,
Okayama Prefecture ,
Okayama Prefecture , known by Konkōkyō followers as , is recognized as the founder of Konkōkyō, beginning in 1859. He was born on September 29, 1814, in the village of Urami in
Bitchū Province (in present-day
Asakuchi,
Okayama Prefecture) to a farming family. Urami was a small quiet village located about two kilometers northwest of present-day Konkōkyō Headquarters. Genshichi was often carried on his father's back and visited various shrines and temples. Given the name Genshichi, he was the second son of Kandori Juhei (Father) and Kandori Shimo (Mother). When Bunji was 13, he received education from Ono Mitsuemon, the village headman for two years. As Genshichi was the second son and thus not expected to take over the family lineage or farm, he was arranged to be adopted in the fall of 1825. At age twelve, Genshichi was adopted into the Kawate household by Kawate Kumejiro (Father) and Kawate Iwa (Mother), and he was renamed Kawate Bunjiro, or Bunji. He worked assiduously for the prosperity and welfare of his family, and he gained the respect of those around him. In 1855, at the age of forty-two, Bunjirō went to the important shrine of Okayama Prefecture
Kibitsu Jinja to do a divination and prayer ceremony as it was his
yakudoshi (unlucky age year). He believed he had received a good omen, yet that year suffered from a serious throat ailment, rendering him in a chronic condition and unable to speak or move. He could not receive help from doctors, so he turned to ancient Shinto ritual with the help of his brother in law, Furukawa Jiro, to find the reason of his illness. The deity of Ishizuchi revealed through an oracle that Bunjirō was supposed to die from his illness for offending the deity
Konjin. Realizing his mistakes, Bunjirō wanted to apologize to the deity. By this sincere desire to do so, he was able to gain his voice back, and was able to apologize to the deity with his own voice. From that time, he then gradually recovered from his illness completely, the experience impacting his faith and beliefs. As he continued his faith practice from that day, more spiritual experiences occurred, and his faith grew in the
Kami and
Bodhisattvas. In particular, he prayed most often to
Konjin due to the spiritual experience during his
yakudoshi year and apologizing for his irreverence to this deity. Over time, his faith led him to pray to multiple kami at once as a composite deity. He understood this composite deity as
Nittenshi (The Buddhist understanding of the Sun)
Gattenshi (The Buddhist understanding of the Moon), and Kane no Kami (Nigi
mitama of Ushitora no Konjin). Ultimately, however, this deity revealed themselves through an oracle that they were not a composite deity, but the deity that was the spirit/soul that was the Universal workings and energy (not unlike the Hindu concept of
Brahman), to which Bunjirō understood the name to be Tenchi Kane no Kami. Thus, Bunjirō practiced his faith in this deity, Tenchi Kane no Kami, who revealed to him many teachings through spiritual experiences. On November 15, 1859 (The date understood as the founding date of the Konkōkyō way) Tenchi Kane no Kami asked Bunjirō to give up his farming career, and help people by listening to them and praying for their troubles or requests, and become a priest. In a response, Bunjirō gave up farming and devoted himself to helping others. He taught others who came to his worship space that Tenchi Kane no Kami "Wishes to help and save people. But can do so only through other people. By helping people, one performs the work of this deity. This deity depends on people, and at the same time, people depend on this deity, in mutual fulfillment." Before long, the number of visitors seeking advice and spiritual guidance grew, and as well a group of disciples called the
deyashiro was formed to help Bunjirō spread the teachings of this deity. ==Beliefs==