The Chronology of Onisaburo Deguchi

Onisaburo in Omoto missionary dress

Japanese Years (Imperial Era)	Christian Years (Anno Domini)	Dates (Lunar Calendar)	Dates (Solar Calendar)	Events
Taisho 13	1923	---	Feb. 12	On the 3rd anniversary of the First Omoto Incident, Onisaburo witnessed the elliptical moon and Venus shine brilliantly in a clear, blue sky---the very sign that convinced Onisaburo to visit Mongolia. ♣Incidentally, just before his arrest during the First Omoto Incident, Onisaburo witnessed the waxing moon and Venus (= the planet of the Saviour) glow eerily bright in a clear, blue sky in Umeda, Osaka.
Taisho 13	1924	---	Feb. 13	At 3:28 AM, Onisaburo left Ayabe for Mongolia with Masazumi Matsumura, Morihei Ueshiba (founder of the Aikido martial art) and members to "fulfill Omoto's ultimate ideal of spiritually unifying the East Asian continent and then the rest of the world" (Special Volume [Onisaburo's Adventures in Mongolia] of Reikai Monogatari). ♣Onisaburo and the numbers 126 (= a time and times and the dividing of time, according to the duodecimal system) and 1260 (= 42 months [= 30 days a month], according to the Jewish calendar) are indivisibly meshed. For example, Onisaburo was imprisoned on Feb. 12 and was paroled on Jun. 17 of the same year. In other words, he had been in prison for 126 days. The period from Feb. 15 (Onisaburo's arrival in Fengtian) to Jun. 19 (the day before his arrest in Tsu-ryo), or the duration of his resounding acclaim as the saviour reincarnated on Mongolian soil, was 126 days (the year 1924 was a leap year). From Mar. 3 until Jul. 6, or the period of Onisaburo's stay in Mongolia, totals 126 days. From Jun. 21 until Nov. 1, or for 126 days, Onisaburo had been in jail in Hoh-ten and Osaka (The repatriation days [= 7 days] from Fengtian to Osaka are excluded as Onisaburo had been aboard the ship, not in prison during that time). The period from Onisaburo's first imprisonment on Feb.12, 1921 until the day before his return to jail (second imprisonment) on Jul. 26, 1924 accounts for 1260 days (42 months). ♣This is the fulfillment of the following biblical prophecies: "And the woman (= Onisaburo; he has the male body and the female soul) fled into the wilderness (= Onisaburo's imprisonment; his flight to Mongolia should be part of this), where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days" (Rev. 12:6). "And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent"(Rev. 12:14).
Taisho 13	1924	---	Jun. 21	Deceived by General Zhang Zuoling (=Chang Tso-lin), Onisaburo and others had to stand before the execution squad in Tongliao (= Payintala). They were saved by the spontaneous explosion of an executioner's gun and the Japanese Consulate in Tieling, which got wind of it. ♣To fulfill the 5th verse of the Revelation that says, "And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed," General Chang Tso-lin, who ordered the execution of Onisaburo, met with a miserable death in a bomb explosion on Jun. 4, Showa 3 (1928). The executioner became insane. The whole Tsu-ryo area was devastated by a flood (water = mizu in Japanese = the Mizu-Spirit = Onisaburo). Other than that, the then Prime Minister Takashi Hara, who masterminded the First Omoto Incident, was stabbed to death by an assassin whose name contained the kanji character ushitora, as in Ushitora-no-Konjin (= Kuni-toko-tach-no-mikoto). Plotting the Second Omoto Incident, the Okada Cabinet was toppled in less than three months due to a military coup in Showa 11 (1936). Finally, the totalitarian government, which declared that it would "annihilate Omoto from the face of the earth," was thoroughly beaten by the Allied Forces.
Taisho 13	1924	---	Jun. 25	Onisaburo returned to Japan greeted with a hero's welcome. He was later put in jail again in Osaka.
Taisho 14	1925	---	Jan. 29	The reclamation of the castle remains in Kameoka got under way.
