Nanzan University

A Portrait of Abe no Seimei

Author(s): Shigeta Shinichi, Gaynor Sekimori and
Source: Japanese Journal of Religious Studies, Vol. 40, No. 1, Onmyd in Japanese History
(2013), pp. 77-97
Published by: Nanzan University
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/41955531 .
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Studies
Journal
40/1:
77-97
ofReligious
Japanese
2013
Nanzan
Institute
for
andCulture
Religion

Shigeta Shinichi
A Portrait of Abe no Seimei

in thehistory
ofOnmyd,
Abeno Seimeiis one ofthemostfamousfigures
tohimspecialpowersand
withmanytalesattached
tohisnamethatattribute
recordsconcerning
Abe
Thisarticlelooksatthehistorical
accomplishments.
ofhislife
no Seimeiand triesto reconstruct
whatcan be knownhistorically
andactions.TherecordsshowthatAbeno Seimeididnotreachprominence
anda highrankuntillateinhislife,welloversixty
yearsofage.Thearticleconcludesthatiftheonmyji
Abeno Seimeihadnotliveda longlife,he probably
wouldnothaveachievedtheunusualfamethatdevelopedinlaterperiods.
- ritsury
keywords:Abe no Seimei- henbai- demons- onmyji
codefestival
rituals
shikigamiShigetaShinichi
is a research
fellow
intheInstitute
ofJapanese
Folk
fortheStudy
Culture,
Kanagawa
University.
77

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the timethatAbe no SeimeirfBf^ (921-1005)1was active,

therewas a nobleman,Fujiwarano YukinariUT
(972-1027),who
During was one ofthethreeoutstanding
ofhisday.Weknowfrom
calligraphers
hisdiary,GonkiSSB(Chh2 [1000].10.11.),
thatSeimeiwasregarded
atthetime
as the"preeminent
of
michi
no
kesshutsusha
l/l^tt#).
practitioner Onmyd"(
On theeleventhdayofthetenthmonthofChho2,thereconstruction
ofthe
which
had
been
in
a
was
comImperialPalace,
previously
destroyed fire, finally
pleted.On thatday,EmperorIchij(980-1011,r.986-1011)movedfromhistemporaryresidenceintothenewpalace building,at whichtimeSeimeiperformed
themagicalstepcalledhenbaiKW. According
toYukinari,
thiswasthefirst
time
henbaihad been performed
on suchan occasion.Formerly
whentheemperor
had entereda new palace, a ritualact involvingthe scatteringof uncooked
grainsofrice(sanguttt)had beenmade,a ritethatcameunderthepurviewof
theOnmyry
in charge
office
lim'(BureauofYin and Yang),thegovernment
ofdivination,
and time-keeping.
So in 1000,Abe no Seimei
calendars,astrology,
notonlyperformed
a ritedifferent
fromprecedent,
butitwas donebysomeone
whowas notan officer
oftheOnmyry.
As to whythiswas permitted,
Yukinari
"It
was
because
Seimei
was
the
of
that
wrote,
preeminent
practitioner ( onmy)d
he attended
on theemperor"
(Gonki,Chh2.10.11).
The henbaithatSeimeiperformedon thatoccasion was a seriesof special
An exampleofits
stepsused to treadthegroundaccompaniedbyincantations.
use priorto 1000 appearsin thediaryofTairano Chikanobu
(945-1017),
kiyin an itemdated Tenen 2 (974).2.9. A prominentonmyji
Chikanobu-ky
calledKamo no YasunoritIS;:performed
henbaion behalfofMinaPHrP
motono MichisatoS il S whowas leavingfortheprovinceofSanukito which
he had beenappointedProvisional
Assistant
Governor.
Itis easyto imaginethat
thiswas done to ensurehimsafetyon theroad.Forpeople ofthetime,henbai
*Editorial
makes
reference
toa large
number
oftextual
sourcesnote:Thisarticle
diaries,
- somewellknown,
andso forth
andothers
not.Rather
thanaddannotations
compilations,
ofthetitles,
eachtext,
wehavegiven
forexample
Gonki
and
explaining
onlythetransliteration
Shyki.
1.Thecharacters
ofAbesgiven
bereadaccording
totheJapanese
Bf would
name,
normally
inJapan,
as"Haruaki."
thenames
ofprominent
arecustomarily
However,
pronunciation
people
readaccording
inthiscase,"Seimei."
totheChinese
Therefore
inthisarticle
I will
pronunciation,
theform
ina fewexceptional
cases.
"Seimei,"
employ
except
78

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shigeta: a portrait of abe no seimei I 79

