God in Truth

God in Truth is a common gloss of either:

1. Jitsu no Kami (kanji: 実の神・實の神 hiragana: じつのかみ); often preceded by the phrase "God of Origin" (Moto no Kami)
2. shinjitsu no Kami (kanji: 真実の神 hiragana: しんじつのかみ)

Contents 1 Cultural context 2 Appearance of "(shin)jitsu no Kami/God in Truth" in Scripture 3 Frequency of "(shin)jitsu no Kami/God in Truth" in other Tenrikyo publications 4 External links 5 Notes

Cultural context

The meaning of the phrase "Jitsu no Kami" may only be fully appreciated in the cultural-historical context of pre-modern Japan. Kami was a generic description of supernatural beings, spirits of deceased persons, or any awe-inspiring phenomenon in general.

It is suspected that with the expression "Jitsu no Kami," Oyasama was asserting that the object of the faith she expounded—Tenri-O-no-Mikoto—to be an "actual Kami" that was not carved from wood or stone. Consider:

"There is no way for God to be able to speak by entering a Buddhist image made of wood, metal, or stone placed at this Residence. God took the soul of the Parent at creation, caused Her to be born in a human body, and discerned Her mind from heaven."^[1]

The expression is said to be a description of God's attribute as "Protector" (shugosha 守護者), or the Source of the so-called "ten aspects of the complete providence" that sustain human bodies and the world at large.^[2]

Appearance of "(shin)jitsu no Kami/God in Truth" in Scripture

• Ofudesaki 3:85

• Ofudesaki 3:148

• Ofudesaki 4:35

• Ofudesaki 5:49

• Ofudesaki 6:50 (translated as "true and real God")

• Song Three, verse 10

• Osashizu 1887-04-03

• Osashizu 1887-07L

Frequency of "(shin)jitsu no Kami/God in Truth" in other Tenrikyo publications

• The Doctrine of Tenrikyo: 5x

• The Life of Oyasama: 3x

• Anecdotes of Oyasama: 1x ("shinjitsu no Kami no chikara" glossed as "true strength of God" in Anecdotes of Oyasama 152)

• Sermons and Addresses by the Shinbashira 1986–2006: 14x^[3]

• Tenrikyo newsletter (1997–Sept 2009): 15x^[3]

External links

• Encyclopedia of Shinto, Introduction: Kami

• Wikipedia: Kami

Notes

1. ↑ Oral tradition, as documented by Moroi Masaichi. Seibun iin shō, pp. ??. Quoted in Yamochi Tatsuzō. Kōhon Tenrikyō Oyasama-den nyūmon jikkō. Tenrikyō Dōyūsha, pp. 24 and 39.
2. ↑ "Oyagami/Tenri-Ō-no-Mikoto," Kaitei Tenrikyō jiten, pp. 141–142. For English equivalent, see A Glossary of Tenrikyo Terms, pp. 109–111.
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1} Both include a quote of Ofudesaki 5:49.