Taisho 14	1925	---	Feb. 24	The castle remains turned into Omoto's second holy place Ten-on-kyo ("Home of Heavenly Blessing").
Taisho 14	1925	---	Mar. 22	The Tsuki-no-wa ("Halo round the Moon") Pedestal-Altar was completed in the precincts of Ten-on-kyo.
Taisho 14	1925	---	May 20	Omoto founded the Federation of World Religions in Beijing, China and promoted global interfaith activities with Tao Yuan of China, the Bahai faith of Iran, Cao Dai of Vietnam, the White Flag of Germany, the Universal White Brotherhood of Bulgaria and many other religions.
Taisho 14	1925	---	Jun. 9	Jinrui Aizen-kai ("The Universal Love and Brotherhood Association") was inaugurated. It started issuing its Jinrui Aizen Newspaper on Oct. 1.
Taisho 14	1925	---	Jun. 11	Messenger Kohgetsu Nishimura was dispatched to Europe to propagate Omoto's teachings there and to attend a world Esperanto conference in Geneva.
Taisho 14	1925	---	Jun. 30	It was decided to call Onisaburo with the honorific title of Zuirei Shinnyo Seishi ("The Mizu-Spirit Tathata Holy Master") (or simply Seishi) from this day onward. ♣The word tathata indicating the original condition of something was also translated as shinnyo, meaning "thusness" and representing the world of enlightenment, the world of Absolute Truth.
Taisho 14	1925	---	Jul. 10	Omoto appealed against a guilty sentence.
Taisho 15	1926	---	Feb. 6	Onisaburo began producing raku-yaki ("free-style") tea bowls in the holy ground of Ten-on-kyo ("Home of Heavenly Blessing").
Taisho 15	1926	---	Mar. 31	The construction of the Gekkyu-den ("Palace of the Moon") started in Ten-on-kyo.
Taisho 15	1926	May 22	Jul. 1	Onisaburo completed the dictation of 72 volumes of Reikai Monogatari. ♣Each volume is about 300 B5-size pages long.
Showa ("Peace Illuminated") 2	1927	---	Jan. 18	Omoto purchased farmland in Nakayada, Kameoka.
Showa 2	1927	---	Jan. 18	Meikoh-sha ("Bright Light"), a firm engaged in the promotion of fine arts (especially, 31-syllable Japanese poems), was set up to materialize the general outline of Volume 65 of the Reikai Monogatari, which says in brief that God is the Great Artist, and that all things in heaven and earth are His works.
Showa 2	1927	---	May 17	Omoto was acquitted of all the charges as it was granted a general amnesty owing to the demise of the Emperor Taisho (The resolution of the First Omoto Incident).
Showa 3	1928	Feb. 12	Mar. 3	At an exact 56 years and 7 months (567 = miroku = Maitreya) of age, Onisaburo declared himself as Maitreya-bodhisattva, who Buddha prophesied would come to save humanity 5.67 billion years after his death. ♣Onisaburo modified Buddha's prophecy by saying that Maitreya would come 5.67 billion years after the universe was created (cf.A Creation Story). He claimed that this very day fell on the 5.67 billionth year. ♣3 is probably the most sacred number for Onisaburo because its Japanese equivalent is a homonym for water = the Mizu-Spirit = Onisaburo; it also represents Go-santai-no-ohkami ("The Three Most August Deities of the Universe") = Ame-no-mi-naka-nushi-no-kami ("The Deity Master-of-the-August-Center-of-Heaven") and Its two emanations Taka-mi-musu-bi-no-kami ("The High-August-Producing-Wondrous Deity"; the progenitor of spirit) and Kamu-mi-musu-bi-no-kami ("The Divine-Producing-Wondrous-Deity"; the progenitor of material) = Their full physical manifestation is Kamu-susanoh-no-ohkami = Onisaburo (cf. The Great August Deity Kamu-susanoh's Sermon). ♣Therefore, on the 3rd day of the 3rd month of the 3rd year of Showa is the most auspicious day not just for Omoto but for humanity as well. ♣To commemorate this occasion, Onisaburo chanted the next 31-syllable poem: The world is seeing the dawn of a glorious reign now that the Heaven-Maitreya (= the Mizu-Spirit), the Earth-Maitreya (= the Izu-Spirit) and the Human-Maitreya (= the Izunome-Spirit = Onisaburo) have gathered to dispel the perpetual darkness by revamping the realms of divinities, of lost spirits and of human beings in the spiritual world. ♣Mahaparinirvana-sutra says: "Buddha has a three-fold body. There is an aspect of Essence or Kharma-kaya (the Heaven-Maitreya, the Mizu-Spirit); there is an aspect of Potentiality or Sambhoga-kaya (the Earth-Maitreya, the Izu-Spirit); and there is an aspect of Manifestation or Nirmana-kaya (the Human-Maitreya, the Izunome-Spirit)." ♣The Maitreya Grand Festival as it was called would later trigger the Second Omoto Incident.
