Itako Ritual: How the Blind Shaman Women of Aomori Japan Dialogue between the Spirit of the Dead and the Client

Itako= Ritual: How the Blind Shaman Women of Aomori Japan Dialogue betwee= n the Spirit of the Dead and the Client

Takefusa Sasamori<= /p>

Hirosaki Gakuin = University (Japan)

&nbs= p;

Abstract=

        &= nbsp;   In this paper, the significance of the ritual by the Japanese blind shaman, itako, will be explained and their ritualistic proces= s of Kuchiyose (spirit talk) will be evaluated. An itako invokes the spirit of the dead and the shaman incarnates into the dead= person speaking out as the actual spirit. The client will then respond to the words of the spirit and the dialogue begins= . This paper deals with (I) the proc= ess of the ritual of Kuchiyose (spirit talk), (II) substances of actual Kuchiyose, (III) other typ= es of itako ritual, (IV) other types of Japanese shaman, (V) problem solving methods, an= d (VI) reliability of the itako s= eance. An appendix is included containing= on observation of actual kuchiyose.

I. The Ritualistic Pro= cess of Kuchiyose (Spirit Talk)

        &= nbsp;   Kudoki (declaration by the spirit) is one part of the= Kuchiyose (spirit talk) ritual. When an itako= is asked to call upon the spirit of the dead, the itak= o chants a long sutra accompanied with the rubbing sound of prayer beads or t= he beating of a drum . This sutra varies between itako. = The first sutra she sings is the chant kamiyose (su= mmoning of the gods). By singing this sutra, she asks many godsto enter into the room= , and with their divine protection, she travels to the sanzu= no kawa (the River Styx, which flows between th= is world and the other world), and visits hell to search for the spirit of the dead.

        &= nbsp;   Chanting the chant hotokeyobi (the searching and calling= of the spirit), the dreadful and ghastly sights of the 136 spots of hell are described, and also the views of paradise are briefly described. This chant is constructed of simple rhythmic patterns and short melodic phrases, and is repeated persistently for a long period. This produces a mysterious atmosphere in the room. The sp= irit of the dead then comes down from the other world. The itako then incarnates into the spirit. At first, the spirit = thanks the client for the calling to this world. Then the spirit often speaks reminiscently about the incident she or she had before departing from this world. Then a dialogue betwee= n the spirit and client begins.

        &= nbsp;   The topics the client wants to speak about may concern divination, fortune, how= to cure a disease, advice about family troubles, advice on travel, etc. The sp= irit will then give the client appropriate advice on each topic. The conversation between them is quite realistic. In the case of the spirit, the clients own child who may have died young, often moves the person to tears. When the client does not have a particular question , the spirit offers advice on general topics li= ke how to live decently. After this, the spi= rit goes back to the other world.

        &= nbsp;   By the time the spirit goes back, the itako chants= a special fixed form of chant called Hotoke okuri (sending off of the spirit). By reciting another chant, Kami okuri<= /span> (sending off of gods) , the gods then return to their shrines. After this has finished, the itako recovers from the trance. As a purifying ritual, the shaman = rubs the prayer beads that allow her to clean her body which was made impure by = the dead spirit. The above Kuchiyose procedure can be summarized as follows: (1) Preliminary portion of the rit= ual and preparation of the altar--the shaman places a cup of sake or water, lig= hts a candle (those are optional). The itako sits in front of the altar, asking the client t= o sit by her or behind her. She then asks whose spirit should be called, and is g= iven a brief description of the dead person. This information can be asked durin= g the time the first chant is sung. (2) Summoning the gods (kami y= ose); (3) Searching for the spirit ̷= 0; in hell (jigoku)…in heaven (gokuraku); (4) The descending of the spirit; (5)The declaration by the spirit (kudoki); (6) The sen= ding off of the spirit (hotoke = okuri); (7) The sending off of the gods (kami okuri) and (8) The purification of the itako's body.

II. Substances of Kuchiyose Ritual (kinds and nature of spirits)

        &= nbsp;   There are four types of kuchiyose which differ by nat= ure within spirit types. …The usual spirit of the dead, called in Japanes= e 'hotoke' , usually that de= notes Buddha, but the local people imply it to mean the spirit of the dead. This suggests the idea that all de= ad persons become divine like the Buddha. Hotoke can be invited to this wor= ld after 49 days from the day = the person passed away, and before the 50th anniversary of the person's death.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> The spirit will reach to other world after 49 days, = and before then, is wondering here and there in this world. The spirit will gradually lose his= individuality and become a general spirit, according to tradition. When a foreigner's spirit is calle= d, he or she speaks in Japanese. The itako explain th= at spirits gain special ability to speak in any language, according to the language the shaman uses. The spirit of a dead infant, Hanako yobi is a special sutra for calling this type of spirit. The word hanako literally means flower. The spirit of a living person; in = this case the spiri= t of a lost person, a soldier missing in action, or a fisherman = who is lost at sea, can be called in. The spirits of gods, can be classified as a type of kuchiy= ose, nevertheless the itako considers it as a differ= ent practice.

