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"In Morrow's hands this |
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"In Morrow's hands this |
Ancient history is a subject dear to many Japanese people. In the 2014 Bear and Company publication, The Sacred Science of Ancient Japan, you will discover the Japanese equivalent to Atlantis: records of ancient legends handed down as historical texts, stories of an age when gods and men interacted. I examine the provenance of these works, but more importantly, I discuss the importance of their content and the important messages they have for the world, through a rough comparison to the works of Julius Evola and René Guénon.
My book should serve as a introduction to these "parahistorical" documents. Our quest begins here, but it does not end here. There is much more work to be done, and I have provided some English language links on this page for interested readers to get started.
日本人向けの情報は以下です。
My book starts off with a discussion of what we know about Japan's ancient history. You'll learn about the protohistoric Princess Himiko and get a tour of Japan's Stone Age cultures. Then, we'll delve into shrines and ancient mythology.
This includes a brief examination of the myth and history of the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki, along with the glimpses they give us of the prediluvean age: futomani divination, the Script of the Gods or kamiyo moji, and the mystical power of language: kotodama.
From ancient history we move into a mysterious case in 17th century Japan that was the beginning of parahistory.
I discuss the legend of Prince Shōtoku, the claim that he discovered secret ancient teachings written in kamiyo moji, and the principles these teachings lay out for the world. You'll learn about the Hifumi Song and the Five Constitutions which give an order and balance to Japan's three ancient traditions.
This chapter also includes a brief introduction to a channeled text called the Hitsuki Shinji, a "Solar-Lunar Revelation" for our age with a philosophy grounded in the Taiseikyō.
The Hotsuma Tsutaye and Woshite Corpus
Could this amazing epic poem really date to pre-classical antiquity? The Hotsuma Tsutaye and its related corpus of manuscripts in an otherwise unknown writing system called woshite challenge the reader with their grand historical claims, and conquer the spirit with their esoteric teaching. Learn how this unusual Japanese text connects vegetarianism to alchemy, purifying both the body and the spirit. Also, get a taste of the secret teaching used in ultra-ancient times to maintain a happy and stable society.
The Takenouchi Documents
The esoteric King of the World motif appeared in Japan in 1928 with the Takenouchi Documents, which encompass not only scraps of parchment and lost texts but also sculpture and ancient pyramids in Japan. This is where you will find the story about Jesus coming to Japan and Moses riding on a UFO. And it's all based in real Japanese mythology! This chapter also includes the first full English biography of the heretical adventurer Katsutoki Sakai.
The Katakamuna DocumentsThe final prehistory I deal with does not even seem to be history at all, but describes a kind of perennial, sacred science. The script used, pictured at right, seems to portray some kind of geometric ideal, and the primeval poetry expressed through the script gives layers of spiritual meaning to the Japanese language.
Parahistory and the Grey Gentlemen
In this final chapter I try to make sense of the many messages the parahistories have for us, and how they relate to the problems of the modern world. We'll examine concepts like forgery, myth, religion, and tradition. Some of my favorite writers, ancient and modern, are brought into this discussion. If you know who the "grey gentlemen" are, try not to spoil it for everyone else!
There is very little available about Japanese parahistories in English. Contact me if you find any useful material online or offline.
Sendai Kuji Hongi apocrypha: More information on, and better illustrations of, the Ten Sacred Regalia may be found in Kadoya Atsushi, "Myths, rites and icons: Three views of a secret," in Scheid and Teeuwen, eds. The Culture of Secrecy in Japanese Religion (Routledge, 2006). I unfortunately did not know about this source when I wrote the book.
Hitsuki Shinji: My friend Shin'ichi Nakaya's English-language introduction to the Hitsuki Shinji is free to watch on Youtube! Watch it here.
Hotsuma Tsutaye: Andrew Driver has a page where you can buy copies of his two previous works and read excerpts from his forthcoming book, The Hotsuma Legends: Echoes of Antiquity. You can also read his English translation of the Hotsuma Tsutaye.