Showa 3	1928	---	May 6	Onisaburo went on a missionary tour of Shikoku, one of Japan's four main islands. This marks the outset of his nationwide missionary tour.
Showa 3	1928	---	Sep. 23	During his tour of the Hokkaido and Tohoku regions, Onisaburo called on the dragon-deity in Lake Towada to work for the creation of an ideal world. ♣The dragon-deity had a past incarnation as an eminent Buddhist priestess in medieval Japan whom Kamu-susanoh-no-ohkami ordered her to wait for Maitreya incarnated (= Onisaburo) to serve him. This deity was reborn as Yasuaki Deguchi, a grandson of Onisaburo. He is now a central figure in the Aizen-en ("Garden of Love and Goodness"), an organization to inherit, preserve and spread the teachings of Onisaburo.
Showa 3	1928	---	Oct. 30	The Gekkyuden ("Palace of the Moon") in the holy ground of Ten-on-kyo ("Home of Heavenly Blessing") was completed.
Showa 3	1928	---	Nov. 12	The object of worship was transferred from Ayabe to the Gekkyuden. On the 16th, a ceremony was observed to celebrate the completion of the lunar palace.
Showa 4	1929	---	Apr. 3	The first Onisaburo art exhibit was held in Kanazawa, Ishikawa. It later traveled around the country.
Showa 4	1929	Apr. 26	Jun. 3	Onisaburo climbed Mt. Minakami in northern Nagano. ♣Mt. Minakami is a model of Mt. Chikyo (= the Himalayas).
Showa 4	1929	---	Jul. 20	A raku-yaki ("free-style") tea bowl kiln was built in the Ten-on-kyo sanctuary.
Showa 4	1929	---	Oct. 12	Onisaburo and his wife Sumi went on a missionary tour of Korea and Manchuria; they received a hearty welcome from the locals.
Showa 5	1930	---	Feb. 21	The Onisaburo art exhibit was opened at the Ueno Art Museum in Ueno, Tokyo.
Showa 5	1930	---	Mar. 8	Omoto exhibited its booth at the World Religions Expo in Kyoto.
Showa 5	1930	Apr. 22	May 20	Onisaburo climbed Mt. Kumayama in Okayama to visit the ziggurat-shaped tomb of Susanoh-no-mikoto ("His-Swift-Impetuous-Male-Augustness"), a hero in Kojiki who slew Yamata-no-Orochi ("The Eight-Forked Serpent") (cf. SECT.XVIII.--THE EIGHT-FORKED SERPENT).
Showa 5	1930	---	May 25	Omoto started publishing the Showa Seinen (" Youth in the Showa Period") magazine.
Showa 5	1930	---	September	The Tokyo office for the Jinrui Aizen ("Universal Love and Brotherhood") Newspaper was opened to aim for a circulation of a million copies.