seemsto havebeena magicaldeviceto guaranteepersonalsafety
whengoingto
an unknownplaceor a placeperceivedas dangerous.2
Thus,itwas notstrangethathenbaishouldhavebeenusedwhentheemperor
was movingintoa new palace. A new residencetrulywas an unknownspace.
In fact,thenobility
ofthetimewouldnothaveoccupieda newly-built
dwelling
untila complexseriesofritesfocusingon thenewbuilding,includingtheperformanceofhenbaibyonmyji
, had been undertaken.For example,Fujiwara
no Michinaga
notesin his diaryMidkanpakuki
, in an entrydated
Kank2 (ioo5).2.io,thathe had waitedforAbe no Seimeiat thegateofhis new
residence.It seemsthatSeimei,who was supposedto perform
theritesforthe
was
in
somewhat
late
mansion,
newly-built
arriving.3
Severaltalesin thetwentyseventhfascicle(Honchreikibu)oftheKonjaku
shsuggestthatpeoplein theHeianperiodconsiderednotjustnew
monogatari
but
dwellings anykindofhouse as a potentially
dangerousspace occupiedby
spiritsanddemons.Evenwhenthenobility
beganusinga residenceaftera period
ofdisuse,theywouldhavean onmyji
henbaibeforeoccupying
itagain.
perform
Fujiwarano Sanesukes
diaryShyki
givesus anotherexamplepre1000.
In
in
Sanesuke
was
a
residence
calledNij-teithatfaced
985
dating
living
ontoNij ji (avenue).He placed itfora timeat thedisposaloftheconsortof
EmperorEny,Empress(chguK ) Fujiwarano Nobukol il (957-1017).
Duringthattime,he livedat anotherofhis residences,
Ononomiya,aftera considerableperiodofdisuse.Beforelivingthereagain,he had an onmyjicalled
of
performhenbai, precededbytheritualscattering
AgataTomohiraM
uncookedrice(sangu). And afterNobukolefttheNij residence,and Sanesuke
wasaboutto movebackin,Abeno Seimeiperformed
henbaiforhim.4
Itwas in suchan environment
thatSeimeiinstituted
theperformance
ofhenbai fortheemperorwhenhe movedintohis newly-built
It
later
became
palace.
foronmyjito perform
henbaion all suchoccasions.Abe no Seimei
customary
had been able to institute
thisnewprocedurebecauseofhis renownamonghis
contemporaries.
A PersonWhoSeesDemons
An important
courtritualon thelastdayoftheyearwas calledtsuina. The
ofthemodernsetsubun
and itsbean-throwing,
itwas heldto expelall
prototype
demonsthathad gatheredwithinJapanto outsidetheboundariesofthelandin
2.Inanexample
ofhenbai
after
Koremune
noFumitaka
1000,theonmyji
performed
itwhengenerals
toputdowntherebellion
ofChibanoTadatsune
left
the
appointed
1[1028].
onhenbai
,Chgen
,seeKosaka1993.
(Shyki
8.5).Fordetails
capital
tonewly-built
seeShigeta2004,179-211;
3.Forrites
2005,
13-98.
pertaining
dwellings,
Kanna1(985).5.7;Eien1(987).3.21.
4.Shyki,

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8o I Japanese
Studies 40/1(2013)
Journal
ofReligious
thefourdirections.
It is thoughtthatat leastbythemiddleoftheHeian period
thecourtnobility
wereperforming
similarceremoniesin theirownresidences.
In theSeijiyryaku
ff
(An outlineofgovernance),
compiledbyKoremune
no TadasukeiHtkA (n.d.) in theearlyyearsoftheeleventhcentury,
an interin
anecdote
Abe
no
Seimei
relation
to
the
tsuina
is
recorded:
esting
concerning
In the intercalary
twelfth
monthof Chho 3 [1001],thebirthmotherof
died,
EmperorIchij,HigashiSanjinFujiwarano Akiko
andthatyears courttsuinawascancelled.Consequently,
theprevailing
mood
was suchthatprivateperformances
oftheritualin theresidences
ofnobles
werealso cancelled.However,
as Abe no SeimeitoldTadasukewhenhe visitedhim,whenhe hadperformed
thetsuinaathisownresidence
on thelast
of
the
it
had
so
to
the
of
that
appealed
people Kyoto theybeganto
night
year,
it
like
an
annual
event.
too,
perform
Hearingthis,Tadasukeaddedtheremark,
"Seimeiis a masterofOnmyd"[onmy
notasshafiJJi#].
, kan29,"Nenjgyjijnigatsu
(Seijiyryaku
ge")
Thisepisodealso appearsto havebeen recordedin theShyki
, thoughthe
actual entryhas been lost,like so muchof thediary.However,its indexlists
theentry"Chho4 [1002].1.7.Thequestionofthecancellation
ofthetsuinadue
to Courtmourning,"
and thereis an addendumthatsays,"WhenSeimeibegan
the [tsui]nay
othersfollowedsuit"(Shkimokuroku
, kan 20, "Kyinkyji").In
otherwords,thestoryas Tadasukehearditwas notgrandioseself-promotion
by
Seimeibutthecommonrecognition
of
the
time
that
"Seimei
[was] a
bypeople
masterofOnmyd."
Wehavealreadyseenthatthetsuinawasa ritualtoexorcisedemons.Peopleof
theHeianperiodseemto havetrulyexpectedthatitsperformance
wouldensure
thatall demonswouldbe drivenawayfromtheland.Forexample,accordingto
thediaryofEmperorDaigo,whentherewas an influenzaepidemicin 908 (Engi
itscause to thefactthatthetsuinahad
8), aftera whilepeoplecameto attribute
at theend ofthepreviousyearand as a resultithad been
notbeen performed
to driveawaycompletely
thosedemonsthatspreaddisease(ekiki
impossible
tenn
,
8.12.29).
Daigo
goki Engi
compiledat thebeginningof thetenth
Accordingto theEngishiki
the
tsuina
as
a
court
ritual
was
underthesupervision
ofthe
completely
century,
and theprocedurebeganwitha ritualprayer(saimn) chanted
Onmyry,
an
, kan16,"EngiOnmyryshiki").Seeingthatonmyji
by onmyji(Engishiki
rolein it,it is
werein chargeoftheritualas a wholeand playedan important
in theresidences
verylikelythatthesame appliedto privatetsuinaperformed
ofthenobility.
and demons.Peoplein theHeian
Herewe see a connectionbetweenonmyji
believed
that
had
seem
to
have
period
onmyji theabilityto see demons.There

