Sazuke

In the original Japanese, the term is preceded by an honorific prefix and is written in hiragana: おさづけ. The kanji most commonly associated with the term is 授, meaning "give, grant; impart, teach" and "be granted/taught." With the use of kanji, it can thus be written as or . The follower who administers the Sazuke to the suffering person acts as a mediator through which Tenri-O-no-Mikoto grants the blessing of a cure. == Bestowal ==

In her lifetime, Nakayama Miki bestowed the Sazuke to her most devout followers. After she passed in 1887, Izo Iburi bestowed the Sazuke in her place. Initially, followers who distinguished themselves during Nakayama's physical lifetime would receive the Sazuke spontaneously as a divine direction. Sazuke of Hand Dance Nakayama and Iburi bestowed several forms of the Sazuke during their lifetimes, but today only one form is practiced – the , alternatively known as the . The person administering this grant chants three times with accompanying hand movements and then chants three times while stroking the afflicted area. This process is repeated two more times. Besseki Increased demand for the Sazuke led to the creation of a standard lecture system known as the in 1889 or 1890. This system continues to this day. Nowadays, members who wish to receive the Sazuke are asked to attend nine lectures lasting 90 minutes each, which cover Nakayama Miki's life and teachings. Prior to attending the lecture series, attendees recite the before a minister. The text of the Besseki Pledge, which was introduced on January 5, 1948, is as follows. (Note that while typically has the reading , in the pledge it is read as Oyasama.) After completing the nine lectures, the attendee receives the Divine Grant of Sazuke and is henceforth considered to be a (). == Outdated forms ==

Earliest forms During Nakayama Miki's lifetime, the Sazuke was a generic term that referred to any grant that she bestowed on her followers. The first set of these grants included the Sazuke of the Fan, the Sazuke of the Gohei, and the Sazuke of Fertilizer, bestowed from 1864 to 1867. Sazuke of the Fan Nakayama began to bestow the in the spring of 1864, to about 50 to 60 people. With this Sazuke, followers had the ability to inquire the divine will and receive a response by reading the movements of a fan received from Nakayama. The follower would place the fan on his lap, ponder over the illness of a person, and then interpret whether or not there whether or not the person would recover based on which direction the fan moved. Nakayama banned the Sazuke of the Fan around 1868, The Sazuke of the Fan is mentioned in Song Six and Song Twelve of the Mikagura-uta. Sazuke of the Gohei The is similar to the Sazuke of the Fan, except that a gohei was used in place of a fan. Sazuke of Fertilizer The recipient of the would make an offering of three gō 合 (about a third of a pint) each of rice-bran, ashes, and soil. When this mixture was placed in a field, Nakayama said that the mixture would be just as effective as one da 駄 (about 300 pounds) of night soil. The Sazuke of Fertilizer is mentioned in the Ofudesaki, Song One of the Mikagura-uta, as well as Anecdotes of Oyasama (story #12). For the healing of illness In December 1874, Nakayama Miki began to bestow grants that allowed followers to petition the divine to heal physical ailments. According to Nakayama's hagiography, she bestowed different forms of the Sazuke to followers on December 26: "First, I bestow the Grant of Breath to Nakata. Second, the Grant of Boiled Rice to Matsuo. Third, the Grant of Hand Dance to Tsuji, which is to be performed with an innocent heart like that of a three-year-old child. Fourth, the Grant of the Kanrodai-Teodori to Masui, which is to be performed in one accord, all firmly united." Sazuke of Breath In the , the person administering this grant would breathe on the afflicted area of an ill person. or breathe on sheets of rice paper called o-iki no kami (literally, "paper of the sacred breath"). This grant is mentioned in the Ofudesaki, usually with the Sazuke of Hand Dance. Sazuke of Boiled Rice The person administering the would place three gō of clean rice in a bag, immerse it three times in boiling water, and have the afflicted person eat three grains from it. Sazuke for the Family Another name for the Sazuke for the Family was the Sazuke of Stroking Hands. Sazuke of the Kanrodai-Teodori The was similar to the Sazuke of the Hand Dance, except that sections two and three of the Mikagura-uta were performed instead of section one. Out of all the grants by Nakayama Miki and Izo Iburi, this one was the least commonly bestowed. Sazuke of Water For the , the person administering this grant would sip water three times from a cup and then have its recipient drink the rest. Sazuke of Sacred Water with the Food of Heaven The was similar to the Sazuke of Water except white sugar was added to the water. ==References==