Showa 6	1931	Jul. 12	Aug. 25	A ceremony was held at the 567 (Miroku = "Maitreya") Hall to celebrate Onisaburo's 60th birthday. Later in the day, he took the lead in doing what he called the miroku-odori ("Maitreya dance"). ♣Traditionally, in Japan there were numerous practices of praying for and celebrating long life. Thus, many auspicious symbols are related to long life. Cranes and turtles are symbols of long life as can be seen in the saying, "Cranes live for 1,000 years, turtles live for 10,000 years," and a shrimp, lobster, or prawn with its curved tail likewise symbolizes long life. To share the joy of longlife, a celebration is held at certain ages. Long life is first celebrated at age 60. This age is referred to as kanreki, which means a return to one's original birth combination of the sexagenary cycle. On this date, children and grandchildren gather together and the whole family celebrates one's 60th birthday. Celebrations continue after age 60 at ages 70, 77, 80, 88, 90, 99, and 108. Each age respectively carries meaning related to the characters used to express the age or to historical facts. ♣Another name for Mt. Hongu in Ayabe is Tsuru-yama ("Mt. Crane"). The English translation of Kameoka (kame-oka) is "The Mount of Turtles."
Showa 6	1931	---	Sep. 8	Three monuments inscribed with 31-syllable Japanese poems were unveiled on Mt. Hongu in Ayabe. There Onisaburo foretold the occurrence of a critical incident 10 days later that would sweep the entire world; on the 18th, the bombing of the Manchurian railway by the Japanese Kwantung Army (the Manchurian Incident) broke out, leading eventually to Japan's isolation from the international community and its participation in World War II. ♣Japan gradually moved away from the parliamentarianism and internationalism of the 1920s toward militarism, authoritarianism, and a "go-it-alone" policy in Asia. The Hamaguchi cabinet's efforts to continue a policy of international arms control at the London Naval Conference of 1930 were met with deep displeasure by an increasingly restive military, and Hamaguchi himself was shot by a right-wing assailant. The situation worsened in September 1931, when insubordinate army officers staged the Manchurian Incident, and then created the pupput state of Manchukuo in 1932. Japan withdrew from the League of Nations in 1933. This was followed in 1936 by the shocking February 26th Incident that shook the very foundations of civilian government. The revolt was suppressed, but power increasingly slipped from the hands of party politicians into those of men who, it was hoped, might better be able to control the militarists. Foremost among these new leaders was Prince Konoe Fumimaro, who served as prime minister from June 1937 to January 1939, and again from July 1940 to October 1941.
Showa 7	1932	---	Jan. 30	The Mizu-no-Shinka ("Divine Poems of the Mizu-Spirit"), which was first published on Jan. 2, Taisho 10 (1921), was reissued; however, the book of prophetic poems was banned on Feb. 1.
Showa 7	1932	---	February	Omoto celebrated the 40th anniversary of its founding.
Showa 7	1932	---	February	Omoto exhibited its Aizen ("Love and Goodness") pavilion at the Mongolia-Manchuria Expo in Osaka and at the Mongolia-Manchuria-China Expo in Kyoto.
Showa 7	1932	---	Mar. 1	Showa Seinen-kai, an association of young people (mostly Omoto members) for a better society, intensified its activities as the international situations surrounding Japan worsened. On this day, the Japanese Kwantung Army created the pupput state of Manchukuo.
Showa 7	1932	---	Jun. 18	Omoto joined up with Lamaism.
Showa 7	1932	---	---	Omoto held the Aerial Bombing Prevention Expo across Japan and in Taiwan.
Showa 7	1932	---	Aug. 13	With Morihei Ueshiba (founder of Aikido) as chairman, an organization to promote Japanese martial arts (Dai Nippon Budoh Senyohkai) was inaugurated.
Showa 8	1933	Jan. 1	Jan. 26	Omoto changed its name to Kodoh ("Way of the Creator") Omoto ("Great Origin") again.
Showa 8	1933	---	Jun. 20	Onisaburo's mother, Yone, passed away at age 85.
