Kyoto
And the Lost Tribes of Israel
Searching the connection between Kyoto city and the ancient
Israelites
Kyoto had been the capital of Japan
for more than 1000 years (794-1869 C.E.). In those days, Kyoto was called
Heian-kyo, meaning city of peace, which was the same
as Jerusalem which means city of peace in Hebrew.
Gion Fesival and Yasaka-jinja shrine
Gion Festival
Kyoto is famous for its Gion Festival, which began when the Heian-kyo capital had been built. The main event of Gion Festival is held every year on July 17th, which
corresponds with the day when the ark of Noah rested on the mountains of Ararat
(the 17th day of the 7th month, Genesis 8:4).
The Gion
Festival began in the prayer that any pestilence might not occur among the
nation. This was the same as the Israeli king Solomon who began festival (in
the 7th month, feast of tabernacles) in Jerusalem just after the completion of
the Holy Temple construction, with his prayer that any pestilence might not
occur among the nation (I Kings 8:37). It was Zion Festival. Rabbi Marvin
Tokayer says that the Zion Festival might become the Gion
Festival in Japan.
Gion Fesitival is hosted by Yasaka-jinja shrine. A Jewish researcher Joseph Eidelberg
interprets that Yasaka came from the Hebrew-Aramaic
word Yah-sakka, meaning faith in G-d.
Shimogamo-jinja Shrine
Shimogamo-jinja (Sakyo-ku, Kyoto city) is a very old
Shinto shrine. Shimogamo-jinja and Yasaka-jinja were both founded by the Hata
Clan, who were ancient immigrants to Japan, and who are said to be a part of
the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel.
The
unicorn and lion at the entrance of the Holy of Holies of Shimogamo-jinja
At both sides of the entrance of the
Holy of Holies of Shimogamo-jinja, there are two
statues; one is a lion and the other is a unicorn. Many Shinto shrines have
these statues called Komainu, but they both are
usually lions. However, at Shimogamo-jinja one is a
unicorn.
They are not idols but guards for
the shrine. This was a custom of ancient Israel. In God's temple
in Israel and in the palace of Solomon, there were
statues or relieves of lions (1 Kings 7:36, 10:19). In early history of Japan,
there were no lions. But the statues of lions have been placed in Japanese
shrines since ancient times. It has been proven by scholars that statues of
lions located in front of Japanese shrines originated from the Middle
East.
Lion is the symbol of the tribe of Judah, and unicorn the symbol of the tribe
of Ephraim. The Hata Clan expressed their faith with
the lion and unicorn that Judah and Ephraim will someday be united by G-d.
Abraham Kotsuji
(Setsuzo Kotsuji,
1899-1973) was born among the priest family of Shimogamo-jinja.
He was a Shinto believer, later became a Christian at one time, and finally
became a believer of Judaism. He was circumcised and formally became a Jew. He
was also a scholar of Hebrew. He helped many Jews who had run away from Europe
to China and Japan during World War II. His tomb is in Jerusalem. He writes,
“Shinto came from ancient Judaism.”
Structure of Shinto Shrine
The inside of God's tabernacle in
ancient Israel was divided into two parts. The first was
the Holy Place, and the second was the Holy of Holies. Japanese Shinto
shrine is also divided into two parts.
The functions performed in the Shinto shrine are similar to those of the
Israeli tabernacle. Japanese pray in front of its Holy Place. They cannot
enter inside. Only Shinto priests and special ones can enter. Shinto priest
enters the Holy of Holies of the Shinto shrine only at special times. This is
similar to the Israeli tabernacle.
The Japanese Holy of Holies is located usually in far west or far north of the
shrine. The Israeli Holy of Holies was located in far west of the temple.
Shinto's Holy of Holies is also located on a higher level than the Holy
Place, and between them are steps. Scholars state that, in the Israeli temple
built by Solomon, the Holy of Holies was on an elevated level as well, and
between them there were steps of about 2.7 meters (9 feet) in width.
Typical Japanese Shinto shrine
Located near the entrance of a Japanese shrine is a "temizuya"
- a place for worshipers to wash their hands and mouth. They used to wash their
feet, too, in old days. This is a similar custom as is found in Jewish
synagogues. The ancient tabernacle
and temple of Israel also had a laver for washing hands and
feet near the entrances.
In front of a Japanese shrine, there is a gate called the "torii." The type gate does not exist in China or
in Korea, it is peculiar to Japan. The "torii"
gate consists of two vertical pillars and a bar connecting the upper parts. But
the oldest form consists of only two vertical pillars and a rope connecting the
upper parts. When a Shinto priest bows to the gate, he bows to the two pillars
separately. It is assumed that the "torii"
gate was originally constructed of only two pillars.
