Many of the traditional ceremonies in Japan seem to indicate that the Lost Tribes of Israel came to ancient Japan.
Ark of the covenant of Israel (left) and "Omikoshi" ark
of Japan (right)
Dear friends in the world,
I am a Japanese Christian writer living in Japan. As I study the
Bible, I began to realize that many traditional customs and
ceremonies in Japan are very similar to the ones of ancient
Israel. I considered that perhaps these rituals came from the
religion and customs of the Jews and the Ten Lost Tribes of
Israel who might have come to ancient Japan.
The following sections are concerned with those Japanese
traditions which possibly originated from the ancient Israelites.
The reason why I exhibit these on the internet is to enable
anyone interested in this subject, especially Jewish friends to
become more interested, research it for yourself, and share your
findings.
The ancient kingdom
of Israel, which consisted of 12 tribes, was in 933 B.C.E.
divided into the southern kingdom of Judah and the northern
kingdom of Israel. The 10 tribes out of 12 belonged to the
northern kingdom and the rest to the southern kingdom. The
descendants from the southern kingdom are called Jews. The people
of the northern kingdom were exiled to Assyria in 722 B.C.E. and
did not come back to Israel. They are called "the Ten Lost
Tribes of Israel." They were scattered to the four corners
of the earth. We find the descendants of the Israelites not only
in the western world, but also in the eastern world especially
along the Silk Road. The following peoples are thought by Jewish
scholars to be the descendants of the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel.
Yusufzai
They live in Afghanistan. Yusufzai means children of Joseph. They
have customs of ancient Israelites.
Pathans
They live in Afghanistan and Pakistan. They have the customs of
circumcision on the 8th day, fringes of robe, Sabbath, Kashrut,
Tefilin, etc.
Kashmiri people
In Kashmir they have the same land names as were in the ancient
northern kingdom of Israel. They have the feast of Passover and
the legend that they came from Israel.
Knanites
In India there are people called Knanites, which means people of
Canaan. They speak Aramaic and use the Aramaic Bible.
Menashe tribe
In Myanmar (Burma) and India live Menashe tribe. Menashe is
Manasseh, and the Menashe tribe is said to be the descendants
from the tribe of Manasseh, one of the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel.
They have ancient Israeli customs.
Chiang-Min tribe
They live in China and have ancient Israeli customs. They believe
in one God and have oral tradition that they came from far west.
They say that their ancestor had 12 sons. They have customs of
Passover, purification, levirate marriage, etc. as ancient
Israelites.
Kaifeng, China
It is known that there had been a large Jewish community since
the time of B.C.E..
Japan
I am going to discuss this on this website.
In Nagano prefecture,
Japan, there is a large Shinto shrine named "Suwa-Taisha"
(Shinto is the national traditional religion peculiar to Japan.)
At Suwa-Taisha, the traditional festival called "Ontohsai"
is held on April 15 every year (When the Japanese used the lunar
calendar it was March-April). This festival illustrates the story
of Isaac in chapter 22 of Genesis in the Bible - when Abraham was
about to sacrifice his own son, Isaac. The "Ontohsai"
festival, held since ancient days, is judged to be the most
important festival of "Suwa-Taisha."
The "Suwa-Taisha" shrine
At the back of the
shrine "Suwa-Taisha," there is a mountain called Mt.
Moriya ("Moriya-san" in Japanese). The people from the
Suwa area call the god of Mt. Moriya "Moriya no kami,"
which means, the "god of Moriya." This shrine is built
to worship the "god of Moriya."
At the festival, a boy is tied up by a rope to a wooden pillar,
and placed on a bamboo carpet. A Shinto priest comes to him
preparing a knife, and he cuts a part of the top of the wooden
pillar, but then a messenger (another priest) comes there, and
the boy is released. This is reminiscent of the Biblical story in
which Isaac was released after an angel came to Abraham.
The knife and sword used in the "Ontohsai" festival
At this festival,
animal sacrifices are also offered. 75 deer are sacrificed, but
among them it is believed that there is a deer with its ear split.
The deer is considered to be the one God prepared. It could have
had some connection with the ram that God prepared and was
sacrificed after Isaac was released. Since the ram was caught in
the thicket by the horns, the ear might have been split.
In ancient time of Japan there were no sheep and it might be the
reason why they used deer (deer is Kosher). Even in historic
times, people thought that this custom of deer sacrifice was
strange, because animal sacrifice is not a Shinto tradition.
