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Mystery of
the Ten Lost Tribes
Japan - Part
1/3
by Arimasa Kubo |
Israelites Came To Ancient Japan
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 (bottom)
and "Omikoshi" ark of Japan (top) |
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.
My friend went to Israel and saw a Passover
festival on Mt. Gerizim in Samaria. He asked a Samaritan priest how
many rams were offered. The priest answered that they used to offer
75. This may have a connection with the 75 deer which were offered
at Suwa-Taisha shrine in Japan.
Abraham and
Isaac
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."
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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.
Japanese
Religious Priests "Yamabushi" Put A Black Box on their Foreheads
Just As Jews Put A Phylactery on their Foreheads.
 A "yamabushi" with a "tokin" blowing a
horn
A
Jew with a phylactery blowing a
shofar | |
"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.
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.
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 "torah") 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.
Japanese
"Omikoshi" Resembles the Ark of the Covenant.
In the
Torah (Divrei Hayamim I ch. 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 L-rd 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 L-rd with shouts, with the
sounding of rams' horns and trumpets, and of cymbals, and the
playing of lyres and harps." (15:25-28)
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
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 L-rd." (Divrei Hayamim I 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
kruvim on its top. Kruvim 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.
Many Things Concerning the Ark Resemble
Japanese Customs.
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 G-d of Israel." (Divrei Hayamim I
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" (Divrei Hayamim I 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 Robe of Japanese Priests Resembles the Robe
of Israeli Priests.
The Bible says that when David
brought up the ark into Jerusalem, "David was clothed in a robe of
fine linen" (Divrei Hayamim I 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 (Shmos 3:5, Yehoshua
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.
Devorim 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.
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." (Divrei Hayamim I
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 (Shmuel I 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 (Shmos 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.
Waving the Sheaf of Harvest Is Also
the Custom of Japan.
The Jews wave a sheaf of their first
fruits of grain seven weeks before Shavuot (Pentecost, Vayikra
23:10-11), They also wave a sheaf of plants at Sukkot (the Feast of
Booths, Vayikra 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" [Tehilim 51:7(9)]. This is also a traditional Japanese
custom.
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 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 Structure of the Japanese Shinto Shrine is
Similar to G-d's Tabernacle of Ancient Israel.
The inside of
G-d'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.
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 G-d's temple in Israel and in the palace of
Solomon, there were statues or relieves of lions (Melachim I 7:36,
10:19).
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 (Melachim I 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" (Shmos 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 Devarim, 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.
Many Japanese Customs Resemble Those of
Ancient Israel.
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 (Shmos
28:33-35).
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" (Yechezkel 17:18, Shir Hashirim 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 (Breishis 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" (Shoftim 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" 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."
(Vayikra 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 (Yechezkel 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.
Similar to Judaism, in Japanese Shinto Religion,
There Are No Idols
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 G-d'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 G-d comes down. The same thing can be said concerning the
objects in Japanese shrines.
Ancient Japanese Possibly Had
a Belief in Yah-weh
A major difference between the Shinto
religion and Judaism is the Shinto believe many gods and the Judaic
believe in one true God.
However, unlike modern Judaism, the
ancient religion of Israel, especially of the Ten Northern Tribes,
inclined to idol worship and polytheistic belief (belief in many
gods). They not only believed in G-d Yah-weh, they also believed in
other gods such as Baal, Asytaroth, Molech. Shinto's polytheistic
belief system appears to have been derived from the polytheistic
inclination of ancient Northern Israel. Shinto scholars state that
the Shinto god, "Susanoh," resembles Baal in several aspects, and
the Shinto female god, "Amaterasu," resembles
Asytaroth.
Until 40 decades ago, at Mt. Inomure in Ooita
prefecture, Japan, people had a ceremony to beg for rainfall. They
put wood together in the shape of a Star of David for making the
foundation. On it, they constructed a tower made of tree branches,
and on its top, they put a bamboo pole tangled with a slough of
snake. They burned the tower and prayed for rainfall. This is
reminiscent of the story of the ancient Israelites burning incense
to the bronze serpent (made by Moses) on the pole until the reign of
the King Hezekiah (Melachim II 18:4).
Although Shinto is a
polytheistic religion, I think there is the possibility that ancient
Shinto had once believed in Yahweh as well.
The first born
among the Shinto gods is called "Amenominakanushi-no-kami." This god
is said to have appeared first, live in the midst of the universe,
had no shape, did not die, was the invisible master of the universe,
and was the absolute god. He resembles the Biblical God as the
Master of the Universe.
