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Concept
Mikagura-uta
Summary
The Mikagura-uta (みかぐらうた, The Songs for the Service) is one of the three Tenrikyo scriptures, along with the Ofudesaki and the Osashizu. It was composed by the foundress of Tenrikyo, Miki Nakayama, from 1866 to 1875, and revised to its current version in 1882.
The Mikagura-uta is the liturgical book of the Service (otsutome), a religious ritual that has a central place in Tenrikyo. During the Service, the text to the Mikagura-uta is sung together with dance movements and musical accompaniment.
"Mikagura-uta" can be subdivided into three sections. Mi is an honorific prefix. The word kagura is a generic term for any performance for a deity or deities in Japan. Although kagura are usually associated with Shinto shrines, there is also historical evidence of their association with Shugendō and Buddhist schools such as Shingon.
The word uta simply means "song" or "songs."
It is unknown when “Mikagura-uta” became the standardized title. During the years from 1867 and 1887, a variety of titles were used, with the most common being “Juni-kudari o-tsutome (no) uta” (the Twelve Songs of the Service). The earliest evidence of the current title dates to October 1888, when the songs was first formally published by Tenrikyo as “御かぐら歌.” However, since the kanji character 御 could potentially be read either as "O" and "On" in addition to "Mi," it still cannot be said with absolute certainty when “Mikagura-uta” became the standard title (in the past it was referred to sometimes as "Okagura-uta").
The original manuscript of the Mikagura-uta is lost; it was either confiscated by the authorities or it was connected to persecution and interference.
The first time the title of the Mikagura-uta took its current written form (only in hiragana) was in 1928, when the scripture was distributed to all churches to commemorate Shozen Nakayama’s marriage.
Tenrikyo Church Headquarters published an English translation of the Mikagura-uta in 1967.
The Mikagura-uta is a scripture that is meant to be sung, danced with hand and feet movements, and accompanied by nine musical instruments.
Official source
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