A deer with its ears split
People call this
festival "the festival for Misakuchi-god". "Misakuchi"
might be "mi-isaku-chi." "Mi" means "great,"
"isaku" is most likely Isaac (the Hebrew word "Yitzhak"),
and "chi" is something for the end of the word. It
seems that the people of Suwa made Isaac a god, probably by the
influence of idol worshipers.
Today, this custom of the boy about to be sacrificed and then
released, is no longer practiced, but we can still see the custom
of the wooden pillar called "oniye-basira," which means,
"sacrifice-pillar."
The "oniye-bashira" on which the boy is supposed to be
tied up
Currently, people
use stuffed animals instead of performing a real animal sacrifice.
Tying a boy along with animal sacrifice was regarded as savage by
people of the Meiji-era (about 100 years ago), and those customs
were discontinued. However, the festival itself still remains.
The custom of the boy had been maintained until the beginning of
Meiji era. Masumi Sugae, who was a Japanese scholar and a travel
writer in the Edo era (about 200 years ago), wrote a record of
his travels and noted what he saw at Suwa. The record shows the
details of "Ontohsai." It tells that the custom of the
boy about to be sacrificed and his ultimate release, as well as
animal sacrifices that existed those days. His records are kept
at the museum near Suwa-Taisha.
The festival of "Ontohsai" has been maintained by the
Moriya family ever since ancient times. The Moriya family think
of "Moriya-no-kami" (god of Moriya) as their ancestor's
god. They also consider "Mt. Moriya" as their holy
place. The name, "Moriya," could have come from "Moriah"
(the Hebrew word "Moriyyah") of Genesis 22:2, that is
today's Temple Mount of Jerusalem. Among Jews, God of Moriah
means the one true God whom the Bible teaches.
The Moriya family have been hosting the festival for 78
generations. And the curator of the museum said to me that the
faith in the god of Moriya had existed among the people since the
time of B.C.E..
Apparently, no other country but Japan has a festival
illustrating the biblical story of Abraham and Isaac. This
tradition appears to provide strong evidence that the ancient
Israelites came to ancient Japan.
The crest of the Imperial House of Japan is a round mark in the shape of a flower with 16 petals. The current shape appears as a chrysanthemum (mum), but scholars say that in ancient times, it appeared similar to a sunflower. The sunflower appearance is the same as the mark at Herod's gate in Jerusalem. The crest at Herod's gate also has 16 petals. This crest of the Imperial House of Japan has existed since very ancient times. The same mark as the one at Herod's gate is found on the relics of Jerusalem from the times of the Second Temple, and also on Assyrian relics from the times of B.C.E..
The mark on Herod's gate at Jerusalem (left) and the crest of the
Imperial House of Japan (right)
"Yamabushi"
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 have no such custom. The custom of "yamabushi"
existed in Japan before Buddhism was imported into Japan in the
seventh 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.
A "yamabushi" with a "tokin" blowing a 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.
"Yamabushis" 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. Jesus
(Yeshua) used to climb up the mountain to pray. His apparent
transfiguration also occurred on a mountain.
In Japan, there is the legend of "Tengu" who lives on a
mountain and has the figure of a "yamabushi". He 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.
In the Bible, in
First Chronicles, chapter 15, it is written that David brought up
the ark of the covenant of the Lord into Jerusalem.
"David and the elders of Israel and the commanders of units
of a thousand went to bring up the ark of the covenant of the
LORD from the house of Obed-Edom, with rejoicing. ...Now David
was clothed in a robe of fine linen, as were all the Levites who
were carrying the ark, and as were the singers, and Kenaniah, who
was in charge of the singing of the choirs. David also wore a
linen ephod. So all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of
the LORD with shouts, with the sounding of rams' horns and
trumpets, and of cymbals, and the playing of lyres and harps."
(15:25-28)
Illustration of Israeli people carrying the Ark of the Covenant
When I read these passages, I think; "How well does this look like the scene of Japanese people carrying our 'omikoshi' during festivals? The shape of the Japanese 'Omikoshi' appears similar to the ark of the covenant. Japanese sing and dance in front of it with shouts, and to the sounds of musical instruments. These are quite similar to the customs of ancient Israel."