Takenouchi Documents: The widow of Wado Kosaka maintains a website, Association for the Study of Takenouchi Documents, where you can buy all three of her late husband's major works as English PDFs. Mikoto Nakazono, the aikido master and healer, also wrote a book called The Source of the Present Civilization about the Takenouchi Documents which is still in print.
Kuki Documents: My account of the Kuki Documents in Appendix A may be compared to the karate school's official account.
Katakamuna Documents: I haven't spotted anything available in English, but I highly recommend this YouTube video of Ayumi Ueda singing a verse from Katakamuna.
Parahistory in general: The blog Okunomichi surveys parahistory, kotodama, and ancient Japanese stone circles and monoliths.
Oera Linda Book: A documentary about this Frisian parahistory was recently translated into English and can be watched on YouTube.
This table is sorted by year of earliest publication, not date of known composition which would be extremely tricky.
| Year | English name | Japanese name | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 936 | Sendai Kuji Hongi | 先代旧事本紀 | Veracity attested by scholars |
| 1670 | Sendai Kuji Hongi Taiseikyō | 先代旧事本紀大成経 | Chapter in book. Various editions |
| 1730 | Ancient Record of the Wakabayashi | 若林家古記 | |
| 1764 | Hotsuma Tsutaye, Mikasafumi, Futomani | ホツマツタヱ (秀真伝), ミカサフミ | Chapter in book |
| 1873 | Oomika Shrine Kamiyo Moji Shrine Record | 美社神字解、神代文字社伝記 | Translation here; see also |
| 1873 | Uetsufumi | 上記、上津記、上つ記、ウエツフミ | Fukiaezu dynasty |
| 1905 | Khitan Legend | 契丹古伝、神頒叙伝 | |
| 1908 | Tajima Prefect Documents | 但馬国司文書 | |
| 1919 | Report on the Ruins of Kai | 甲斐古蹟考 | |
| 1922 | Miyashita, or Fuji Documents | 宮下文書、富士文書、神皇紀 | Includes 向山文献 |
| 1922 | Nan’ensho | 南淵書 | |
| 1928 | Takenouchi (Takeuchi) Documents | 竹内文献 | Fukiaezu. Chapter in book |
| 1939 | Kuki (Kukami) Documents | 九鬼文書 | Fukiaezu |
| 1941 | Secret History of the Akita Mononobe | 秋田物部文書 | |
| 1948 | Ekidan Shiryō | 易断資料、かたいぐち記、異端記 | Not actually extant |
| 1966 | Katakamuna Documents | カタカムナのウタヒ | Chapter in book |
| 1973 | Shinden Jōdai Tennōki | 神伝上代天皇記 | Currently missing |
| 1976 | Tsugaru Soto Sangunshi | 東日流外三郡誌 | |
| 1980 | Saga of Jōkan Tomi of Izumo | 富上官出雲臣口伝 | Oral saga |
| 1983 | Kasuga Documents | 春日文献 | Probably not extant |
| 1992 | Masumi Tantōshō | 真清探當證 |
More information about all of these documents is available in Appendix A of The Sacred Science of Ancient Japan.
この２０１４年に出版する本は世界初の英語の「古史古伝」入門です。古史古伝は「偽作の歴史」とも言われていますが、 日本の本屋さんで歴史じゃなくて精神世界の本棚においています。外国人はどうしてこの不思議を気になるべきかと聞けば、僕は、古史古伝の精神的なメッセージが欧ヨーロッパの神秘主義の古典にごく似ていると思います。
中心になる文献は、「先代旧事本紀大成経」「ホツマツタヱ」「竹内文献」「カタカムナのウタヒ」です。
小著に興味がある日本人の方々に感謝します。今、和訳はありませんけど、予定がありますからぜひ楽しみにしてください。また、以下の連絡先に日本語に書いてもいいです。
You can email me about the book at the address below! The blobby thing is an @ sign.