In the Israeli temple, there were
two pillars used as a gate (1 Kings 7:21). And according to
Joseph Eidelberg, in Aramaic language which ancient Israelites used, the
word for gate was "tar'a." This word might
have changed slightly and become the Japanese "torii".
Some "torii," especially of old shrines,
are painted red. I can't help but think this is a picture of the two door posts
and the lintel on which the blood of the lamb was put the night before the
exodus from Egypt.
In the Japanese Shinto religion, there is a custom to surround a holy place
with a rope called the "shimenawa," which
has slips of white papers inserted along the bottom edge of the rope. The
"shimenawa" rope is set as the boundary.
The Bible says that when Moses was given God's Ten Commandments
on Mt. Sinai, he "set bounds" (Exodus 19:12) around it for
the Israelites not to approach. Although the nature of these "bounds"
is not known, ropes might have been used. The Japanese "shimenawa" rope might then be a custom that originates
from the time of Moses. The zigzag pattern of white papers inserted along the
rope reminds me of the thunders at Mt. Sinai.
The major difference between a Japanese Shinto shrine and the ancient Israeli
temple is that the shrine does not have the burning altar for animal
sacrifices. I used to wonder why Shinto religion does not have the custom of
animal sacrifices if Shinto originated from the religion of
ancient Israel. But then I found the answer in Deuteronomy, chapter
12. Moses commanded the people not to offer any animal sacrifices at any other
locations except at specific places in Canaan (12:10-14). Hence, if
the Israelites came to ancient Japan, they would not be permitted to offer
animal sacrifices.
All Shinto shrines are made of wood. Moses’ tabernacle was also made of wood.
The ancient Israeli temple was used wood in many places. The walls, floors,
ceilings and all of the insides were overlaid with wood (1 Kings 6:9, 15-18),
which was cedars from Lebanon (1 Kings 5:6). In Japan they do not
have cedars from Lebanon, so in Shinto shrines they use Hinoki cypress which is hardly eaten by bugs like
cedars from Lebanon. The wood of the ancient Israeli temple was all
overlaid with gold (1 Kings 6:20-30). In Japan the important parts of
the main shrine of Ise-jingu, for instance, are
overlaid with gold.
Shogoin
Temple
Shogoin Temple (Sakyo-ku,
Kyoto city) is famous for “yamabushi,” who is a
religious man in training unique to Japan. Today, they are thought to
belong to Japanese Buddhism. However, Buddhism
in China, Korea and India has no such custom. The
custom of "yamabushi" existed
in Japan before Buddhism was imported into Japan in the sixth
century.
On the forehead of "yamabushi," he puts a
black small box called a "tokin", which is
tied to his head with a black cord. He greatly resembles a Jew putting on a
phylactery (black box) on his forehead with a black cord. The size of this
black box "tokin" is almost the same as the
Jewish phylactery, but its shape is round and flower-like.
Yamabushi with "tokin"
blowing horn
Originally the Jewish phylactery
placed on the forehead seems to have come from the forehead "plate"
put on the high priest Aaron with a cord (Exodus 28:36-38). It was about 4
centimeters (1.6 inches) in size according to folklore, and some scholars
maintain that it was flower-shaped. If so, it was very similar to the shape of
the Japanese "tokin" worn by the "yamabushi".
A Jew with a phylactery blowing a shofar
Israel and Japan are
the only two countries that in the world I know of that use of the black
forehead box for religious purpose.
Furthermore, the "yamabushi" use a big
seashell as a horn. This is very similar to Jews blowing a shofar or ram's
horn. The way it is blown and the sounds of the yamabushi's
horn are very similar to those of a shofar. Because there are no sheep
in Japan, the "yamabushi" had to use
seashell horns instead of rams' horns.
"Yamabushi" are people who regard mountains
as their holy places for religious training. The Israelites also regarded
mountains as their holy places. The Ten Commandments of the Torah were given
on Mt. Sinai. Jerusalem is a city on a mountain.
Kurama-dera Temple
Kurama-dera Temple (Sakyo-ku, Kyoto city) is famous
for the legend of "Tengu," who lives on a
mountain and has the figure of "yamabushi".
Tengu and Karasu-Tengu
Tengu has a pronounced nose and supernatural capabilities. A
"ninja", who was an agent or spy in the old days, while working for
his lord, goes to "Tengu" at the mountain
to get from him supernatural abilities. "Tengu"
gives him a "tora-no-maki"
(a scroll of the "tora") after giving him
additional powers. This "scroll of the tora"
is regarded as a very important book which is helpful for any crisis. Japanese
use this word sometimes in their current lives.