Japanese "Omikoshi" ark
Japanese carry the
"omikoshi" on their shoulders with poles - usually two
poles. So did the ancient Israelites:
"The Levites carried the ark of God with poles on their
shoulders, as Moses had commanded in accordance with the word of
the LORD." (1 Chronicles 15:15)
The Israeli ark of the covenant had two poles (Exodus 25:10-15).
Some restored models of the ark as it was imagined to be have
used two poles on the upper parts of the ark. But the Bible says
those poles were to be fastened to the ark by the four rings
"on its four feet" (Exodus 25:12). Hence, the poles
must have been attached on the bottom of the ark. This is similar
to the Japanese "omikoshi."
The Israeli ark had two statues of gold cherubim on its top.
Cherubim are a type of angel, heavenly being having wings like
birds. Japanese "omikoshi" also have on its top the
gold bird called "Ho-oh" which is an imaginary bird and
a mysterious heavenly being.
The entire Israeli ark was overlaid with gold. Japanese "omikoshi"
are also overlaid partly and sometimes entirely with gold. The
size of an "omikoshi" is almost the same as the Israeli
ark. Japanese "omikoshi" could be a remnant of the ark
of ancient Israel.
King David and people of Israel
sang and danced to the sounds of musical instruments in front of
the ark. We Japanese sing and dance to the sounds of musical
instruments in front of "omikoshi" as well.
Several years ago, I saw an American-made movie titled "King
David" which was a faithful story of the life of King David.
In the movie, David was seen dancing in front of the ark while it
was being carried into Jerusalem. I thought: "If the scenery
of Jerusalem were replaced by Japanese scenery, this scene would
be just the same as what can be observed in Japanese festivals."
The atmosphere of the music also resembles the Japanese style.
David's dancing appears similar to Japanese traditional dancing.
At the Shinto shrine festival of "Gion-jinja" in Kyoto,
men carry "omikoshi," then enter a river, and cross it.
I can't help but think this originates from the memory of the
Ancient Israelites carrying the ark as they crossed the Jordan
river after their exodus from Egypt.
In a Japanese island of the Inland Sea of Seto, the men selected
as the carriers of the "omikoshi" stay together at a
house for one week before they would carry the "omikoshi."
This is to prevent profaning themselves. Furthermore on the day
before they carry "omikoshi," the men bathe in seawater
to sanctify themselves. This is similar to an ancient Israelite
custom:
"So the priests and the Levites sanctified themselves to
bring up the ark of the Lord God of Israel." (1 Chronicles
15:14)
The Bible says that after the ark entered Jerusalem and the march
was finished, "David distributed to everyone of Israel, both
man and woman, to everyone a loaf of bread, a piece of meat, and
a cake of raisins" (1 Chronicles 16:3). This is similar to a
Japanese custom. Sweets are distributed to everyone after a
Japanese festival. It was a delight during my childhood.
The Bible says that
when David brought up the ark into Jerusalem, "David was
clothed in a robe of fine linen" (1 Chronicles 15:27). The
same was true for the priests and choirs. In the Japanese Bible,
this verse is translated into "robe of white linen."
In ancient Israel, although the high priest wore a colorful robe,
ordinary priests wore simple white linen. Priests wore white
clothes at holy events. Japanese priests also wear white robes at
holy events.
In Ise-jingu, one of the oldest Japanese shrines, all of the
priests wear white robes. And in many Japanese Shinto shrines,
especially traditional ones, the people wear white robes when
they carry the "omikoshi" just like the Israelites did.
Buddhist priests wear luxurious colorful robes. However, in the
Japanese Shinto religion, white is regarded as the holiest color.
The Emperor of Japan, just after he finishes the ceremony of his
accession to the throne, appears alone in front of the Shinto god.
When he arrives there, he wears a pure white robe covering his
entire body except that his feet are naked. This is similar to
the action of Moses and Joshua who removed their sandals in front
of God to be in bare feet (Exodus 3:5, Joshua 5:15).
Marvin Tokayer, a rabbi who lived in Japan for 10 years, wrote in
his book:
"The linen robes which Japanese Shinto priests wear have the
same figure as the white linen robes of the ancient priests of
Israel. "
Japanese Shinto priest in white robe with fringes
The Japanese Shinto
priest robe has cords of 20-30 centimeters long (about 10 inches)
hung from the corners of the robe. These fringes are similar to
those of the ancient Israelites. Deuteronomy 22:12 says:
"make them fringes in the... corners of their garments
throughout their generations."
