Anecdotes of Oyasama 106
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Anecdotes of Oyasama 106 presents the contents of "Symbolic Serving," a selection from Anecdotes of Oyasama, published by Tenrikyo Church Headquarters in 1976. The content below appears between page 89 and 90 of the print edition.
Text: English translation and original Japanese
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106. Symbolic Serving Oyasama was confined in Nara Prison for twelve days starting from October 29, 1882. While Oyasama was in prison, Shirobei Umetani stayed at the Residence. Every day during the twelve days, he got up before dawn and walked some eleven kilometers to Nara Prison with Shinnosuke, the first Shinbashira, and other seniors to bring things to Oyasama. About the time they arrived at Nara, the sky would begin to turn gray. It would be about nine o'clock when they returned to the Residence after delivering the things. One day, the party of three were attempting to pass the gate of the jail without greeting the gatekeepers. They were stopped and threatened that they would not be allowed to go home because they had not greeted the gatekeepers. The three persons apologized and knelt down with their hands in the muddy ground, after which they were allowed to go. At the Residence, visitors were harassed by police officers on guard at the entrance. In addition, different officers would come to investigate as often as three times during a night, so that people in the Residence could sleep for only two hours or so each night. On November 9th, Oyasama was met by numerous persons when She returned to the Residence. She called Umetani to Her and said:
In the prison they could only deliver things for Oyasama and were not allowed to see Her. No one could have told Her that it was Shirobei who had delivered the things. Therefore, Umetani wondered how She knew that it was he. While Oyasama was in prison, Shirobei's wife, Tane, in Osaka also prepared meals for Oyasama and served Her symbolically every day, calling to mind Oyasama's hardship. It was on the next day, the tenth, and thereafter that Shirobei was allowed to make personal inquiries of Oyasama without an intermediary. See alsoThe Life of Oyasama. pp. 174–178. <online version> |
一〇六 蔭膳 明治十五年十月二十九日（陰暦九月十八日）から十二日間、教祖は奈良監獄署に御苦労下された。 教祖が、奈良監獄署に御苦労下されている間、梅谷四郎兵衞は、お屋敷に滞在させて頂き、初代真柱をはじめ、先輩の人々と、朝暗いうちから起きて、三里の道を差入れのために奈良へ通っていた。奈良に着く頃に、ようやく空が白みはじめ、九時頃には差入物をお届けして、お屋敷に帰らせてもらう毎日であった。ある時は、監獄署の門内へ黙って入ろうとすると、「挨拶せずに通ったから、かえる事ならん。」と言うて威かされ、同行の三人は、泥の中へ手をついて詫びて、ようやく帰らせてもらった事もあった。お屋敷の入口では、張番の警官から咎められ、一晩に三遍も警官が替わって取り調べ、毎晩二時間ぐらいより寝る間がない、という有様であった。 十一月九日（陰暦九月二十九日）、大勢の人々に迎えられ、お元気でお屋敷へお帰りになった教祖は、梅谷をお呼びになり、
と、仰せられた。 監獄署では、差入物をお届けするだけで、直き直き教祖には一度もお目にかかれなかった。又、誰も自分のことを申し上げているはずはないのに、と、不思議に思えた。 あたかもその頃、大阪で留守をしていた妻のタネは、教祖の御苦労をしのび、毎日蔭膳を据えて、お給仕をさせて頂いていたのであった。 そして、その翌十日から、教祖直き直きにお伺いをしてもよい、というお許しを頂いた。 |
