戸隠 Togakushi(Togakure)&Sanada school
Ninja art called Togakushi(Togakure) School had been developed with Shugendo firstly and then many Daimyos hired ninja from Togakushi(Togakure) school in Kanto and Koshinetsu regions. Especially, Takeda Shingen in Kai (Kai is old local naming and present name is Yamanashi prefecture) made the best army of Battle Age by using Suppa or Rappa which consisted of Togakushi(Togakure) school ninja.
Naming of given names, Suppa and Rappa are different from that of Iga and Koka’s which is called Shinobi. The first letter “忍” of Chinese character “忍者” represents a heart in lower portion and it is located under the sward blade. This letter “Nin(忍)” represents a norm of ninja discipline that Ninja has to always keep his mind cool and steady for his mission. What about Suppa means? Suppa means exposing the confidential matters of the enemy.
It is to obtain enemy’s information in other word. The given name of a ninja for Togakushi(Togakure) School must had been the pragmatic name from daimyo.who hired them.
Togakushi shrine has been playing a central role in Togakushi area. There is a legend that the Buddhist monk named Gakumon locked a demon with nine heads and tails into a cave with entrance covered by the rocks by the merit of the Lotus-sutra in the middle of AC 800’s.
We can guess from this legend that Togakushi Mountain was holy land of sacred for mountain beliefs which was created with mixture of Tendai Mikkyo and Shingon Mikkyo (those are the oldest Buddhist School) from the beginning of Heian Age. It was said that Togakushi is another holy place in the same scale as Mount Hiei or Yoshino Mountain, and thus three thousand pilgrims were usually lodging there.
It is said that the originator of this school was Daisuke Nishina who had practiced shugendo at Togakushi Mountain. He served to Kiso Yoshinaka (Genii’s leader in Kiso region) at the end of Heian Age.
So the chief of ninja group under Takeda Shingen’s control usually came from Shugendo’s monk soldier. After Takeda Family was defeated by Oda Nobunaga,Sanada family took over Takeda’s ninja group.
Shigeno Family was the powerful clan of Shinano (Nagano Prefecture) which was consisted of three families; Unno, Nezu and Mochizuki.Sanada family who came from Mochizuki family.This Mochizuki family was from the main family of Mochizuki clan(family) which was the head of koka ninja group.There were many interchanges of ninja art between two Mochizuki Families because of their relation as relatives.
Famous women ninja group named Nonou(ののう) known as Kunoichi was organized by Mochizuki Chiyome who came from Koka’s Mochizuki family to become a bride of Shigeno Mochizuki Family by the order of Takeda Shingen.
Iizuna Mountain next to Togakushi Mountain was also a famous land of holy for Shugendo in which Iizuna Gongen had been enshrined. It is known as the legend of goblin,a long-nosed figure which is called Tengu by Japanese people.
A big name of daimyo Uesugi Kenshin comparative to Takeda Shingen dominated Chuetsu region (Niigata Prefecture).
He believed in religion of Vaisravana(Bishamonten;Guardian god of Buddhism), Marici(Buddhist god of war) and Iizuna Gongen.
The front of his war helmet(Kabuto) was decorated with Karasu tengu(Crow Tengu) which is a symbol of Iizuna Gongen.
Followings are what has caught my attention mostly.
Iizuna Magic is said that the ascetic Sennichi Dayu was given Iizuna magic from Gongen.
Iizuna Magic is the magic using Kuda Kitsune(a kind of weasel or ferrets kept alive in small tube).Kuda means tube or pipe and Kitsune means animal fox but it is about Kitsune in Kuda.Kitsune means evil spirit in Japanese tradition and size of the evil spirit is as same as the weasels or wild mice.
It is said that Kuda Kitsune can haunt the human-being and bring a death penalty by eating energy of human spirit. On the other hand,Kuda Kitsune can be used as a familiar spirit or Shikigami(familiar demon in Onmyodo) in case of respecting them and becoming guards of god’s benefit.
The magic of Kuda Kitsune had been widely popular in ninja art among samurai and ninja.
Iizuna magic was propagated to koka region of the needless to say.
Yu-pon just realized a similarity between Iizuna Magic and Bali Black Magic.
In case of putting a curse on somebody, Black Magician goes to a fountain in the forest late at night firstly then he transfer his mind into small animal once and finally calls down a curse in Bali Black Magic. Iizuna Magic has similar ways of using small animals, too.
A witch and a wizard in Europe also utilize small animals as followings. Denpasar Tribune, newspaper in Bali Island usually carries an article on fight of fire balls on the rice terrace done by Black Magicians one or two times a year.
If you are interested in Bali Black Magic or White Magic, you can see the situation of the village people in trance by magic at the village festival on YouTube.
So,Yu-pon would like to tell you what Shugendo is like and its content.
Can you imagine condition of agriculture in Togakushi mountain? Togakushi mountain is located in deep side of the mountains implying land is not there to cultivate.
Only the mountain priest of Shugendo could learn and trained on ninja art.
The founder of Shugendo was En no Gyoja (634-701)who learned about Buddhism in his teens and practiced asceticism in deep mountain valleys of Kinpu to get a revelation of God.
Finally he could have experienced to realize Zao-Gongen representing Buddha,Kwannon(Guanyin) and Miroku Bosatsu(Maitreya-nātha).
Zao-Gongen mixed with Buddha and God can save a world of past, present and future, the idea of which fascinated many people.
A practitioner of Shugendo was named Yamabushi (a mountain priest) trained up to the mental and physical limits of walking in the mountains and valleys. Yamabushi who had acquired supernatural power with training in mountain came out and performed fire-offering, praying for rain, praying for the recovery of illness and saving people’s request.
The supernatural ability of En no Gyoja has been described in things he did as walking on the sea, levitation and handling of devils in the Shoku Nihongi.
When he was transferred to distant Ooshima island (690-700) for the Charge of false doing, he showed up in now Yamanouchi Area in Yamada Town, Iwate Prefecture.
After he had exhibited many magic to the village people he finally ordered a guidance saying “You should keep living on the top of the hill so that you could save yourself from Tsunami.”
This deed and his words became as the legend of the village. The village people had obeyed his order for 1300 years.
As a result, no one in the village died nor houses had damages when Huge Earthquake of Tohoku Area in May 11, 2011.
This is the real fact.do you believe it?
In early Showa period act of street performer done by the mountain priest replying people’s request to look for someone missing or the lost items.
And it was said the answer hit the correct answer on most part. Yu-pon would think of this as follows.
The mountain priest were being trained in the deep mountain without encountering any people. It could be guessed that surviving and restraining himself there required physical strength and a strong mindset including sixth sense which led to pull out the potential ability he had.
The experience of the training performed by the mountain priest had been passed on to ninja as a basic ability.
