for Japan, peace of heaven and earth, and harmony in the world. At its conclusion, I added: “With reverence, I pray for the prosperity of Amaterasu Ōmikami, and for the fulfillment of the Bicentennial Grand Festival of Kurozumikyō.” With this prayer, I brought my participation in Sengyo no Gi to its close.
それにしましても、黒住教という教団のおかげで、私の喜寿の年に親子孫三代揃って、伊勢神宮式年遷宮のいわば本祭典の「遷御の儀」にお参りさせていただけた感激は、筆舌に尽くし難いものでした。
Thanks to Kurozumikyō, in my seventy‑seventh year I was blessed to attend Sengyo no Gi, the central rite of the Shikinen Sengū at Ise Jingu, together with three generations—parent, child, and grandchild. The emotion of that experience is truly beyond words.
なお、５日に斎行されました外宮(げくう)の「遷御の儀」には、次男忠親宗忠神社宮司と、倉田功久教議会議長が特別参列員として参拝させていただきました。有り難うございました。心から厚く御礼申し上げます。
Furthermore, at Sengyo no Gi of Gekū (the Outer Shrine) held on October 5, my second son Tadachika, the Chief Priest of Munetada Shrine, and Mr. Kurata Isahisa, Chairman of the Kurozumikyō Council, were honored to participate as special attendees. I am deeply grateful. My heartfelt thanks.