Fringes (tassels) were a token that a person was an Israelite. In
the gospels of the New Testament, it is also written that the
Pharisees "make their tassels on their garments long" (Matthew
23:5). A woman who had been suffering from a hemorrhage came to
Jesus (Yeshua) and touched the "tassel on His coat" (Matthew
9:20, The New Testament: A Translation in the Language of the
People, translated by Charles B. Williams).
Imagined pictures of ancient Israeli clothing sometimes do not
have fringes. But their robes actually had fringes. The Jewish
Tallit (prayer shawl), which the Jews put on when they pray, has
fringes in the corners according to tradition.
Japanese Shinto priests wear on their robe a rectangle of cloth
from their shoulders to thighs. This is the same as the ephod
worn by David:
"David also wore a linen ephod." (1 Chronicles 15:27)
Although the ephod of the high priest was colorful with jewels,
the ordinary priests under him wore the ephods of simple white
linen cloth (1 Samuel 22:18). Rabbi Tokayer states that the
rectangle of cloth on the robe of Japanese Shinto priest looks
very similar to the ephod of the Kohen, the Jewish priest.
The Japanese Shinto priest puts a cap on his head just like
Israeli priest did (Exodus 29:40). The Japanese priest also puts
a sash on his waist. So did the Israeli priest. The clothing of
Japanese Shinto priests appears to be similar to the clothing
used by ancient Israelites.
The Jews wave a sheaf of their first fruits of grain seven weeks before Shavuot (Pentecost, Leviticus 23:10-11), They also wave a sheaf of plants at Sukkot (the Feast of Booths, Leviticus 23:40). This has been a tradition since the time of Moses. Ancient Israeli priests also waved a plant branch when he sanctifies someone. David said, "Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean" [Psalm 51:7(9)]. This is also a traditional Japanese custom.
Shinto priest waving for sanctification
When a Japanese
priest sanctifies someone or something, he waves a tree branch.
Or he waves a "harainusa," which is made of a stick and
white papers and looks like a plant. Today's "harainusa"
is simplified and made of white papers that are folded in a zig-zag
pattern like small lightning bolts, but in old days it was a
plant branch or cereals.
A Japanese Christian woman acquaintance of mine used to think of
this "harainusa" as merely a pagan custom. But she
later went to the U.S.A. and had an opportunity to attend a
Sukkot ceremony. When she saw the Jewish waving of the sheaf of
the harvest, she shouted in her heart, "Oh, this is the same
as a Japanese priest does! Here lies the home for the Japanese."
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.
The Japanese Shinto shrine is also divided into two parts.
The functions performed in the Japanese 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 Japanese 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
In front of a Japanese shrine, there are two statues of lions known as "komainu" that sit on both sides of the approach. They are not idols but guards for the shrine. This was also 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).
"Komainu" guards for shrine
In the early history
of Japan, there were absolutely 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.
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
in Aramaic language which ancient Israelites used, the word for
gate was "taraa." This word might have changed slightly
and become the Japanese "torii".
Some "toriis," 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 zig-zag 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.
Shinto shrine is usually build on a mountain or a hill. Almost
every mountain in Japan has a shrine, even you find a shrine on
top of Mt. Fuji. In ancient Israel, on mountains were usually
located worship places called "the high places". The
temple of Jerusalem was built on a mountain (Mt. Moriah). Moses
was given the Ten Commandments from God on Mt. Sinai. It was
thought in Israel that mountain is a place close to God.
Many Shinto shrines are built with the gates in the east and the
Holy of Holies in the west as we see in Matsuo grand shrine (Matuo-taisya)
in Kyoto and others. While, others are built with the gates in
the south and the Holy of Holies in the north. The reason of
building with the gates in the east (and the Holy of Holies in
the west) is that the sun comes from the east. The ancient
Israeli tabernacle or temple was built with the gate in the east
and the Holy of Holies in the west, based on the belief that the
glory of God comes from the east.
@All Shinto shrines are
made of wood. Many parts of the ancient Israeli temple was also
made of wood. The Israelites used stones in some places, but
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.
When Japanese people pray in front of the Holy Place of a Shinto shrine, they firstly ring the golden bell which is hung at the center of the entrance. This was also the custom of the ancient Israel. The high priest Aaron put "bells of gold" on the hem of his robe. This was so that its sound might be heard and he might not die when ministered there (Exodus 28:33-35).
