Omyōji, the Japanese sorcerers
An onmyōji (陰陽師) is an oriental sorcerer, a practitioner of onmyōdo, an esoteric movement originally from China, which permeated Japanese culture from the 6th century, and which combined astrology, divination, theories about the elements and yin-yang, rituals for exorcisms and appeasing spirits, control over shikigami or feng shui family gods, as well as the esotericism existing in Shintoism, Taoism, Buddhism and Hinduism.
The Omyōji had great prominence in the Japanese courts, since after numerous battles for power, superstition about the possible vengeful spirits of the murdered spread, and the presence of experts to ward off such spirits and protect members of the nobility became necessary. However, for religious and political reasons, magic was considered dangerous in general, and was prohibited especially among country people. The Omyoji, for their part, lost power and prominence in the court, and moved fully into the priestly category, since any act of magic outside of religion would be persecuted. It was not until the 20th century when magic could be freely practiced again, and today the Omyoji are divided between priests and street-level occultists.
The first "Omyōji".
The splendor of the Omyōji undoubtedly took place in the 10th century, with the Kamo and Abe clans, but before that there were also characters recognized as great sorcerers, although most of them are literary and not real (since the first Omyōji were actually Chinese characters transmitting esotericism to the Japanese)
Even so we have an example of a magical character in Minamoto no Hiromasa, who was the grandson of Emperor Daigo (10th century) and a court musician. Despite his extensive knowledge, none of it was esoteric, however his musical abilities were amazing. Legends said that the spirit of the south gate of the Palace, commonly called Suzakumon, and related to a bird of fire, would have given him the magic flute Ha Futatsu. At the Rashōmon Gate, southeast of the Kyoto Wall, the Yokai (spirit) biwa-bokuboku is said to have stolen the Emperor's biwa (short-necked lute), and it was Hiromasa who recovered it, as the Yokai recognized his musical talent.
So he was not a sorcerer, but he had a special gift for communicating with spirits, as well as, according to others, learning magical and divine melodies through them.
While there are historical records of Hiromasa, there are none for others, such as Kamo no Michiyo, presented as in perfect Omyōji, in that he knew all the esoteric arts of the time: astrology, divination, communication with spirits, control of shikigami (familiars), protection and healing rituals, exorcisms. The name Kamo no Michiyo is not pure coincidence, since the Kamo clan was a renowned family of Omyōji.
The Kamo clan.
Kamo no Tadayuki was one of the teachers of Abe no Senmei, the most famous omyoji, along with his son Kamo no Yasunori. Tadayuki was a specialist in the esotericism of Yin and Yang and unified the Omyoryo, the institution that regulated esoteric studies. He was also a rekika, a master of Rekido (calendar maker), which made him an expert astronomer and astrologer. He also had knowledge of jujutsu and dokyo (as branches of esoteric Taoism) and exorcisms.
As for his son Yasunori, they also say that he was Abe no Senmei's teacher. If his father was wise, Kamo no Tasunori is directly considered the first Omyōji, probably because he was the first to reach a high rank in the imperial court of the Heian period. From a very young age he had the gift of seeing spirits (kenki), which he discovered when he accompanied his father to an exorcism and was able to clearly indicate where the oni (ogres) were. For this reason he was instructed by his father from a very early age, and became an expert in Rekido and Tenmodo (ancient oriental horoscope, with astronomical events).
Kamo no Mitsuyoshi is the son of Tadayuki, and therefore the third of the Kamo lineage. But Mitsuyoshi was the one who most clearly debated about the division of the esoteric arts between the Abe clans (rituals) and Kamo (divination), which had been gradually taking place, due to the fame that the Kamo clan had thanks to the Tadayuki calendar, and on the other hand, to the fame of Abe no Senmei.
The Abe Clan.
From a young age, Abe no Senmei stood out for his ability in divination, astrology and the use of shikigami ("familiar" gods). Throughout his life (ca. 921-1005) he was in the service of the Emperor and the court, it is said that he did not suffer from illnesses, and that he had no descendants - although there are legends that speak of his son and grandson. His historical existence is not denied today, in fact there is even a work of his on predictions, called Senji Ryakketsu (占事略决) preserved, although there are those who have suggested that it is pseudoepigraphic.
Throughout his life and especially after his death, legends began to emerge about miracles performed and about his supernatural birth. Many of these legends find their parallel in stories of other great magicians of the world, hence he has been called the Japanese "Merlin". Although the main difference is that the legendary figure of Merlin is difficult to fit historically, while there is little doubt about the existence of Seimei, for many the comparison is more important because of their legends, although this is undoubtedly a Western product.
