Encyclopedia of Shinto

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カテゴリー1： 8. Schools, Groups, and Personalities
カテゴリー2： Modern Sectarian Groups
Title
Shinreikyō
Text
A Shinto-derived new religion founded by Ōtsuka Kan'ichi (1891-72). Having displayed unusual spiritual powers from a young age, Ōtsuka inaugurated the movement on February 11, 1947, assisted by his wife Kunie (1906-). He developed a reputation for his healing powers, which were claimed to be effective in curing cancer and other serious diseases. In 1948 he registered the group under the Religious Corporations Ordinance (Shūkyō Hōjinrei). His base was initially at Nishinomiya in Hyogo Prefecture, but from 1952 he periodically visited Tokyo, and in 1954 he opened a Tokyo branch of the movement in Tokyo's Akasaka area. In 1953 the movement was registered under the Religious Corporations Law (Shūkyō Hōjinhō).
From around 1960 the movement launched what it termed its "dawning world movement (akeyuku sekai undō)," and it promoted its "movement to eradicate all cancers (hyakugan bokumetsu undō)" from 1966. These activities increased in intensity from 1973 as the movement established shinrei kenkyūkai (spiritualist research groups) on numerous university campuses and embarked on proselytization campaigns involving the display of signboards on university campuses, at train stations and on street corners. The group acquired a tract of mountain land in Tokyo's Akikawa City to use as a sacred center, and from 1960 it began construction there, although management of the movement's activities continued to be carried out from its main shrine in Akasaka.
Shinreikyō claims that various miraculous events, including the expansion of the brain and cranial capacity through the development of brain cells, occur as a result of coming into contact with the founder's spiritual power. This power is said to affect not just human beings but also animals and plants, and even objects used in everyday life. The founder died in 1972, but his wife Kunie, who had served as his adviser, assumed the title kyōbo (lit., "mother of the faith") and took on the role of spiritual guide for the membership.
Headquarters: Tokyo
Nominal membership: approximately 100,000 (M)
 
—Yumiyama Tatsuya

Pronunciation in Japanese/用語音声

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