Golden bell at the entrance of Shinto shrine
Japanese people clap
their hands two times when they pray there. This was, in ancient
Israel, the custom to mean, "I keep promises." In the
Scriptures, you can find the word which is translated into "pledge."
The original meaning of this word in Hebrew is, "clap his
hand" (Ezekiel 17:18, Proverbs 6:1). It seems that the
ancient Israelites clapped their hands when they pledged or did
something important.
Japanese people bow in front of the shrine before and after
clapping their hands and praying. They also perform a bow as a
polite greeting when they meet each other. To bow was also the
custom of the ancient Israel. Jacob bowed when he was approaching
Esau (Genesis 33:3).
Ordinarily, contemporary Jews do not bow. However, they bow when
reciting prayers. Modern Ethiopians have the custom of bowing,
probably because of the ancient Jews who emigrated to Ethiopia in
ancient days. The Ethiopian bow is similar to the Japanese bow.
We Japanese have the custom to use salt for sanctification.
People sometimes sow salt after an offensive person leaves. When
I was watching a TV drama from the times of the Samurai, a woman
threw salt on the place where a man she hated left. This custom
is the same as that of the ancient Israelites. After Abimelech
captured an enemy city, "he sowed it with salt" (Judges
9:45). We Japanese quickly interpret this to mean to cleanse and
sanctify the city.
I hear that when Jews move to a new house they sow it with salt
to sanctify it and cleanse it. This is true also in Japan. In
Japanese-style restaurants, they usually place salt near the
entrance. Jews use salt for Kosher meat. All Kosher meat is
purified with salt and all meals start with bread and salt.
Japanese people place salt at the entrance of a funeral home.
After coming back from a funeral, one has to sprinkle salt on
oneself before entering his/her house. It is believed in Shinto
that anyone who went to a funeral or touched a dead body had
become unclean. Again, this is the same concept as was observed
by the ancient Israelites.
Japanese "sumo" wrestler sowing with salt
Japanese "sumo"
wrestlers sow the sumo ring with salt before they fight. European
or American people wonder why they sow salt. But Rabbi Tokayer
wrote that Jews quickly understand its meaning.
Japanese people offer salt every time they perform a religious
offering, This is the same custom used by the Israelites:
"With all your offerings you shall offer salt." (Leviticus
2:13)
Japanese people in old times had the custom of putting some salt
into their baby's first bath. The ancient Israelites washed a
newborn baby with water after rubbing the baby softly with salt (Ezekiel
16:4). Sanctification and cleansing with salt and/or water is a
common custom among both the Japanese and the ancient Israelites.
In the Hebrew Scriptures, the words "clean" and "unclean"
often appear. Europeans and Americans are not familiar with this
concept, but the Japanese understand it. A central concept of
Shinto is to value cleanness and to avoid uncleanness. This
concept probably came from ancient Israel.
Buddhist temples have idols which
are carved in the shape of Buddha and other gods. However in
Japanese Shinto shrines, there are no idols.
In the center of the Holy of Holies of a Shinto shrine, there is
a mirror, sword, or pendant. Nevertheless, Shinto believers do
not regard these items as their gods. In Shinto, gods are thought
to be invisible. The mirror, sword, and pendant are not idols but
merely objects to show that it is a holy place where invisible
gods come down.
In the ark of the covenant of ancient Israel, there were stone
tablets of God's Ten Commandments, a jar of manna and the rod of
Aaron. These were not idols, but objects to show that it was the
holy place where the invisible God comes down. The same thing can
be said concerning the objects in Japanese shrines.
Joseph Eidelberg, a
Jew who once came to Japan and remained for years at a Japanese
Shinto shrine, wrote a book entitled "The Japanese and the
Ten Lost Tribes of Israel." He wrote that many Japanese
words originated from ancient Hebrew.
For instance, we Japanese say "hazukashime" to mean
disgrace or humiliation. In Hebrew, it is "hadak hashem"
(tread down the name; see Job 40:12). The pronunciation and the
meaning of both of them are almost the same.
We say "anta" to mean "you," which is the
same in Hebrew. Kings in ancient Japan were called with the word
"mikoto," which could be derived from a Hebrew word
"malhuto" which means "his kingdom." The
Emperor of Japan is called "mikado." This resembles the
Hebrew word, "migadol," which means "the noble."