III. Other Types of Sutra by <= span class=3DSpellE>Itako

The= re are nearly twenty different sutra chants. Some of these are used exclusively for healing, while others are used against illnesses as well as for exorcism and other purposes. These are lis= ted below: 1. Spirit talk (kuchiyose); 2. Tutelary gods or g= uardian gods of thelocal community (ubusuna); 3. Invocation of the gods (kami-sandan) ;4. Sutra of man (ningen kyo); 5. Heaven (Takamaga hara); 6.= Thirty-three Kannon (sanjyu san Kannon); 7. Rice-sprinklin= g sutra (sango date); 8. Counting of the shrines (ku= ni gake); 9. Curing illness (netsu<= /span> samashi no kyoumon); 10. = Celebration of the New Year (aratama); 11. Epic of the god Oshira<= /span>(Oshira saimon); 12. Sutra of Oshira (Oshira <= span class=3DSpellE>kyo); 13. The god Konpira (Konpira ichidaiki); 14. The god Inari (Inari-sama); and 15. Epic of the god Iwaki (Iwakisa= n

ichidaiki= ).

IV. Other types of Japanese Sh= aman

1. Gomiso: Not limited to females, nor to blind person.<= /span> Has no traditi= onal sutras nor formal ritual procedures. The shaman does not participate hotoke yobi seance. 2. Yori: = A shaman is lead into trance by a yoritsuke priest. The yoriis then possessed by spirits of any kind, including animals, evil or hotoke. The yoritsuke pri= est will interpret the words of the spirit and explain them to the client. They enga= ge in a gtrialogue. The priest will do an exorcism= before bringing the yori's consciousness back. 3 Yut= a: Okinawan shaman. These sham= an have the same kind of function, but only itako = has the privilege to deal with ancestral spirits.

V. Problem Solving Methods

In = order to cure illnesses, itako use a combination of t= hree possible strategies: Physical contact, the recitation of magical words and chanting = of sutras. Physical contact cons= ists of massaging the patient's body with the prayer beads or patting the afflic= ted area with an Oshira figure or another instrument. Itako have magical words; such as words for taking objects out of the throat, wor= ds to take out poison when bitten by a snake, or words to help assure an easy = childbirth (Sasamori, 1997).

VI. Reliability of the Itako Practices

As = far as reliability is concerned, the following points are presumed:

1) = The setting of the ritual's situation: The arrangement of the ritual's place is very crucial and is fundamental for any religion. The splendid architecture of a cathedral, temple or shrine, or the solemn interior decorations, attracts p= eople to participate and believe in a higher being. Long recitations of monotonous mel= odies, the dark voices o= f itako, create a mystic atmosphere. The itako herself goes into a trance, or at least gets into a mental state of self-hypnotism. Most&n= bsp; Itako say that they are not doing= the actual speaking, but the spirit makes them speak. Often they do not remember what is said during the message (Sasamori, 1989= ).

2) Tradition: Itako tradition has a long history, = and the community believes and observes its customs as being authoritative. These seances= are a kind of culturally orientated code.

3) = Client's ardent wishes: In the young lady's case [mentioned in the Appendix], she ne= eded so badly to listen to her dead fiancee. A client's desire to meet a lost m= other; a mother who loses a child wishes to communicate with the child again, even= if it might be a phantasm or fabrication.&nbs= p; All infants who visit this world again and meet their mother, without exception, say: “Mommy I miss you.&n= bsp; I'm sorry that I had to leave you so soon. I cannot do any good for you by st= aying at the bank of the Sanzu no kawa. I can only pile the pebbles to make a tower, praying for your happiness.= 221; No mother can bare the heartbreaki= ng sadness of these words)

4) = Blind people's sensibility. If the = spoken subjects are vague, broad, and something in common, inevitably something fi= ts to being true. According to t= he way clients breathe, or respond, the itako can gues= s if she is right or wrong. Blind persons can see matters that man with eyesight can not see, as the proverb says.