Showa 8	1933	Aug. 15	Oct. 4	Onisaburo started the dictation of the Tenshoh Chizui ("Auspicious Signs of Heaven and Earth") Volumes (Volumes 73-81) of the Reikai Monogatari. ♣Volumes 1-72 deal with the post-Ame-no-mi-naka-nushi-no-kami ("The Deity Master-of-the-August-Center-of-Heaven") era. On the other hand, the Tenshoh Chizui Volumes deal with the pre-Ame-no-mi-naka-nushi-no-kami era, where, in the beginning appears " • " (dot-like substance), which then expands into 　 [pronounced "su," it is the very first kototama ("word spirit"), the great origin of the universe and the primordial form of the Creator ; probably reminded of the Big Bang], and it develops into the great cosmos. (This would remind the reader of Verse 1 of Chapter 1 of The Gospel According to St. John, which says, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word with God, and the Word was God.") ♣Kototama is a belief that a sacred power or spirit dwells in the words of the traditional Japanese language. ♣Thus, the Tenshoh Chizui volumes expound on the mysteries, functions and uses of kototama, which Onisaburo maintains has created all things in heaven and on earth; each volume is written mostly in 31-syllable Japanese poems. ♣Incidentally, it is Susanoh-no-mikoto of Kojiki who invented 31-syllable Japanese poems. ♣In the Shingon ("True Word") sect of esoteric Buddhism, the letter a is considered to be the root of all things. However, in Onisaburo's view, su is the origion of everything, and su gives birth to u, which then gives birth to a, o, e and i as it moves from top to bottom. ♣Representing ten ("heaven"), a is the kototama of Asia. Representing chi ("earth"), o is the kototama of Australia. Representing ketsu ("unity"), u is the kototama of Africa. Representing sui ("water"), e is the kototama of Europe. Representing ka ("fire"), i is the kototama of America--to name just a few examples of kototamalogy.
Showa 8	1933	---	Oct. 22	Onisaburo had his pictures taken in the disguise of Kunitokotachi-no-mikoto (the creator of the earth) and Kamususanowo-no-ohokami (the Creator of the universe).
Showa 8	1933	Oct. 8	Nov. 25	Monuments inscribed with Omoto's precepts and with 31-syllable poems were unveiled in theTohkoh-en ("The Eastern-Light Garden") in the sanctuary of Ten-on-kyo ("Home of Heavenly Blessing").
Showa 9	1934	---	Feb. 3	Onisaburo frequented and made a long stay at an Omoto church in Yokohama around this day.
Showa 9	1934	---	Mar. 8	The Jinrui Aizen ("Universal Love and Brotherhood") Newspaper sold a million copies with its March 3rd edition.
Showa 9	1934	---	Jul. 6	An office was set up in Ginza, Tokyo, to found the Showa Shinsei-kai ("Showa Holy Salvation Association").
Showa 9	1934	---	Jul. 8	A meeting was held at a ritzy Japanese restaurant in Tsukiji, Tokyo, to discuss ways to launch Showa Shinsei-kai. ♣Onisaburo met Hideki Tohjoh (who later became a prime minister) a few times at an expensive Japanese restaurant called Tokiwa ("Eternity"). Foreseeing the future, Onisaburo discouraged the military from coming on too strong, but the general turned a deaf ear to it.
Showa 9	1934	---	Jul. 22	The Showa Shinsei-kai ("Showa Holy Salvation Association") was inaugurated at the Servicemen's Hall in Kudan, Tokyo. ♣The chairperson of the association was Onisaburo, and the vice chairpersons were Ryohei Uchida (a pioneer of the Japanese right-wing movement) and Uchimaru Deguchi (a son-in-law of Onisaburo). ♣The inaugural ceremoney was attended by politicians, generals, admirals, business people, scholars, intellectuals and others. Even Speaker Akita of the House of Representatives and Foreign Minister Yohsuke Matsuoka sent congratulatory messages to the ceremony. ♣The reformist organization advocated kohdoh. The word originally means "the way of the (Japanese) Emperor's reign, but for Onisaburo and Omoto members, it had double meanings with the other signifying "the Way of the Creator" (cf. Kanji Characters), This is understandable because blasphemy against the Emperor could result in the capital punishment since the Peace Preservation Law was instituted in Taisho 14 (1925). ♣Based on the premise of kohdoh ("Way of the Creator"), Showa Shinsei-kai upheld: (1) the implementation of the global family system, (2) the fundamental reform (or abolition) of the monetary economy, (3) the implementation of the self-sufficient economy, (4) the discontinuation of the tax system, (5) the integration of religion and state, (6) the worship of kohdoh as the state religion, (7) the promotion of the development of farming villages, (8) the implementation of universal love and brotherhood, etc. ♣The association won a surprising 8 million supporters.