The ancient Japanese word for an area leader is "agata-nushi;"
"agata" is "area" and "nushi" is
"leader." In Hebrew, they are called "aguda"and
"nasi."
When we Japanese count, "One, two, three... ten," we
sometimes say:
"Hi, fu, mi, yo, itsu, mu, nana, ya, kokono, towo."
This is a traditional expression, but its meaning is unknown it
is thought of as being Japanese.
It has been said that this expression originates from an ancient
Japanese Shinto myth. In the myth, the female god, called "Amaterasu,"
who manages the world's sunlight, once hid herself in a heavenly
cave, and the world became dark. Then, according to the oldest
book of Japanese history, the priest called "Koyane"
prayed with words before the cave and in front of the other gods
to have "Amaterasu" come out. Although the words said
in the prayer are not written, a legend says that these words
were, "Hi, fu, mi...."
"Amaterasu" is hiding in a heavenly cave; "Koyane"
is praying and "Uzume" is dancing.
Joseph Eidelberg
stated that this is a beautiful Hebrew expression, if it is
supposed that there were some pronunciation changes throughout
history. These words are spelled:
"Hifa mi yotsia ma na'ne ykakhena tavo."
This means: "The
beautiful (Goddess). Who will bring her out? What should we call
out (in chorus) to entice her to come?" This surprisingly
fits the situation of the myth.
Moreover, we Japanese not only say, "Hi, hu, mi...,"
but also say with the same meaning:
"Hitotsu, futatsu, mittsu, yottsu, itsutsu, muttsu, nanatsu,
yattsu, kokonotsu, towo."
Here, "totsu" or "tsu" is put to each of
"Hi, hu, mi..." as the last part of the words. But the
last "towo" (which means ten) remains the same. "Totsu"
could be the Hebrew word "tetse," which means, "She
comes out. " And "tsu" may be the Hebrew word
"tse" which means "Come out."
Eidelberg believed that these words were said by the gods who
surrounded the priest, "Koyane." That is, when "Koyane"
first says, "Hi," the surrounding gods add, "totsu"
(She comes out) in reply, and secondly, when "Koyane"
says, "Fu," the gods add "totsu" (tatsu), and
so on. In this way, it became "Hitotsu, futatsu, mittsu...."
However, the last word, "towo," the priest, "Koyane,"
and the surrounding gods said together. If this is the Hebrew
word "tavo," it means, "(She) shall come."
When they say this, the female god, "Amaterasu," came
out.
"Hi, fu, mi..." and "Hitotsu, futatsu, mittsu..."
later were used as the words to count numbers.
In addition, the name of the priest, "Koyane," sounds
close to a Hebrew word, "kohen," which means, "a
priest." Eidelberg showed many other examples of Japanese
words (several thousand) which appeared to have a Hebrew origin.
This does not appear to be accidental.
In ancient Japanese folk songs, many words appear that are not
understandable as Japanese. Dr. Eiji Kawamorita considered that
many of them are Hebrew. A Japanese folk song in Kumamoto
prefecture is sung, "Hallelujah, haliya, haliya, tohse,
Yahweh, Yahweh, yoitonnah...." This also sounds as if it is
Hebrew.
Similarity Between the Biblical Genealogy and Japanese Mythology
There is a remarkable similarity
between the Biblical article and Japanese mythology. A Japanese
scholar points out that the stories around Ninigi in the Japanese
mythology greatly resemble the stories around Jacob in the Bible.
In the Japanese mythology, the Imperial family of Japan and the
nation of Yamato (the Japanese) are descendants from Ninigi, who
came from heaven. Ninigi is the anscestor of the tribe of Yamato,
or Japanese nation. While Jacob is the anscestor of the
Israelites.
In the Japanese mythology, it was not Ninigi who was to come down
from heaven, but the other. But when the other was preparing,
Ninigi was born and in a result, instead of him, Ninigi came down
from heaven and became the anscestor of the Japanese nation. In
the same way, according to the Bible, it was Esau, Jacob's elder
brother, who was to become God's nation but in a result, instead
of Esau, God's blessing for the nation was given to Jacob, and
Jacob became the anscestor of the Israelites.