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SHIGETA:
APORTRAIT
OFABENOSEIMEI | 8l
is a talein theKonjakumonogatari
shthatrelatesthatAbe no Seimeihad been
able to see themsincehe was a smallchild( Konjakumonogatari
sh, kan 24,
Tale 16).We also knowfromthediaryoftheemperorUda thatan onmyji
who
servedEmperorMontokuat thebeginningoftheHeian periodwas spokenof
as "a personwho sees demons"("Uda tenngoki,"Kanpy1 (889).1.18.).In the
fir(d. 1066), a ficShin-sarugakuki
bythescholarFujiwarano AkihiraJSJEW
tionalcharactercalled"Kamo no Michiyo,OnmydMaster"was presentedas
ofwhomitwas said,"Thoughhe had receivedthebody
theidealofan onmyji,
ofa humanbeing,his heart/mind
communicatedwiththedemonsand spirits
[kishin
withthedemonsand spirThus,thefactthatonmyjiwho "communicated
itsin mind"and "sawdemons"werein chargeofexpellingdemonswouldhave
been seen as completely
naturalbythepeople ofthetime.And giventhis,the
influence
exerted
great
byAbe no Seimeion theoccasionofthetsuinaof1001
does notcomeas a surpriseas he was so highlyregarded.
Gen, Effectiveness
In themiddleoftheseventh
monthofKank1(1004),therewasa drought.
Accordto
the
information
no
Sanenari
to
(975-1045)
ing
broughtbyFujiwara
no
the
Festival
Ritual
of
the
Five
Fujiwara Michinaga,
Dragons(gorysai5fS)
and Seimeihad been given"a
performed
byAbe no Seimeihad been "effective,"
Kank1.7.14).
Thisappearsin Michinagasdiary(MidkanpakukU
gift."
to producerain.SaneThegorysaiwas a magicalriteperformed
byonmyji
naris commentthatithadbeen"effective"
indicatessomeresponse,and Seimeis
a rewardforhis work.The entryin Michinagasdiarytellsus
giftrepresented
theperformance
of
thatSeimeihad causedrainto fallduringa droughtthrough
thegorysai
and
received
a
reward
for
his
success.
This
that
,
suggests Michinaga,
along withotherpeople duringthe Heian period,believedthatthe onmyji
Seimeicouldcauserainto fallthroughmagic.
Thisincidentappearsto havebeen recordedin Sanenaris diaryas well.In
Fascicle19oftheShkimokuroku
, thereis an itemdatedKank1.7.16thatstates,
"Seimeireceivesa rewardfortheeffectiveness
[genS&]oftheFestivaloftheFive
I would
theentryitselfhas notsurvivedin theShyki.
Dragons."Unfortunately,
to drawattention
to "genoftheFestivaloftheFiveDragons."Here
like,however,
itappearsin thecontextofSeimeireceiving
a rewardbecauseoftheeffectiveness
ofa magicalritualhe had performed.
notallonmyji
weresothought
ofbyallpeople.
Forexample,
inanentry
in
5.Ofcourse,
theShyki
dated
10.29,weseethatrobbers
entered
theresidence
ofanonmyji
Manju1(1024).
calledNakahara
noTsunemori,
andfrom
anitem"Rangynokoto"
inFascicle
17oftheShki
mokuroku
that
anonmyji
callednakatomi
noSanemitsu
"suffered
anindignity."
,weknow

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DATE
ACTIVITY
Kh
anauspicious
time
anddayfor
theritual
the
4(97).6.23 Selecting
signalling
ofpolitical
activities
beginning
Tenroku
totheemperor
celestial
aberrations
3(972).i2.6
Report
concerning