Showa 9	1934	Jul. 6	Aug. 15	The dictation of the last 81st volume of the Reikai Monogatari was over.
Showa 10	1935	---	Feb. 7	A ritual was observed in a blizzard to enshrine the spirit of kami in the Shinsei ("Sacred") Shrine in The Zuisen-en ("Garden of the Fountain of the Mizu-Spirit"). ♣Zuisen-en used to be where Onisaburo was born and raised; it was named after Onisaburo, or the Mizu-Spirit.
Showa 10	1935	---	Jul. 22	Speaking at the 1st anniversary of the inception of the Showa Shinsei-kai ("Showa Holy Salvation Association"), Onisaburo stressed the restoration of rule by kami (shinsei-fukko) as a great ideal for universal love and brotherhood and issued an ultimatum calling on the authorities to start over with more drastic reforms.
Showa 10	1935	---	Aug. 11	The first divine opera was played at an Omoto auditorium in commemoration of Onisaburo's 64th birthday. ♣The opera was adapted from Volume 73 of Reikai Monogatari, and Onisaburo played the role of Ame-no-mine-hi-o-no-kami ("The Deity Master-of-the-Fire-Peak-of-Heaven"; the Creator of the universe = )
Showa 10	1935	---	Aug. 22	The filming of the movie Showa no Shichifukujin ("The Seven Deities of Good Luck in the Showa Period") got under way. ♣Shichi-fuku-jin are the seven deities that bring good luck. They consist of gods and holy persons of Buddhism, Shintoism and Taoism and are often drawn riding in a treasure ship. Nowadays, at temples and shrines with Shichi-fuku-jin connections, people pray for long life and family well-being, and merchants, hoping for business success, display Shichi-fuku-jin pictures.
Showa 10	1935	---	Oct. 31	The Uta Matsuri ("31-syllable Poem Festival") was revived under the auspicies of Meikoh-sha ("Bright Light"), a firm engaged in the promotion of fine arts (especially, 31-syllable Japanese poems). ♣The festival was emblematic of the imminent persecution of the religious organization by the government.
Showa 10	1935	---	Dec. 8	The government launched a surprise raid on Omoto (The Second Omoto Incident). ♣The Second Omoto Incident was more severe and more systematic than the First Omoto Incident of 1921. ♣In Kameoka, 230 police officers arrested 150 members and detained 110. In Ayabe, 300 police officers arrested 150 members and detained 67. The 3rd Spiritual Leader, Naohi Deguchi, was placed under house arrest with three of her children. ♣In Tokyo, about 80 police officers raided the headquarters of the Showa Shinsei-kai ("Showa Holy Salvation Association") and five other officies, arresting 8 Omoto executives. ♣In Matsue, Shimane, 280 armed police officers raided the church where Onisaburo stayed in order to arrest what they called "the ringleader of Omoto." ♣On this day alone, a total of 109 Omoto churches and affiliated buildings were raided.
Showa 11	1936	---	Mar. 13	Onisaburo was prosecuted on suspicion of lese-majeste (injurious affront to the sovereign) and for a violation of the Peace Preservation Law. Omoto's two holy places and their facilities began to be torn down. The procedures for unlawful forfeiture and disposal of the holy sanctuaries also began.