And in the Japanese mythology, after Ninigi came from heaven, he
fell in love with a beautiful woman named Konohana-sakuya-hime
and tried to marry her. But her father asked him to marry not
only her but also her elder sister. However the elder sister was
ugly and Ninigi gave her back to her father. In the same way,
according to the Bible, Jacob fell in love with beautiful Rachal
and tried to marry her (Genesis chapter 29). But her father says
to Jacob that he cannot give the younger sister before the elder,
so he asked Jacob to marry the elder sister (Leah) also. However
the elder sister was not so beautiful, Jacob disliked her. Thus,
there is a parallelism between Ninigi and Jacob.
And in the Japanese mythology, Ninigi and his wife Konohana-sakuya-hime
bear a child named Yamasachi-hiko. But Yamasachi-hiko is bullied
by his elder brother and has to go to the country of a sea god.
There Yamasachi-hiko gets a mystic power and troubles the elder
brother by giving him famine, but later forgives his sin. In the
same way, according to the Bible, Jacob and his wife Rachal bear
a child named Joseph. But Joseph is bullied by his elder brothers
and had to go to Egypt. There Joseph became the prime minister of
Egypt and gets power, and when the elder brothers came to Egypt
because of famine, Joseph helped them and forgives their sin.
Thus, there is a parallelism between Yamasachi-hiko and Joseph.
Similarity between the biblical genealogy and Japanese mythology
And in the Japanese mythology,
Yamasachi-hiko married a daughter of the sea god, and bore a
child named Ugaya-fukiaezu. Ugaya-fukiaezu had 4 sons. But his
second and third sons were gone to other places. The forth son is
emperor Jinmu who conquers the land of Yamato. On this line is
the Imperial House of Japan.
While, what is it in the Bible? Joseph married a daughter of a
priest in Egypt, and bore Manasseh and Ephraim. Ephraim resembles
Ugaya-fukiaezu in the sense that Ephraim had 4 sons, but his
second and third sons were killed and died early (1 Chronicles 7:20-27),
and a descendant from the forth son was Joshua who conquered the
land of Canaan (the land of Israel). On the line of Ephraim is
the Royal House of the Ten Tribes of Israel.
Thus we find a remarkable similarity between the biblical
genealogy and Japanese mythology - between Ninigi and Jacob,
Yamasachi-hiko and Joseph, and the Imperial family of Japan and
the tribe of Ephraim.
Furthermore, in the Japanese mythology, the heaven is called Hara
of Takama (Takama-ga-hara or Takama-no-hara). Ninigi came from
there and founded the Japanese nation. Concerning this Hara of
Takama, Zen'ichirou Oyabe, a Japanase researcher, thought that
this is the city Haran in the region of Togarmah where Jacob and
his anscestors once lived; Jacob lived in Haran of Togarmah for a
while, then came to Canaan and founded the Israeli nation.
Jacob once saw in a dream the angels of God ascending and
descending between the heaven and the earth (Genesis 28:12), when
Jacob was given a promise of God that his descendants would
inherit the land of Canaan. This was different from Ninigi's
descending from heaven, but resembles it in image.
Thus, except for details, the outline of the Japanese mythology
greatly resembles the records of the Bible. It is possible to
think that the myths of Kojiki and Nihon-shoki, the Japanese
chronicles written in the 8th century, were originally based on
Biblical stories but later added with various pagan elements.
Even it might be possible to think that the Japanese mythology
was originally a kind of genealogy which showed that the Japanese
are descendants from Jacob, Joseph, and Ephraim.
The concept of uncleanness during
menstruation and bearing child have existed in Japan since
ancient times.
It has been a custom in Japan since old days that woman during
menstruation should not attend holy events at shrine. She could
not have sex with her husband and had to shut herself up in a hut
(called Gekkei-goya in Japanese), which is built for
collaboration use in village, during her menstruation and several
days or about 7 days after the menstruation. This custom had been
widely seen in Japan until Meiji era (about 100 years ago). After
the period of shutting herself up ends, she had to clean herself
by natural water as river, spring, or sea. It there is no natural
water, it can be done in bathtub.
This resembles ancient Israeli custom very much. In ancient
Israel, woman during menstruation could not attend holy events at
the temple, had to be apart from her husband, and it was custom
to shut herself up in a hut during her menstruation and 7 days
after the menstruation (Leviticus 15:19, 28). This shutting
herself up was said "to continue in the blood of her
purification", and this was for purification and to make
impurity apart from the house or the village.
Menstruation hut used by Falasha, Ethiopian Jews
This remains true even today.