SOURCE
Honch
seiki

Chikanobuki
ky
Tenroku
totheauthorities
about
theRite
oftheFour Chikanobu3(972).i2.6
Report
performing
Directions
tocontrol
theprevalence
ofepidemics
ki
ky
Tenen
1(973)-i-9 Report
totheemperor
celestial
aberrations
Chikanobuconcerning
ki
ky
Tenen
1(973).6.n Divination
about
for
theemperor
Chikanobuphenomena
uncanny
Eny
ki
ky
1(973).6.n Henbai
Tenen
inoccasion
oftheemperor
totheChikanobuperformed
Enys
progress
Chkain
ki
ky
Tenen
2(974).6.i2 Riverside
for
theemperor
Chikanobupurification
performed
Eny
ki
ky
2(974).i2.3 Report
Tenen
totheemperor
celestial
aberrations
Chikanobuconcerning
ki
ky
2(984)7.27 Selected
Eikan
anauspicious
time
anddayfor
theenthronement
ritual Shyki
oftheemperor
theemperor
andthe
Kazan,
succeeding
Eny,
Kanehito
Shinn
asCrown
(later
ceremony
naming
emperor
Ichij)
Prince
1(98s).4.i9 Purification
Kanna
because
Sanesukes
concubine
was Shyki
performed
Fujiwara
late
birth
giving
1(98s).5.29Purification
Kanna
onthecompletion
ofEmperor
Kazan's Shyki
performed
ofmourning
period
2(986).2.i6Divined
Kanna
that
theappearance
ofa snake
inthebuilding
ofthe
Honch
seiki
wasauspicious
Dajkan
1(987).2.i9 Performed
Eien
henbai
ontheoccasion
ofEmperor
fromShyki
Ichij
moving
theGykasha
eII#totheSeiryden
Eien
1(987).3.2i Fujiwara
Sanesuke
hadhenbai
onreturning
tohisNij Shyki
performed
mansion
anabsence
after
Eien
2(988)7.4 Performed
a kiki-sai
toexpel
atthe Shyki
(ritual
demons)
illness-causing
residence
ofFujiwara
Sanesuke
2(988).8.7 Selected
Eien
anauspicious
time
anddayfor
theperformance
ofaneso- Shyki
teric
Buddhist
ritual
andtheKeikokuseisai
for
theemperor
Ichij
Eien
2(988).8.i8 Wrote
a letter
ofexplanation
about
hedidnotperform
the Shyki
why
Keikokuseisai
for
theemperor
Ichij
Eiso1(989).i.6 Made
a divination
theillness
oftheemperor
concerning
Ichij Shyki
Eiso1(989).
Performed
a purification
for
theillness
oftheemperor
1.7
Ichij
Shyki
Eiso1(989).2.ii Ordered
toperform
theTaizan
Fukun
saifor
theemperor
Ichij Shyki
Eiso1(989).
2.16 Performed
henbai
ontheoccasion
oftheemperor
Ichijs
progressShyki
toEnyji
a purification
for
theillness
oftheemperor
4(993).
2.3 Performed
Shryaku
Ichij
Shyki
that
a Ninnk
should
beheld
intheImperial
Palace Honch
seiki
5(994)-5-7
Shryaku
Reported
Chtoku
1(995).io.i7
onwhether
ornotdivination
hadbeen
when
a Gonki
Reported
performed
wasmade
celestial
aberrations
report
concerning
Chtoku
anauspicious
for
theemperor
Gonki
3(997).
6.17Selected
dayandtime
Ichijs
progress
tovisit
(hismother)
Higashi
Sanjin
Chtoku
Performed
henbai
ontheoccasion
oftheemperor
to Gonki
3(997).6.22
Ichijs
progress
visit
(hismother)
Higashi
Sanjin
Chh
1(999)7.8 Performed
henbai
when
theemperor
moved
from
theeast
to Gonki
Ichij
thenorth
ofhistemporary
palace,
Ichijin.
Chh
1(999)7.16 Made
a divination
theillness
ofEmperor
Gonki
concerning
Ichij
Chh
1(999)7.16 Selected
anaupicious
an"Onmyd
festival"
(un- Gonki
daytoperform
for
specified)
Emperor
Ichij
Chh
1(999).io.i3Made
a divination
about
thenecessity
oftheGreat
Dowa- Shyki
Empress
theImperial
Princess
residences
totreat
an
Shshi,
ger,
moving
illness

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DATE
ACTIVITY
SOURCE
i (999).
io.13 Selected
anauspicious
for
theImperial
Princess
Chh
Shshi
Shyki
dayandhour
tomove
totheresidence
ofeMasamune.
1(999).
10.
onmiscellaneous
affairs
themove
oftheImpe-Shyki
Chh
19 Report
surrounding
ofeMasamune.
rialPrincess
Shshi
totheresidence
1(999).
anauspicious
for
a fire
Gonki
Chh
11.7 Selected
dayandhour
performing
prevention
ritual
intheImperial
Palace
intheImperial Gonki
1(999).
11.
toperform
a fire
ritual
Chh
7 Wasordered
prevention
Palace
ofFujiwaraMid2(ooo).i.ioReported
onsome
matter
attheresidence
Chh
(unspecified)
kanpakuki
Michinaga
ofMid2(1000).
1.28 Selected
anauspicious
for
theinstallation
asempress
Chh
dayandhour
oftheemperor
noShshi
theconsort
kanpakuki
Ichij,
Fujiwara
2(1000).
anauspicious
for
thevisit
Chh
2.16 Selected
dayandhour
bytheempress MidShshi
toHkin
kanpakuki
intheImperial
Gonki
2(1000).
8.19 Divined
whether
rats
inFujiwara
Yukinari's
Chh
quarters
a lucky
orunlucky
Palace
were
sign
theNuidonory Gonki
2(iooo).8.i9Selected
theharmful
direction
for
Chh
constructing
oftheemperor
2(1000).
10.11Performed
henbai
ontheoccasion
Chh
Ichij
moving Gonki
tothenewly-erected
from
histemporary
Imperial
palace,
Ichijin,
Palace
for
6.20 Selected
anauspicious
Chh
3(1001).
Sanjin,
FujiwaraGonki
dayandhour
Higashi
tovenerate
a statue
ofFud
Senshi,
Prince
for
anauspicious
Chh
3(i00i).6.20Selected
Imperial
AtsuyasuGonki
dayandhour
time
sonofIchij)
toeatfish
for
thefirst
(first-born
Divined
whether
ornottheillHigashi
Chh
Senshi, Gonki
3(1001).
12.17*
Sanjin,
Fujiwara
residence
ofFujiwara
Yukinari
should
move
totheSanj
rites
of Gonki
matters
thefuneral
onmiscellaneous
Chh
3(1001).
12.23*
concerning
Reported
Senshi.
Sanjin,
Fujiwara
Higashi
intheImperial
Palace
because
oftheSeiji
cancelled
Performed
thetsuina,
Chh
12.29*
3(1001).
yryaku
inhisown
death
ofSenshi,
home
fires
intheImperial
PalaceGonki
onthereason
for
theincessant
Chh
4(ioo2).3.i9Reported
oftheImperial Gonki
ofthenames
ofthegates
ontheorigins
Chh
4(ioo2).3.i9Reported
Palace
Gonki
Yukinari
Taizan
Fukun
saifor
Chh
4(1002).
11.9 Performed
Fujiwara
Prince
Gonki
theillness
ofImperial
a divination
Chh
5(ioo3).8.2iMade
Atsuyasu
concerning
the(mortuMidinKohata
for
tobuild
1(1004).
a site
Kank
2.19 Selected
Fujiwara
Michinaga
Sanmaid
kanpakuki
ary
temple)
itwasauspicious
ornotto
Gonki
Yukinari
whether
Kank
1(1004).
2.26 Asked
byFujiwara
a Buddhist
rite
ona Kshin
perform
day
of Midwasany
death
attheresidence
1(1004).
6.18 Divined
whether
there
Kank
pollution
kanpakuki
Fujiwara
Michinaga
toerect
a Midthat
itwasnotsuitable
for
Kank
1(i004).6.20Reported
Fujiwara
Michinaga
statue
ona metsumon
Buddhist
(inauspicious)
kanpakuki
day
Mid1(1004)7.14Performed
theFive
Festival
Kank
Dragons
kanpakuki
should
visit
whether
ornottheempress
Shshi
harano MidKank
1(1004).
8.22 Divined
kanpakuki
Jinja
ofFujiwara
no Mid1(1004).
whether
atTnomine
Kank
(the
9.25 Divined
rumbling
grave
wasauspicious
ornot
Kamatari)
kanpakuki
of
Mid1(1004).
anOnmyd
ritual
attheresidence
Kank
12.3 Performed
(unspecified)
kanpakuki
Fujiwara
Michinaga
construction
for
MidKank
2(1005).
2.10 Performed
a ritual
for
a new
Fujiwara
Michinagas
new
kanpakuki
Sanjin
henbai
when
theempress
Shshi
visited
harano
Kank
2(ioo5).3.8 Performed
Jinja Shyki
*Theyear
inthelunar
inboldindicates
anextra
month
calendar.
figure1.AbenoSeimeis
activities.

