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(Translated and arranged by Saya)
(From 2chan:)
1:
The atmosphere of the city is too eerie.
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| Tenrikyo Headquarters |
(Note: (from Wikipedia)
Tenrikyo (倩ηζ, TenrikyΕ, sometimes rendered as Tenriism) is a Japanese new religion, originating from the teachings of a 19th-century woman named Nakayama Miki, known to her followers as "Oyasama (Parent)".
Followers of Tenrikyo believe that God of Origin, God in Truth, known by several names including "Tsukihi," "Tenri-Ε-no-Mikoto" and "Oyagamisama (God the Parent)" revealed divine intent through Miki Nakayama as the Shrine of God.
Tenrikyo's worldly aim is to teach and promote the Joyous Life, which is cultivated through acts of charity and mindfulness called hinokishin. )
4:
Once when I took my partner there to have some ramen, I saw a torii*1 being illuminated in the middle of the night and I legit screamed. It's a shame the place is so creepy because they have excellent ramen in there.
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| Tenri Ramen |
(Note *1 Pictured below --- the torii-like structure which forms the entrance to Tenrikyo Headquarters.)
5:
We don't really hear about the city except during the Koshien season (Note: the annual high school baseball tournament in summer).
6:
Sometimes I walk by a local Tenri building and I hear the sounds of their drums. They are so loud it's not funny.
I feel sorry for the neighbours.
(Watch on YouTube: Tenrikyo Parade -- a drum performance by Tenri High School students:
10:
They have banners that say "Welcome: Welcome Back" all over the city which creeps me out no end.
>>6
The neighbours are probably all followers.
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| A "welcome: welcome back" banner at the Tenri station |
7:
Well, Tenri is a religious city, after all.
8:
I am awestruck by how lucrative those religious organizations can be.
(Note: religious organizations in Japan are endowed with special privileges, such as not needing to pay corporate tax, to ensure freedom of religion.)
13:
Which prefecture is it in?
15:
>>13
Nara
16:
I'm OK with it as long as it isn't harmful like Soka.
20:
>>16
The whole city is Tenrikyo, so the idea of harm doesn't even arise in there. For example, no one ever gets bothered by the sounds of drums.
19:
21:
Yes, that's it.
The city is full of those types of buildings. Creepy as hell.
The City Hall looked creepy too.
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| Probably some lodgings for the followers? |
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| The banner says "Welcome Welcome Back" |
22:
>>19
WTF...?
Just looking at them makes me feel uneasy.
23:
>>22
If you saw them directly, it would make you feel even more uneasy.
The whole atmosphere is just so unsettling.
76
>>19
Wow, amazing.
It looks neat like a town in a RRG.
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| Hospital |
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| Hospital (from another angle) |
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| City Hall |
24:
I once visited the city to play a tennis match when I was in high school.
I was just impressed by the city, and felt nothing more or less than that.
They have great Chinese restaurants.
26:
I haven't heard any bad reputation about Tenri, but to be honest, a cult religion city creeps me out, just by the sound of it.
27:
You say cult religion, but Teri has been around for more than a century. Any religions that old can no longer be called cult.
30:
>>27
Any religions created after the war (Note: that is, World War II) are called cult religion.
A religion that is more than 100 years old is a traditional religion.
34:
>>30
Don't they refer to the ones founded after the war as "new religion"?
I thought the ones founded during the Bakumatsu (Note: the final years of the Edo period) are called cult religion.
37:
>>34
Wrong.
The term cult religion has become pejorative so it's just that now there is a movement to call it new religion instead.
40:
>>37
Alright. So by your definition, both Konkokyo and Tenrikyo are already recognised as traditional religions?
You should go re-edit Wikipedia.
46 (37):
>>40
I am not making things up.
I am only paraphrasing what is written in this book.
[Note: he puts a link to a book called "A Book of New Religions" on Amazon ]
I went through a phase where I did my own little research on new religions.
51:
From what I know, some people use the Bakumatsu as a reference point, and consider any religions created after that period as cult religions.
28:
Here are other cult religions:
[Ginormous Religious Buildings of Japan - SAYA IN UNDERWORLD]
36:
Tenri High School has an awesome baseball team.
Are the teammates all followers of Tenrikyo?
42:
>>36
Only the children of the followers can be admitted to Tenri High School...
So they are all nominally followers.
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| Tenri High School (?) |
[Below: pictures of Tenri University]
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45:
I looked up Tenrikyo and found out that it is actually quite a wholesome sort of religion LOL.
It appears to be very different from Soka or Aum (Note: the violent cult relious/terrorist group which once tried to usurp the Japanese government).
BUT its use of hiragana for all their religious terminology and the atmosphere of the city makes them creepy.
52:
Is it a Buddhist sect?
58:
>>52
It used to be part Buddhist, part Shinto for convenience.
54:
Is it called Tenrikyo because it was founded in Tenri City?
Or did Tenri City get its name from Tenrikyo?
