TSYR+mythology+Tengu

Tobin E Threadgill and Karl Garrison on Takamura Yikiyoshi and Tengu

Brandon WilliamsCraig: My Ph.D. is in "Mythological Studies with an Emphasis in Depth Psychology", which is to say I teach psychology, literature, and religion, and my research is in the somatic psychology of belief as a force for culture-making. Campbell is one of the primary figures in my field.

Tobin E Threadgill: Brandon WilliamsCraig The man is one of my heroes.
I wish you could have met Takamura and chatted with him about tengu mythology and symbolism. It is so bizarre and hard for me to wrap my head around. Some of it is included on our upper level densho. I mention this in my book. Wild archetypes.

Brandon WilliamsCraig: Fascinating! I wish I could have met him too, and would love to hear more when that is appropriate. I am looking forward to tracking those images/ideas wherever they lead. Are there other TSYR folks with an interest or background in psychological or religious studies and the metaphors associated with shinto and koryu?

Brandon WilliamsCraig: Do we know if Shindo Yoshin Ryu (or Takamura Sensei) was explicitly influenced by Yamabushi or lay Shugendō practitioners? I am ashamed to say that I haven't been able to get a copy of your book yet. If the answer to my question is there, I apologize and will get back to you when I have had a chance to read it.

Tobin E Threadgill: You know, he never talked about Shugendo much but I was aware he had experience with it as he did a pilgrimage around Mt Kurama determined by Kushiyo, a kind of Japanese numerology associated with Shugendo. Sometimes he would go on this pilgrimage to commune with the tengu with Shugendo priests. He was also taught to play certain songs on a Jinkai (conch) as well as certain rhythms on a taiko. These songs and rhythms are recorded in a proprietary type of musical score on our Okugi Chi no Maki. I was taught these songs and rhythms and how to decipher the score. It it a part of our okugi and a method of confirming high level initiation into Shindo Yoshin ryu.

Despite all this Takamura was really grounded in a type of Folk Shinto associated with the area around Lake Biwa and Mt Kurama.

Karl Garrison: My CO made me read this! Years later roamin around Japan with Takamura I realized what Campbell was gettin at. The same stories were bein retold in different ways with different characters. And Tob’s you are right on man. The tengu shit is like greek stuff interpreted by space aliens.

Brandon WilliamsCraig: Karl Sensei, I haven't had the pleasure of meeting you yet, but I'd love to hear more about the experience of roaming around Japan with Takamura Sensei, especially as it influenced your understanding of him and of TSYR.