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Studies 40/1(2013)
Journal
84 I Japanese
ofReligious
A similarstorysurvivesin anotherentryin theShyki
, datedShryaku4
(993).2.3.On thatday,Abe no SeimeivisitedSanesukeat his home.Justprior
to this,Seimeihad been promotedfromtheLowerto theUpperGradeofthe
himof
SeniorFifthRankand he seemsto havebeenvisitingSanesuketo inform
this.Accordingto whatSeimeihimselfsaid,whenEmperorIchijsuddenlyfell
a purification
to treattheillness.Itwas because
ill,Seimeiperformed
ceremony
"therewas instanteffectiveness"
thatSeimeilaterreceivedtheraisedrankingas
a reward.Heretoo we findSeimeibeinggivena rewardbecauseoftheeffectivenessofhismagic(Shyku
Shryaku4.2.3).
In thesectionon "HatefulThings"in theMakuranosshi(ThePillowBook),
Sei Shnagon
mentions"Someonehas fallenilland a genza
(exorThusin Abe no Seimeis day,peoplecalledgenzawereassocist)is summoned."
ciatedwiththecuringofillness.Genza wereBuddhistpriestswho performed
magicalrites,such as esotericritualsand magico-religious
prayers( kaji kit
in a varietyofsituations,
Ptit#),
includingthecuringofillness.Genor shirushias understoodbythepeopleoftheHeianperiodappearto be synonymous
withwhatwe todaycall"effectiveness."
Buddhistpriestswhoperformed
esoteric
ritesor kajiwerecalledgenza(peoplehavinggen)becausetherewas an expectationthattheirritualswouldbe effective.
oftheeffectiveness
ofthemagicalritualsperPeoplehad similarexpectations
formedbyonmyjusuchas festival
ritualsand purifications
to cureillness,and
forotherpurposes.6
Atthesametime,theseonmyji
couldraisetheirreputation
theeffectiveness
oftheirrituals.The two
bydisplaying
gen, thatis, exhibiting
Abe
exampleswe haveexaminedabovearetypical.Thereasonthattheonmyji
no Seimeiachievedfameas "thepreeminent
ofOnmyd"was due
practitioner
in partto theeffectiveness
ofthevariousritualshe performed.7
Figure 1 lists
Seimeis activities
as an onmyji
based on contemporary
sources;theyshowthe
diversetypesofmagicthathe practiced.
Abeno Seimeiin OldAge
Thoughitsauthoris unknownand thedate of itscompilationuncertain,the
Nihonkiryaku
is highlyesteemedas a basic historicalsourceforthetimeup to
themid-Heianperiod.In an entrydatedTengen1 (978).7.24,thereis a report
fell,damagingtheresidenceoftheonmyhakaseIzumo
saying"Athunderbolt
Izumo Kiyoakihas been widelyregardedas referKiyoaki
This
to
Abe
no
Seimei.
is because thecharacters
used to transcribe
ring
thenamemaybe pronouncedeither"Kiyoaki"or "Seimei,"and recentmonointreating
6.Forthework
ofonmyji
seeShigeta2004,124-78;
illness,
2005,
99-192.
seeOkada1991;
Yamashita
7.Formagical
1996.
practices
performed
byonmyju

