IOverview
Kurozumikyō 黒住教 is a Shinto body that regards Amaterasu, the kami associated with the sun, as the source of all life. It bears the name of its founder, Kurozumi Munetada, a shrine priest in Okayama, and was one of the first two sects recognised as independent by the Meiji state in 1876.
If one image sums it up, it is a believer facing east at dawn to greet the rising sun. The rite is called nippai 日拝, and it is still performed every day at the headquarters on Mount Shintōzan in Okayama City.
IIFounder and History
Kurozumi Munetada 黒住宗忠 was born in 1780, the son of a priest at a shrine in Okayama. In 1812 both his parents died of an epidemic illness one after the other, and he fell into a long, serious illness from which he was not expected to recover.
According to the church's tradition, on the morning of the winter solstice in 1814, as he faced the rising sun, he experienced union with Amaterasu, called tenmei jikiju 天命直授, the direct receipt of the heavenly mission. He recovered and began to preach and heal. The church counts that day as its founding.
- 1780Founder bornBorn into a priestly family in Okayama.
- 1814Winter solsticeThe tenmei jikiju experience, counted as the founding year.
- 1846Organisation takes shapeEnglish Wikipedia dates the formal organisation and doctrinal texts to this year.
- 1850Founder diesHis disciples carry the teaching beyond Okayama.
- 1876Independent recognitionWith Shintō Shūseiha, one of the first two Shinto sects.
- 1974Move to ShintōzanHeadquarters moves to Mount Shintōzan for a clearer view of the sunrise.
IIIBeliefs and Distinctive Features
The church teaches that Amaterasu is the supreme creative power, that all kami are manifestations of that one, and that every human being carries a share of Amaterasu's spirit. To live rightly is to keep that share bright, cheerful and grateful. The church has short precepts for daily life stressing sincerity, filial piety, service, gratitude and self-reflection.
What sets Kurozumikyō apart from Shrine Shinto is a founder and a founding experience, a stated doctrine, and the placing of Amaterasu above all rather than leaving each shrine to its own kami. What it keeps in common is Shinto ritual, worship at shrines, and the veneration of its founder as a kami.
Misconception: Kurozumikyō's sunrise rite is worship of the sun as a heavenly body. In fact: for the church the rising sun is a sign of Amaterasu, and greeting it is a way of taking that kami's life force into oneself. The custom of greeting the morning sun already existed in local folk practice before the church began.
IVPractice and Ritual
Nippai is the foundational practice: at dawn, believers face east, breathe deeply and join their hands to greet the sun. With it go breathing practice and the cultivation of a bright, cheerful mind, which the church calls keeping the yang spirit. The church also has a form of healing by breath and hand, majinai, continuing the founder's work as a healer. The main annual observances are tied to the winter solstice and the anniversary of the founder's death. Since all it needs is an eastern horizon and a sunrise, members far from the headquarters can keep nippai daily at home.
VOrganisation and Distribution
The headquarters is on Mount Shintōzan in Okayama City. The head, or kyōshu, comes from the Kurozumi family. According to English Wikipedia, the seventh patriarch, Kurozumi Munemichi, has served since 2017. The 2020 Religious Yearbook, cited on the same page, lists 297,351 adherents, 1,312 teachers and 307 places of worship, third in the Association of Sect Shinto after Izumo Ōyashirokyō and Konkōkyō.
The church is concentrated in Okayama and western Japan. Kyoto has a shrine to Munetada dating from the Edo period, linked to the early spread of the teaching beyond Okayama.
VIIn Vietnam
Kurozumikyō has no presence in Vietnam, and the library has found no source recording its activity anywhere in Southeast Asia.
VIISymbol of the Branch
No symbol of its own is recorded with a source for this branch, so the library uses the common symbol of the path.
VIIIOther Branches of Shinto
Shrine Shinto神社神道 Jinja ShintōThe largest form, centred on the nationwide network of shrines.
Folk Shinto民俗神道 Minzoku ShintōCustomary Shinto practised by ordinary people without systematisation: household altars, kami of the kitchen and well, village customs, seasonal and life-cycle rites.Sect Shinto教派神道 Kyōha Shintō (called 宗派神道 Shūha Shintō by the Association of Shinto Shrines)Organised groups with founders, doctrines and members, mostly formed in the 19th century.Uses the common symbol of the path
Izumo Ōyashirokyō出雲大社教 Izumo ŌyashirokyōFounded in 1882 by Senge Takatomi, 80th chief priest of Izumo Taisha.Konkōkyō金光教 KonkōkyōFounded in 1859 by Konkō Daijin, headquartered in Asakuchi, Okayama.Uses the common symbol of the pathKurozumikyō黒住教 KurozumikyōFounded by Kurozumi Munetada, dated to 1814, headquartered at Shintōzan in Okayama.Uses the common symbol of the path
Ōmoto大本 ŌmotoBegan with Deguchi Nao in 1892 in Ayabe, Kyoto.
Imperial Household Shinto皇室神道 Kōshitsu ShintōRites performed by the Emperor within the palace for the nation, the people and world peace, centred on Amaterasu.Historical Shinto schools両部神道, 吉田神道, 伊勢神道, 垂加神道, 復古神道Interpretive schools from the medieval to early modern period, including Ryōbu, Ise, Yoshida, Suika and Fukko Shinto.Uses the common symbol of the pathIXSources
The library cross-checks the sources below. Where they disagree, the page gives both.
?Quick Questions
Whom does Kurozumikyō worship?
It regards Amaterasu as the source of all life and all kami as her manifestations. The founder, Kurozumi Munetada, is also venerated as a kami.
What is nippai?
Nippai is the dawn rite of greeting the rising sun, facing east, breathing deeply and praying. It is the church's foundational practice and is performed daily at the Shintōzan headquarters.
How many followers does Kurozumikyō have?
297,351 according to the 2020 Religious Yearbook as cited on English Wikipedia, a self-reported figure.