There is no knowledge that a real scroll of a Jewish Torah was ever found in a
Japanese historical site. However, it appears this "scroll of the tora" is a derivation of the Jewish Torah.
Tengu is usually surrounded by figures of Karasu-Tengu
who have crow-like nose. Karasu-Tengu looks very much
like a man drawn in Jewish books.
Kyoto and the Hata
Clan
In 794 C.E., the capital of Japan
was moved to Kyoto, when the Hata clan, who had been
serving Emperors, helped building the Heian-kyo
capital with all their wealth, technologies and loyalty.
The Hata
clan was a large group of ancient immigrants to Japan originally from today’s
Xinjiang-Uygur Autonomous Region, moving through China and Korea. They immigrated
to Japan in the 3rd -4th century C.E.. They numbered
18,670 people in the 5th century and increased more later.
Researchers say that the Hata people were originally
a part of the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel.
The homeland of the Hata clan was Yuzuki near Iri River in the Xinjiang-Uygur Autonomous Region. In that
region is the place called Yamatu. A Jewish
researcher Joseph Eidelberg says that the name Yamatu
came from the Hebrew word Yah-Umato which means God’s
nation or Yahweh’s nation. Yamatu later became
Yamato, old name of Japan.
The
homeland of the Hata Clan, Yamatu
(Xinjiang-Uygur
Autonomous Region)
The Hata
Clan is also said to have converted to ancient Eastern Christianity when they
had lived in Yuzuki. Eastern Christianity was not
anti-Jewish, different from Western Christianity. So, there were cases that the
Lost Tribes of Israel sometimes converted to Eastern Christianity.
The land name Yamatu
was not only in the Xinjiang-Uygur Autonomous Region, but also was in the lands
where the Assyrian kings conquered. Assyrian King Shalmaneser
III (reigned 858-824 BCE) wrote in his
inscription:
"In my eleventh regnal year I
moved out from Nineveh (and) crossed the Euphrates in flood for the ninth time.
I captured ninety-seven cities of Sangara. I captured, razed, destroyed, (and) burned one hundred cities
of Aramu. …
I descended to the cities of the people of yamat...."
He says he conquered the cities of
the people of Yamat, where many of the Israelites
later were exiled.
Koryu-ji Temple
Koryu-ji Temple (Uzumasa, Ukyo-ku, Kyoto city)
was originally built by the Hata people (603C.E.).
Today’s Koryu-ji looks quite like Buddhist’s;
however, it was in old times very different from Buddhism.
In around 1800 C.E., a scholar Kinjo
Ota visited Koryu-ji and said, “This is not a
Buddhist temple, but it seems it is a Nestorian Christian temple.” In fact, Koryu-ji in old times was called Hachioka
temple. It is said that the name Hachioka came from Pharsikhok temple, which was the name of Nestorian church in
old China, meaning Persian church.
Isarai well next to Koryu-ji
Temple
Next to Koryu-ji
temple is a well called Isarai, which meant Israel in
old China. It was Jacob’s well or Israel’s well. It is said that there were 12
such wells in that vicinity in old times.
Also next to Koryu-ji
is Ohsake-jinja shrine. It is small today, but it was
a big shrine in old times. The original inscription with Chinese (Kanji)
letters of Ohsake was Davi,
which meant David in old China. So, it was David Shrine. Israeli king David was
an excellent player of harp and dance, and Ohsake-jinja
calls him the ancestor of orchestra and dance.
Nearby Areas
Sea of Biwa
About 10 kilometers east of Kyoto
city is located the Sea of Biwa, which means a harp. This is the same as the
Sea of Galilee in Israel, because its ancient name was the Sea of Kinnereth which means a harp. Both shapes are also much
alike.
The
Sea of Galilee (Sea of Kinnereth)
and the Sea of Biwa, both meaning a harp
Amano-Hashidate
About
90 kilometers north-west of Kyoto city is located Amano-Hashidate,
which means a ladder from heaven. It is a now beautiful sand bar, but the
legend says it was the ladder between heaven and earth, on which gods used to
go up and down, and later it had fallen down to earth and became the sand bar.
It is similar to the legend that Jacob saw a ladder from heaven on which angels
were going up and down. Jacob called the place the House of G-d. At the end of
the ladder of Amano-Hashidate stands Kono-jinja Shrine, which is an original of Ise-jingu Shrine (Ise Grand Shrine). The shrine
conveys an ancient national treasure Shinto document, which shows Shinto had been
monotheism before the 8th century C.E..
Amano-Hashidate and Kono-jinja
Shrine