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APORTRAIT
OFABENOSEIMEI | 85
SHIGETA:
thetwo
identified
Abe no Seimeihavefrequently
graphsand articlesconcerning
in the
a tellinganecdoteforscholarsinterested
as beingthesame.It is certainly
a
of
his
to
as
it
does
of
Seimei
s
failures,
inability prevent thuntrope
speaking
hisownhouse.
derboltstriking
It maybe, however,thatthepersonwho appearsas Izumo Kiyoakiin the
thefact
Nihonkiryaku
is notAbe no Seimeiat all. We shouldnotunderestimate
TheChikanobu-ky
not"Abeno Seimei."8
thatthetextemploys"IzumoKiyoaki,"
kirefersto Abe no Seimeias tenmonhakase
(doctorofastrology)for
thefirsttimein an entrydatedTenroku3 (972).12.6,whilethelateHeian his"Abe
toricalwork,Honchseiki
ittlE,
(Chronicleofimperialreigns)mentions
AsonSeimei,tenmonhakase, SeniorFifthRank,UpperGrade"in an entrydated
to thinkthathe couldhaveoccupied
therefore
Kanna2 (986).2.16.It is difficult
thepostofonmyhakasein 978,and so itappearsto be pushingthingstoo farto
in theNihonkiryaku.
Abe no SeimeiwiththeIzumoKiyoakimentioned
identify
the
remain
some
scholars
convinced,
Nevertheless,
despite evidence,thatAbe no
Seimeiand IzumoKiyoakiarethesameman.
dated
in Seimeis failures
shouldnotean entryin theShyki
Thoseinterested
divination
thatsaidthestarKeikokusei
Eien2 (988).8.i8.Becauseofan astrological
was notin a good positionas faras EmperorIchijwas concerned,Jinan esotericBuddhist
wastoperform
zen II
theTendaizasu
(headpriest),
ritualand Seimeia magicalritecalled theKeikokuseiFestival(Keikokuseisai
Seimeididnotperform
JIIk)on thatday.However,
anyritualfortheemperor.
Did he havea reasonfornotdoingso,or did something
happenthatwasbeyond
as a
hiscontrol?
Or wastheresomedeeperreason?Wejustdo notknow.However,
Thisfailure
ofSeimeis,whichis
Seimeihad to writea letterofexplanation.
result,
is theonlyoneknownatpresent.
backedbyhistorical
evidence,
Ifwe setasidetheentryin theHonchseikidatedKh 4 (97).6.23thatdeals
with"theonmyji
Seimei"selectingan auspicioustimeand dayfortheritualsigtheearliestand mostreliablerecord
the
nalling beginningofpoliticalactivities,
ki.However,
concerninghimis in Tairano Chikanobusdiary,Chikanobu-ky
difficult
thisrecordonlylastsa scantthreeyears,from972to 974.It is therefore
aboutSeimeibefore967.Thelastentryconcerning
to attainreliableinformation
Seimeiis foundin theShyki
, datedKank 2 (ioos).3.8; afterthathe no lonin
He mayhavedied aroundthat
gerappears therecordsofhiscontemporaries.
time.Atanyrate,we can onlyfollowSeimeis trailforaroundthirty
years,from
967 to 1005.
A genealogyoftheAbe familyincludedin a collectionofgenealogiescomcalledtheSonpibunmyaku
piledin thefourteenth
saysthatSeimeidied
century
"IzumonoKiyoaki/Seimei"
8.Somevariants
havetheorthography
notmeanitrefers
to"Abe
noSeimei."

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butthisdoes

86 I Japanese
Studies 40/1(2013)
Journal
ofReligious
five.Ifwe take1005to be theyearofhisdeath,we can estiat theage ofeightymatehe was bornin Engi21 (921). Ifso, Seimeiwas alreadyoverfifty
whenhe
first
madean appearancein theChikanobu-ky
ki, and so he was alreadyan old
man.Thismeansthattheonlyrecordswe haveofSeimeiarefromhisold age.
reliablerecordthatexistsforSeimeibeforethis
Perhapstheonlymore-or-less
intheSonpibunmyakutimeis theinformation
contained
Seimeiwasa student
of
the
chan
was
Kamono Yasunori,
to
undatedDazaifumandokoro
who,according
,
divinaa "doctorofthethreeways"(sandhakaseHlWit), thatis,ofyin-yang
and thecalendar(Heian ibunNo. 4623).Minamotono Tsuneyori
tion,astrology,
SJIH (986-1039),wholivedaroundfifty
kepta diarycalled
yearsafterYasunori,
thefountheSakeikiE^ISS.An entrydatedChgen5 (1032).5.4says,"In Japan,
Thistellsus thattheonmyji
called
dationsofOnmydwerelaid byYasunori."
Kamono Yasunoriwhowas Abe no Seimeis teacherwas highlyregardedamong
theHeiannobility
as a preceptor
ofonmyji.
TheAbe genealogyin theSonpibunmyaku
describesSeimeias "originally
a
in
ThissuggeststhatSeimeimay
astrology."
graduatestudent( tokugsh
havestudiedunderthetenmonhakaseYasunorias an advancedstudentofthat
hakaseattheend
subject.WehavealreadyseenthatSeimeiwasappointedtenmon
ofTenroku3 (972),in all likelihoodas thesuccessorofYasunori.Itis also thought
thatYasunoritransmitted
divination
to Seimei,as wellas
knowledgeofyin-yang
An
2
in
the
kirecordsthat
dated
Tenen
(974).5.i4
Chikanobu-ky
astrology.9 entry
a sitefora new
whenKamoYasunoriclimbedMountHiei to selectbydivination
hall,he was attendedbySeimei.Thisis an indicationoftheclosetiesthatexisted
betweenthetwomenas teacherand student.
Theexplanation
in theKamogenealogyin theSonpibunmyaku
thatKamono
whowasbothtenmon
hakaseand rekihakasef
Yasunori,
plannedtoleaveonlythe
does
calendarwithinhisownfamily
lineand entrust
to theAbe family
astrology
in
was
no
one
notnecessarily
fact.Becausethere
appearto be basedon historical
theKamofamilysufficiently
versedin astrology
to succeedYasunori,and as the
in astrology
toproducemenproficient
afterSeimeihimself,
Abefamily
continued
wherethe
theresultwasthataftertheeleventh
a
had
been
formed
century system
and theKamo thecalendar.Theexplanationin
Abe werein chargeofastrology,
and
theSonpibunmyaku
is a latercreationand is unrelatedto Yasunorihimself,
betweenthe
reflects
thesituation
thathad comeaboutaftertheeleventhcentury
Abeand Kamofamilies
(Shigeta 2004,261-325;2006,157-73).
inthelate
oflawsandordinances
9.TheRuij
compiled
fusensh H#,a collection
1(970).11.8telleleventh
includes
a document
issuedbytheDajkandatedTenroku
century,
ofthetenmon
hakase
s sonYoshimasa,
anastrology
,wasa student
tokugsh
ingusthatSeimei
in
KamonoYasunori
no.
Tenmon
Seimeis
line
was
later
family
(Ruij
fusensh, 9,
tokugsh).
ofbothdivination
from
s lineage.
andastrology.
Thishastheflavor
ofa branch
Yasunori
charge