First, because of his direct relationship as an advisor at court, in the same way that Merlin was for King Arthur. Among his functions were protection, divination and political advice. Then, they are compared because of their semi-human nature. Merlin was said to be the son of a human and the demon Asmodeus, and Abe no Senmei was the son of a human and a kitsune, that is, a fox-spirit, who having been saved by Abe's father, took the form of a woman and married him. This genetics from his mother Kuzunoha, the kitsune, would cause Seimei to be able to speak and control certain small spirits from a very young age. Merlin was also said to have control over fairies, gnomes, and other forest spirits. It is said that both of them, despite having a side that could make them evil, showed their inclination towards good from a young age.
Another main difference is that Merlin and other magicians appear performing great miracles, such as moving the stones of Stonehenge from Ireland to Great Britain, while the legends about Senmei are much simpler, almost anecdotal, such as disputes between court magicians or finding lost objects.
The most famous dispute is the one in which an omyoji called Ashiya Doman challenges him to a divination duel with a chest, in which Doman has the advantage, since he knows the contents of the chest. He had kept fifteen tangerines in the chest, so he would answer correctly. However, Senmei said that there were 15 rats inside the chest. When Doman was already declaring victory, they opened the chest and inside there were fifteen rats, because Abe no Senmei had not only guessed the contents, but had transformed the tangerines.
The name Abe no Senmei has appeared in various legends and myths, with or without historical correlation, such as being the priest consulted in the myth of Hashihime. Today, there is a shrine in Kyoto dedicated to the omyōji, loaded with esoteric symbols, and a bridge with his name. Many think that the name itself was changed, and that the real historical figure, or the one with whom he was confused, was Izumo Kiyoaki, a tenmon hakase (astrology expert) of the same period.
Among his supposed descendants are the leader of the Omyoryo Abe no Yoshihira and the astrologer Abe no Yoshimasa, brothers in most traditions. Yoshihira is said to have been able to predict earthquakes and to have established festivals of celebration and purification after catastrophic events. As for the younger brother, Yoshimasa, tradition has also complicated his genetic line, indicating that he was an adopted son or bastard son of Seimei, and not being taken into account as much, since he stood out in the more political and administrative aspects of Omyōdo, and not in esoteric development. However, he did have a certain relevance in the inyoka (philosophical school of Yin and Yang).
Hōshi omyōji
In other cases, omyōji were called for specific esoteric situations, such as Nakahara no Tsunemori, who was called to invoke the spirit of the deceased daughter of a royal consort, and was later punished because these types of tasks were not those that an omyōji should perform.
Among these forbidden tasks was also casting curses. These types of omyōji were called hōshi omyōji, and we know that they were openly criticized, especially by official omyōji. Dōman, Seimei's enemy, was precisely a hōshi omyōji.
We know some more names such as Kōen and his disciple Gochu, or Enno and his disciple Myoen. Knowing that there are disciples, we understand that there were also schools destined for this purpose. However, it is curious to see that in the case of Enno, he was accused of casting curses and also, on suspicion of having used shikigami (familiars) in the appearance of young people.
The end of the imperial Omyōji
It is known that the Omyōji lost the respect that was had for them from the chronicles in which we are told that there were thieves who broke into their houses without any fear of their spells or reprisals, as happened to the omyoji Nakahara no Tsunemoyi.
The Kamo and Abe clans ended up gathering all the power in what concerns omyōdo and esotericism, which over time would cause problems with other clans, nobles and politicians, as well as with the practitioners of magic outside the court. Both clans ended up becoming priestly clans, especially with the loss of power and the need to maintain a good social position where they could use their knowledge.
Pietro V. Carracedo Ahumada - pietrocarracedo@gmail.com
Bibliography:
-Cali, J. Dougill, j. Shinto Shrines. A Guide to the Sacred Sites of Japan's Ancient Religion. Hawaii university press, 2012
-Hayashi, M and Hayek, M. (2013). Onmyōdō in Japanese History, Japanese Journal of Religious Studies, 40(1), 1-18.
-Shingeta Shin'ichi. A Portrait of Abe no Seimei. Japanese Journal of Religious Studies. Vol. 40, No. 1, Onmyōdō in Japanese History (2013), pp. 77-97. Nanzan University.
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