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¶ … Mimi-nashi-hoichi is interesting in many different ways, but its most fascinating context lies in that which the West may call 'insanity' and, accordingly, penalize, whilst the Orient, seeing the same condition, rewards it and accords it fame.
Mimi-nashi-hoichi is the Shinto sacred narrative of a man who was visited by an august assembly and ordered to play for them his bewitching composition of the battle of Dan-no-ura. Night after night he did so refusing to reveal his mission to others as demanded by his listeners. One day, the priest and others who hosted him elicited the story out of him when they discovered him sitting in the cemetery and playing to the dead, "and behind him, and about him, and everywhere above the tombs, the fires of the dead were burning, like candles." Alarmed that the dead bewitched him, the priest and the acolyte covered him with protective amulets:
with their writing-brushes, they traced upon his breast and back, head and face and neck, limbs and hands...
When the priest saw him the next day, he realized that he had covered all but forgot the ears. Hoichi received medical care and recovered. He became famous as a result of his adventures and received the appellation of Mimi-nashi-Hoichi: "Hoichi-the-Earless." Noble people visited Akamagaseki to hear his wonders.
Most intriguing about this incident is the Asian response to Hoichi's incident. A Western contemporary may likely have been disturbed by the whole incident, felt threatened by Hoichi's hallucinatory (they would have called it) experiences, and compelled him to receive medical aid. At worst, they would have institutionalized him. The Asian society rewarded him.
The Concise Medical Dictionary declares that insanity…
References
Markon, R.F., Krueger, D. & Watson, A. (2005). Delineating the structure of normal and abnormal personality. J Pers Soc Psychol., 88, 139 -- 157.
The story of mimi-nashi-hoichi http://www.sacred-texts.com/shi/kwaidan/kwai03.htm
Tigthe, A. (2005) "What's in a name?" A brief foray into the history of insanity. J Am Acad Psychiatry Law, 33, 252-258
Shinto-Buddhism in Japan Japan's main religious tradition is a combination of the conventional Shinto beliefs integrated with the imported Buddhist practices. Long been considered the land of several million gods, Japanese base their traditional Shinto beliefs on this pantheon. But the introduction of Buddhism in the mid 500's A.D. forced an amalgamation of the two belief systems. Over time these two very different religious traditions blended together into a unique system
Shinto Today Shinto is the indigenous religion of Japan. It is often called 'nature worship' because of the way the material world is invested with spiritual significance. The world is populated with kami: "the best English translation of kami is 'spirits', but this is an over-simplification of a complex concept - kami can be elements of the landscape or forces of nature" ("Kami," 2009). Kami may include nature, the spirits of
These narratives were also intended to validate the Imperial house, showing its lineage back to the Sun Goddess Amaterasu, as other ethnic groups were warring against the Shinto and not accepting the Imperial House's rule. Eventually, Shinto was made the official religion of Japan in hopes of unifying the country, and combining it with Buddhist beliefs was outlawed. Shinto beliefs spread to territories like Hokkaido and Korea. After World War
The ritual is the most important aspect of Shinto; thus performing the ritual the right way is the most important part of worship in Shinto. The rituals serve to bind Japanese to their past as well; since the rituals themselves are sacred they do not change. The other key element of Shinto is purification. Wiping clean restores the natural process, which is clean and beautiful, and free from pollution. For
As a consequence, the society provides a culturally acceptable outlet for such expression, i.e., while under the influence of alcohol during a Shinto festival procession (also known as Japanese matsuri). During these public processions, which are generally held on annual basis, a large object (supposedly containing the spirit of a local deity) is carried shoulder-high through the streets, in order to revitalize the community with its supernatural presence. The bearers
..as Shinto was hijacked by the military before the War to their own political ends." (1999) Lamont-Brown states "...today members of the new religions-based spiritual regenerations tends to be both socially and politically conservative." (1999) the influence that is seen is the "contemporary trend for such member groupings to be more selective of their choice of candidates to support..." (Lamont-Brown, 1999) Lamount-Brown states that the Risshokosekai has five million members