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shigeta:a portrait of abe no seimei I 87

DATE
POSITION
SOURCE
Tenmon
tokugsh
Sonpi
bunmyaku
Kh
Honch
seiki
Kh
4(967)6
4(967)6.23
Onmyji
shzoku
Onmy
gonno
Sonpi
bunmyaku
Tenmon
hakase
Tenroku
ki,Tenroku
3(972)12 Chikanobu-ky
3(972).i2.6
tenmon
hakase
seikiy
(former
) Shryaku
5(994)5 Honch
5
(994)
Shryaku 5.7
Shukei
1
Chtoku
maseibun-sh
3(997)
(997)No.7ge
gonnosuke
Bicchnosuke
Chtoku
maseibun-sh
,Chtoku
3(997)1
3(997)No.7ge
without
Chho
12*
No.
,
(rank
3(1001)
position)
yryaku29
Seiji
11 Gonki,
Chho
11.28
4(1002)
4(1002)
Saky
gonnodaibu Chho
Kokusin
Bett
Sonpi
bunmyaku
Daizen
daibu
Sonpi
bunmyaku
*Theyear
inboldindicates
anextra
month
inthelunar
calendar.
figure2.AbenoSeimei
s career
asanofficial.
Abeno Seimeias a Middle-Ranking
Bureaucrat
Accordingto an entryin theGonkidatedChh 2 (1000).10.21,Abe no Seimei
thatdayactedas deputyfortheShikibutaifunfcfcfi
(CeremonialCommissioner)at a ceremony(joi H) conferring
promotionson bureaucrats
serving
thecourt.The CeremonialCommissionerwas thesecond-highest
positionin
theShikibushoii (MinistryofCeremonies),thegovernment
department
thatdealtwithpersonnelmattersrelatedto thebureaucracy.
Becausethecommissioner
couldnotforsomereasonattendtheceremony,
Seimeitookhisplace.
Thisof coursehad no relationto his activitiesas an onmyji.At the same
time,Seimeiwas in a positionto deputizefortheCeremonialCommissioner.
Thoughlegendand loredo notmakeit clearwhether"Seimei"was humanor
bureaunot,hishistoricalpersonage("Haruaki")was in facta middle-ranking
cratwho servedthecourt:in otherwords,he was an ordinarymemberofthe
Heiannobility.10
As can be seenfromfigure 2,Seimeidid notpass throughlife
as justan onmyji.
In thearticlein theSeijiyryaku
thetsuinaof1001quotedabove,
concerning
Seimeiis describedas "Abeno Ason Seimei,Junior
FourthRank,LowerGrade,
10.Mostonmyji
inrecords
whose
names
left
those
appear
bytheHeiannobility,
including
lowerofficials
who
never
ranked
than
Senior
Sixth
Lower
were
all
Rank,
Grade,
ranking
higher
" A notinconsiderable
- "official
officials
withrankandposition
government
onmyji
proportionofthem
hadtherank
ofJunior
Fifth
Lower
which
meant
weremembers
Rank,
Grade,
they
" ofthemid-Heian
ofthenobility
andmiddle-ranking
bureaucrats.
Fora listof"official
onmyji
seeShigeta2004,227-83;
2006,128-44.
period,