There are no sexual relations, for the days of menstruation and
an additional 7 days. Then the woman goes to the Mikveh, ritual
bath. The water of the Mikveh must be natural water. There are
cases of gathering rainwater and putting it to the Mikveh bathtub.
In case of not having enough natural water, water from faucet is
added.
Modern people may feel irrational about this concept but women
during menstruation or bearing child need rest physically and
mentally. Woman herself says that she feels impure in her blood
in the period. "To continue in the blood of her purification"
refers to this need of rest of her blood.
Not only concerning menstruation, but also the concept concerning
bearing child in Japanese Shinto resembles the one of ancient
Israel. A mother who bore a child is regarded unclean in a
certain period. This concept is weak among the Japanese today,
but was very common in old days. The old Shinto book, Engishiki (the
10th century C.E.), set 7 days as a period that she cannot
participate holy events after she bore a child. This resembles an
ancient custom of Israel, for the Bible says that when a woman
has conceived, and borne a male child, then she shall be "unclean
7 days". She shall then "continue in the blood of her
purification 33 days". In the case that she bears a female
child, then she shall be "unclean two weeks", and she
shall "continue in the blood of her purification 66 days'"
(Leviticus 12:2-5).
In Japan it had been widely seen until Meiji era that woman
during pregnancy and after bearing child shut herself up in a hut
(called Ubu-goya in Japanese) and lived there. The period was
usually during the pregnancy and 30 days or so after she bore a
child (The longest case was nearly 100 days). This resembles the
custom of ancient Israel.
In ancient Israel, after this period of purification the mother
could come to the temple with her child for the first time. Also
in the custom of Japanese Shinto, after this period of purification the mother can come to the
shrine with her baby. In modern Japan it is generally 32 days (or
31 days) after she bore the baby in case of a male, and 33 days
in case of a female.
But when they come to the shrine, it is not the mother who
carries the baby. It is a traditional custom that the baby should
be carried not by the mother, but usually by the husband's mother
(mother-in-law). This is a remarkable similarity of purity and
impurity of the mother, after childbirth, with ancient Israeli
custom.
Japanese "Mizura" and Jewish Peyot
The photo below (left) is a statue of an ancient Japanese Samurai found in relics of the late 5th century C.E. in Nara, Japan. This statue shows realistically the ancient Japanese men's hair style called "mizura," which hair comes down under his cap and hangs in front of both ears with some curling. This hair style was widely seen among Japanese Samurais, and it was unique to Japan, not the one which came from the cultures of China or Korea.
Ancient Japanese Samurai's hair style "mizura" (left)
and Jewish "peyot" (right)
Is it a mere coincidence that this resembles
Jewish "peyot" (payot) very much, which is also a hair
style of hanging the hair in front of the ears long with some
curling (photo right)? "Peyot" is a unique hair style
for Jews and the origin is very old. Leviticus 19:27 of the Bible
mentions:
"'Do not cut the hair at the sides of your head."
So, this custom originated from the ancient Israelites. The
"peyot" custom of today's Hasidic Jews is a recovery of
this ancient custom. Yemenite Jews have had this custom since
ancient times. There is a statue from Syria, which is from the 8th
or 9th century B.C.E.. It shows a Hebrew man with peyot and
a fringed shawl.
The information on this page is only an introduction for my study. This page is chapter 1. Please click below for more information.
To
Chapter 2 - The Ten Lost Tribes of Israel in Afghanistan,
Pakistan, Kashmir, Myanmar, and China
To
Chapter 3 - Did the Lost Tribes of Israel Come To Ancient Japan?
To
Chapter 4 - Various Other Similarities Between Ancient Israel and
Ancient Japan
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Remnant Publishing
E-mail: remnant@aioros.ocn.ne.jp
(Your thoughts and opinions are welcome, although I may not be
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Home-page is here.
Recommended books:
*The
Biblical Hebrew Origin of the Japanese People, written
by Joseph Eidelberg
*If you can read Japanese, "Nihon-Yudaya, Huuin no Kodaishi" which is written by Rabbi Marvin
Tokayer and published by Tokuma-shoten is the best book on this
topic (This book includes many pictures. The English version is
not published yet).
Recommended links:
Are the Japanese actually Jewish? (videos)
Who are the Japanese?
Bnei Menashe
Japanese-Jewish Resources
Straight Talk About God (Lost Tribes)