55:
>>54
The latter is correct.
56:
Guys, stop trash-talking Tenrikyo.
61:
My friend's mum once told me to come to Ojiba-gaeri (Note: a Tenrikyo term meaning Going Home. Apparently it is used whenever the followers have to go back to the headquarters for special events) with them because she told me it was going to be fun. But then I was forced to watch some introductory videos for new followers.
63:
>>61
Not funny.
[Below: Tenrikyo Headquarters Main Buildings]
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| Followers gathering for Ojiba-gaeri. Everyone's wearing clothes with "Tenrikyo" logo printed on them. |
68:
When I went there for a school activity, they served me ramen which had tons of garlic in it. It was so good. Since then I haven't had any negative feelings about them.
73(61):
Maybe they are good people.
The following year, when I refused to go to Ojiba-gaeri with them, they were OK about it and didn't force me to go.
75:
>>73
This is not limited to Tenri, of course, but there are bad people there too, so be careful.
74:
I heard Tenrikyo originally started as a sort of charity group run by a good-hearted, wealthy old woman...
Although it does appear creepy, I have never heard of them recruiting new members by force, so I've never had the image of them being a cult religion.
62:
It's so cool just for being a religious city.
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SAYA says:
I live in a large city (Yokohama) and I have seen a Tenri building here too. π✨ It was a normal building in my city. LOL ⭐
A cult religion called Ooyama Nezu is more famous and active here (and looks way more suspicious than Tenri LOL) though.
I might write an article about it too in the future ✨π΅
Comments
I don't think the city is creepy. I think it's an interesting place to visit. The culture and history of this place would make an interesting read.
However, while reading this story, I kept thinking that this place is a great setup for horror movies.
My mind was already playing multiple plots full of sinister. Haha.
I like this story very much, Ms Saya. Thank you. I actually like reading about places like this. Especially places like abandoned cities.
~ nunu ~
But I am glad you liked the post!
Thank you so much for your comment πππ
Thank you for the interesting story, Saya!
A few weeks ago I watched a movie about a dangerous cult. It is indeed scary how people mind's work!
thanks a lot, Saya-san.
will not lie, those place look wholesome and nice... as long as i'm not in their bad side...
I am glad you found the post interesting!
Thank you so much for your comment!π✨
I am sure it's a good place to be! LOL ✨
Thank you so much for your comment! ππ✨
It must be an enegising sort of ramen to have so much garlic in it! πΈ✨
I think Japanese people are suspicious towards cult religions because of the terrorist attacks by Aum and some crazy people in other organizations (I won't say which one lol). They often play with people's insecurity to get their money and properties. π⭐
I hope you can make a post about the Inanuki Tunnel or Stigmatized Property. Ever since I saw Chilla's Art games my love for Japanese urban legends and mysteries just got into a whole new level.
Thank you so much Saya-san for the dedication of translating and posting! Sending lots of love to you~~~π₯°π
Sure! I hope I can post more stories about interesting places like this ✨
You are welcome and thank you so much for your comment!π✨
It's harder to remember the spelling of you don't know the kanji.
I am so happy to hear that you look forward to my posts! I appreciate your kind words a lot! You are so niceππ±πΈ✨
And here I thought the megachurches in my country were "too big" so to speak but an entire city!! Wow...
Cults in Singapore also have a bad reputation (due to them doing stuff like forced conversion or harassing for funds) so I really can't imagine a whole city dedicated to one.
As such, unlike the others, I would be afraid to visit such a place π
Yes, as other people say, Tenrikyo might be a harmless religion, but I would be a little wary of visiting the city too, to be honest π ⭐
I am glad there is someone who understands my sentiments LOL ✨
Thank you so much for your comment ππ✨π
This Tenri people seem quite nice. In my country most cults are pyramid schemes or creepy rich dudes obsessed with traditions
I tried my best not to spread bad reputation about Tenrikyo.
Thank you for your comment!
I tried not to give a bad impression of them in the post, actually.
Thank you so much for your comment!
I was actually really surprised by this one; I am half-Japanese and living in America and my mom actually practiced Tenrikyo before she passed away! There are several small churches for Tenrikyo throughout America with the American headquarters located in California. My mom usually had me take her to church and I would participate in the ceremonies as well, and then after each service we always exchanged and ate a lot of homecooked Japanese food. I even visited the headquarters in Japan with my mother before and stayed in lodging provided by the church.
I never perceived anything about the environment or city as creepy though and never even thought to consider it a cult lol. In my experience, they don't really pressure anyone to join and every year we had to do community service as part of the church-- not to try to spread the religion, but just for the sake of doing good.
Anyway, I was just surprised to see this one because it's relevant to my own experiences! Thanks for all of your translations :)
It's good that you wrote your comment so I am not spreading any bad rumours about Tenrikyo!
I am half-Japanese too, my mother being Hakka Chinese and she is a Buddhist. π✨
Thank you so much for your comment! ππ§‘✨