5)<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> Psychological support. It is hard to judge if itako really goes into a trance and is possessed. A l= ocal psychiatrist Takeichi Tsugawa once tested the brain waves of several itakos, and the result was not favorabl= e. Only one itako's wave showed a change, but the = others did not indicate any abnormality or change. Tsugawa points out the fact that to diagnose epilepsy, he asks patients to blow the pages of a book to turn; gett= ing out of breath causes a lack of oxygen to the brain which can leads to illus= ions or even fainting. Recitation = and singing for a long time may produce same results.&= nbsp; Not like other types of shamans in different cultures, itako do not use drugs, alcoholic= drinks, or other substances= to induce a state of trance, but merely recite, chant, and sing. Tsugawa concludes that itako is not a mental illness bu= t are women who have special abilities to get into this special mental state. This ability is acquired by participating in the severe asceticism (Tsugawa 1989:123-125). On the occasio= n of Mt. Osore's= Festival, a huge number of pe= ople come to Aomori from all over Japan. In order to meet their deman= d, the limited number of itako do= not have time to recite those long sutras and get into trances for each individual spirit. They assur= e that the spirits are already gathered at the place of the seance at holy Mt. Osore during the festival days. So = they do not necessarily to get into a full trance in order to invite the spirits. These facts lead to = the arbitrary view that work of the itako as not being not real but are pseudo shaman. Neverthel= ess, we should know that on other occasions, itako a= re more sincere and go into a full trance.&nb= sp; At least at the time of their initiation rite they experience full trance and spirit possession.

  &nb= sp; Who has the right to say to cl= ients that itako are good actresses and only deceive?= Who suffers from bitter distress a= nd who are saved by itako even though it cannot be pro= ven through scientific logic? The= voice is the true answer, coming from heaven. The itako tradition is now fading, for there are no successors. The reasons fo= r this is that no parents wants their blind child to become an itako. The sight-challenging chil= d in Japan has enough misfortune, and why add more misery to her by insisting that she become an itako? The social status of itako has been low<= span style=3D'font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Courier New";mso-bidi-font-family:Ar= ial'> and placed among those of the out-cast class. The prejudice and discrimination against such professions s= till continue in local communities. It can not be helped, but the tradition will= be soon become extinct. Yet the = need of itako will not become extinct as long as the= re are people who want to communicate with family members who have died. Their rol= es will switch to other shamans such as gomiso. People's wishes for dialogue betwe= en spirits of the dead will never die.

Bibliography=

Sasamori<= /span>, Takefus= a. 1993. “Musical Efficacy= in the Ritual Practice of Blind Female Shaman =       (itako)” In Northern Japan' Bulletin of the F= aculty of Education, Hirosaki University.        No.70, July. pp.83-93.

--. 1997 'Therapeutic Rituals Performed by Itako (Japane= se Blind Female Shamans). In &nbs= p; Baumann ed. The World of Music. Otto-Friedrich <= /span>Universi= ty ofBamberg. pp.85-96.<= /p>
Tsugawa, Takeich= i. 1989. Itako- kam= igakari no mekanizumu [Itako Mechanism of Possession].Hirosaki Japan: Minshusha= .

Appendix=

1) = Observation of Actual Kuchiyose Itako<= /span>: Asa Hir= ata, and a client in Fall 1998 at Ms. Hirata's home.= The client asked the itako to call in the spirit of her mother.… Sutra of Calling of the spirit = (hotoke yobi) is sung acco= mpanied by drum beating. …Stopping the song, the itako said, your mother must have died without staying long in bed and then asked= the client how many sisters she had and whether her father is still alive or not. Then, the itako told her that; Now= your mother will appear here,= you may engage in a conversation... The dialogue begins M(<= /span>mother): I'm your mother , I did not think that I would go to the other world so soo= n, and I expected to recover from my illness.= It must have been my destiny. C(client): Yes, it was too soon. I apologize for not being devoted = enough to you. But we always talk ab= out you. M: I'm glad to see you again. I watch you folks from the other world and protect all of you. Always, I am with you. C: Please keep your guardianship o= f us also in the future. M: One of= your sisters must be seriously ill. C: Our= elder sister is. That is why I had = to meet you to consult. M: She might = be cured by next February. Even = so, she may lose the ability to speak. She worked too hard and has strained her nerves. If she were like yo= u, she would not become ill. C: Yes, you are so right....

        &= nbsp;   In this way the spirit of the mother speaks, and she repeats the same phrase at the end of each sentence, gwakarimasuka? (Do you agree with me?). The client is persuaded by the mot= her and conversed as though she were actually facing her mother. The client is emotionally moved to tears. The mother asks her to= take care of the sister, promising that she will also protect her, and she then = returned to the other world. The sutra of sending off the spirit is sung to the beat= ing drum.

2) = At the Mt. Osore Festival (the biggest gathering of itako in Japan),a= young lady called the spirit of her fiancee who died = in a car accident. I was astonished by the shrill voice of the young lady who was cryin= g. After she returned from her session with the itako, she cried for a long time, not aware of other people's presence. On the way back from the festival,= I happened to meet her on the same train.&nb= sp; I asked her what was the matter? She explained that she had come al= l the way to Mt. Osore to listen to her fiancee's voice who died i= n a car accident. Without his permiss= ion, she feels she cannot live anew life. According to her, he was so kind and told her that she may live as s= he likes. At the time she told me this, her facial expression looked brighter.

3) An elderly lady asked the gods to solve her husband's troubles. At Itako Ms. Kasai's home. The god told her that his mental p= roblem is caused by a lapse of faith. It required that she go to a Shinto shrine for a week.