Showa 13	1938	---	Feb. 18	Dao Yuan, a Taoist religion that worships Shisei-senten-rohso (= Kuni-toko-tachi-no-mikoto) followed by Lao-tzu, Buddha, Jesus, Muhammad and Confucius, received the message to the effect that the numerical fate coincides with the will of heaven, that the numbers pertaining to Onisaburo's moves (eg. 126, 1,260 and 2,435) always originate from the will of kami, and that in accordance with this wheel of fate, Onisaburo, who is destined to bear the great responsibility for evolving the world, has to live with a variety of sins that the world has perennially committed.
Showa 15	1940	---	Feb. 29	Onisaburo appealed against the Kyoto District Court decision (life imprisonment). (cf. The Riddle of the Tiger Pit)
Showa 15	1940	---	Jun. 15	Omoto filed a lawsuit against the state for the return of its two holy places.
Showa 17	1942	---	Jul. 31	The higher court ruled Onisaburo innocent of a violation of the Peace Preservation Law but guilty of lese-majeste with five years of penal servitude. Onisaburo and the prosecutors both appealed to the Supreme Court.
Showa 17	1942	---	Aug. 7	Onisaburo was released on bail 6 years and 8 months (2,435 days) after his detention. So were his wife Sumi and a son-in-law, Uchimaru. They returned to their home in the farmland in Nakayada, Kameoka. ♣Onisaburo prophesied that Japan would start losing its strength from the day of his release (Aug. 7, Showa 17 [1942]) onward; on this very day, American forces landed on Guadalcanal, and the first naval battle of the Solomon Islands began. America launched their first major counterattack. The battle of Guadalcanal, together with that of Midway two months earlier, helped turn things around in favor of the United States. ♣Incidentally, Onisaburo had been in jail for 6 years and 8 months, or 2,435 days from December 8, 1935 to August 7, 1942 (including two leap years), while Japan had been under the Allied occupation for 6 years and 8 months, or 2,435 days from August 28, 1945 (when the Allied advance contingent arrived at the air base in Atsugi) to April 27, 1952 (the day before the enactment of the San Francisco Peace Treaty) (including two leap years). ♣The Second Omoto Incident had extended for 9 years and 9 months from December 8, 1935 to September 8, 1945, while the Pacific War had lasted for 9 years and 9 months from December 8, 1941 to September 8, 1951.
Showa 18	1943	---	May	Onisaburo released 31-syllable poems proclaiming the completion of his mission and equating Showa 18 with the first year of a new era: (#1546) Now that the 50-year chi-no-jumbi shingyo ("the divine work on earth for the preparation of the restructuring and rebuilding of the world") has been completed, the 18th year of the Imperial era of Showa (1943) marks the first year of a new age. (#1549) January 1 of Showa 18 is the day of completing the 50-year divine preparation on earth. (#1550) The 3,000-year incarceration of supreme deity Kuni-toko-tachi of the earth's divine world ends in the 24th year of the Imperial era of Meiji (1891). (#1551) Showa 18 (1943) opens the curtains on God's plans to restructure and rebuild the world. (#1552) Everything is ready for the 50-year preparation to replace the 3,000-year incarceration. --Excerpts from Gessho-zan ("The Moonlit Mountain")-- ♣18 = 3 (mi) x 6 (roku) = miroku = the Japanese transliteration of Maitreya. ♣Ending his 3,000-year incarceration by the end of Meiji 24 (1891), Creator kuni-toko-tachi of the earth (his Hebrew name: Jehovah) used Nao Deguchi to declare the global remodeling in Meiji 25 (1892).
Showa 19	1944	---	Dec. 29	Onisaburo resumed the production of raku-yaki ("free-style") tea bowls. He made some 3,000 of them by March, Showa 21 (1946) and gave them to those members and acquaintances who came to see him. The tea bowls painted with vivid colors reminiscent of French impressionist paintings epitomize the vision of an ideal world Onisaburo had during his imprisonment. In Showa 23 (1948), they won the recognition of the art world as critics hailed them as yoh-wan ("scintillating bowls").

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