Archaeologists state that the
religions of Babylon and Egypt had originally believed in one god
called "the god of sky," who seemed to have a connection to the
Biblical "God of heaven." Later, their religions degraded to the
polytheism. I think that we can safely say the same thing happened
to the Shinto religion. I suppose that the ancient Shinto religion
had the belief in G-d Yahweh, but later degenerated into polytheism.
I believe that the Japanese people should come back to believe in
one true God whom the Bible teaches.
A friend of mine, Mr.
Tsujii, told me the following incident. A friend of Mr. Tsujii's,
who was a passionate Shinto believer, came to him. The Shinto
believer had read the Torah and said excitingly:
"I read the
Torah. I was very surprised to learn about the religious ceremonies
of ancient Israel. They are the same as Shinto's. The festivals, the
Temple, the value of cleanness, all of those are the same as
Shinto's!"
Then, Mr. Tsujii said to him:
"Yes, that is
what I have also noticed. If you have discovered it, why don't you
believe in God whom the Bible teaches? I believe that is the way to
establish and recover the true Shinto religion in which you
believe."
Hearing this, the Shinto believer was too surprised
to say anything else for a while. Mr. Tsujii's words echo my own
belief. I pray that all Japanese people may return to the belief in
God of the Bible, because He is also the Father of the Japanese
nation.
Festivals of Japan Resemble Those of Ancient
Israel
Currently the Japanese celebrate the new year on
January 1st, but historically the lunar calendar was used, when
January 15th was the official date for the new year's celebration.
It is a Japanese custom during the celebration to eat "mochi" (rice
cakes) throughout the seven days. This is similar to Judaism, for
the Bible states:
"And on the fifteenth day of the same month
(first month) is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the Lord; seven
days you must eat unleavened bread." (Vayikra 23:6)
The
recipe for "unleavened bread" is the same for Japanese "mochi,"
because if you use rice as the ingredient instead of wheat flour, it
would become Japanese "mochi." The Hebrew word for unleavened bread"
is "matzah." Most likely it is not accidental that these two words
sound alike.
Furthermore, the Japanese people eat porridge
with seven kinds of bitter herbs during celebration. In historical
times people ate the herbs on January 15th. The ancient Israelites
also ate "with bitter herbs" on the 15th of the first month (Shmos
12:8).
In Japan, the "Gion" festivals take place at many
locations during the summer. The most important is the one held at
the "Yasaka-jinja" Shinto shrine in Kyoto. The festival in Kyoto
continues throughout July each year. However, the most important
part of the festival is held from July 17th to 25th (We Japanese
call it "the seventh month"). July 1st and 10th are also important.
This has been a tradition since ancient times. But the 17th of the
seventh month is the day that Noah's ark drifted to
Ararat:
"Then the ark rested in the seventh month, the
seventeenth day of the month, on the mountains of Ararat." (Breishis
8:4)
It is likely that the ancient Israelites had a
thanksgiving feast on this day. However after Moses, it was replaced
by the Feast of Booths (harvest festival), which is held on the 1st,
10th day of the seventh month, and during 8 days from the 15th of
the seventh month (Bamidbar 29:1, 7, 12, 35).
The "Gion"
festival in Kyoto started with the wish that no pestilence would
occur among people. This is similar to what King Solomon stated, in
the wish that no pestilence would occur in the country. The Israeli
feast continued for 8 days (including the last meeting day) from the
15th of the seventh month (Divrei Hayamim II 7:8-10).
Over
120 years ago, a business man from Scotland, N. Mcleod, came to
Japan to investigate the customs. He wrote a book entitled "Epitome
of Japanese Ancient History." In the book, he wrote that the "Gion"
festival in Kyoto greatly resembled Jewish festivals.
Rabbi
Tokayer made a similar comment. He said that the name "Gion" reminds
him of "Zion" which is another name for Jerusalem. In fact, Kyoto
used to be called "Heian-kyo," which means "city of peace."
Jerusalem in Hebrew also means "city of peace". "Heian-kyo" might be
Japanese for "Jerusalem."
At the "Gion" festival in Kyoto,
the people start the festival with a shout of "en-yara-yah."
Japanese do not understand the meaning of this word. But, Eiji
Kawamorita, a Japanese scholar who mastered Hebrew, wrote in his
book that the word seemed to be a Hebrew expression "eni ahalel yah"
which means "I praise Yah-weh (the Lord)."
Continue to Part
2 »
Overview
 Afghanistan
Burma
Pakistan
- The Pathans Kashmir
Japan
Ecuador
China Arimasa
Kubo is a Japanese writer living in Japan. As he studied the
Bible, he began to realize that many traditional customs and
ceremonies in Japan are very similar to the ones of ancient Israel.
He 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. With these pages he hopes to enable anyone
interested in this subject, to become more interested, research it
for themselves, and share their findings with him. He can be emailed
at mailtp:[email protected]
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