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88 I Japanese
Studies 40/1(2013)
Journal
ofReligious
withoutofficial
Thismeansthatthe"A-oftheFourthRank"mentioned
position."
in theGonkion Chh 2.8.19as havingbeen askedbyFujiwarano Yukinarito
,
performdivinationwas probablySeimei.Accordingto the Sonpibunmyaku
JuniorFourthRank,LowerGrade,was thefinalrankingthatSeimeireceived.
ThefactthatSeimeiwas possiblywithoutofficial
positionwhenhe deputizedfor
theCeremonialCommissioner
fitsin wellwiththeentryin theSeijiyryaku.
As an official,
Seimeiwould,undertheritsury
code,havereceiveda salary
fromthecourt.A documentfromtheBureauofTaxation(Shuzeiry5I?)
concerningtaxestellsus thaton Chh 4 (ioo2).4.i5,Abe no Ason Seimeiwas
an official
oftheJunior
FourthRank,LowerGrade,earningan incomeofabout
361kokuE ofriceperyear(Heian ibun, no. 1161).In themid-Heianperiod,stiin theformofrice,and the
pends( irokui) werepaid fromthegovernment
amountto be paid was scrupulously
determinedbyrank.Incidentally,
among
theTaxationBureaudocumentsis one datedChh 4.4.10concerning
Seimeis
son Yoshihirap1?,who receivedan incomeofabout215kokuofriceas an officialoftheJunior
FifthRank,LowerGrade.
Undertheritsury
code,officials
were,in additionto theabovestipend,
given
ricelandcalledidenEH(rankricefields),differing
in amountaccording
to their
rank.An official
oftheJunior
FourthRank,LowerGrade,receivedtwenty
chTO*
FifthRank,LowerGrade,receivedeight
(aboutfifty
acres)and one oftheJunior
ch(abouttwenty
acres).Incomefromthe"rankfields"amountedto around380
kokuin Seimeis case and to around152kokuin Yoshihira
s case.11In addition,an
official
in
also
accrued
a
the
form
of
shikibunden
rice
fthEH(office
position
salary
fields).As tenmonhakase, Seimeiwouldhavereceivedfourch(abouttenacres),
andwhenhe was Sakyno gontayu
seniorassistant
min(provisional
easterncapital)he probably
receivedtwoch(aboutfiveacres).
ister,
Therewerealso semiannualpresents( kiroku$ti) to all rankholdersin
theformofclothand agricultural
Butevenconsideringonlythe
implements.
mainincomesourcesforofficials
( irokuand iden),Seimeiwouldhavereceived
an annualsalaryofaround741kokuwhenhe was oftheJuniorFourthRank,
LowerGrade,and around367kokuwhenhe was oftheJunior
FifthRank,Lower
Grade.12An entryin theShykidatedShryaku1 (99o).ii.2 revealsthatFujiwaraSanesukesold hisNij residenceforfivethousandkoku, and accordingto
11.Abe(1993)
toconvert
thestipend
ofhigh-ranking
officials
oftheSenior
Second
attempts
Rankintoyen.Theconversion
from
the"rank
madehereemploys
oftheincome
fields"
histrial
calculation.
12.IfweuseAbe's(1993)trialcalculation,
Seimei's
incomewouldhavebeenaround
oftheJunior
Fourth
Lower
andaround
Rank,
Grade,
19,000,000
9,500,000
yenwhen
yenwhen
oftheJunior
Fifth
Lower
Grade.
income
from
his"official
Rank,
Usingthesameconversion,
ricefields"
wouldhavebeenaround
hakase
andaround
2,000,000
yenwhenhewastenmon
hewasSaky
nogontayu.
1,000,000
yenwhen

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shigeta: a portrait of abe no seimei I 89

theGonkUChtoku4 (998).10.29,thatwhena residencethatwouldafterwards
be used as a temporary
palace forEmperorIchijwas sold,itmade eightthousandkoku.Ifwe considerthatthesewerethekindofpricespaid formansionsof
we cannotsaythatSeimeis incomewas scanty.13
thehighnobility,
the
hadbecomemore
However,
system
by mid-Heianperiod,whentheritsury
officials
withweakerpositionsdid notnecessarily
receive
relaxed,middle-ranking
thestipendsthatwerelaid downforthem.One ofthereasonsthatmanyofthem
seniorofficials
and thehighnobility
as "houseattachedthemselves
to powerful
men"(keninI^) was to use thegood offices
ofthese"gatesofpower"to secure
theirincome.The Shyki
, in an entrydatedKannin3 (1019).2.5,tellsus that
Seimeis son Yoshimasapf was a "houseman"of Fujiwarano Sanesuke,and
Seimeihimselfmayhavebeen a "houseman"ofFujiwarano Michinaga.Until
1005,Michinagahardlyused anyonmyjiotherthanSeimei.
RankedPersonofOnmyd
TheHighestIn thecollectionofproseand versetextscalledChyagunsai(Collectedrecords
of courtand country),compiledin 1116by Miyoshino TameyasuH
thereis a documentdatedChtoku1 (995).8.1includedas an exam(1049-1139),
thecourtofthemonthlyworkingconditionsofoffiple ofa reportinforming
whichfunctionedas an Imperial
cials attachedto theKurdo-dokoroScfl,
secretariat.
It tellsus thatduringthereignof EmperorIchij,Abe no Seimei
was appointed"Kurdo-dokoroonmyji?secretarialonmyjifortheemperor
(Chyagunsai5,Chgige, "Kurdo-dokoro
gesso").
On thenineteenth
dayofthesecondmonthofEien 1 (987), EmperorIchij,
whohad succeededto thethronein thesixthmonthofthepreviousyear,moved
hissleepingquartersfromtheGykasha,wherehe had livedas CrownPrince,to
henbai(Shyki).Subsequently,
mention
theSeiryden,and Seimeiperformed
outdivinationand magicalrites
is foundin variousrecordsofSeimeis carrying
forIchij.Thiswas becauseSeimeiwas theKurdo-dokoroonmyjiforIchij.
effecWesawabovehowSeimeireceiveda promotion
as a resultofa particularly
tivepurification
ritehe performed
forIchijwhenhe suddenlytookill.As the
Kurdo-dokoroonmyjihe wouldhavebeen expectedto carryout divination
and magicalriteswhentheemperorbecamesick.
Whenmagicalritesweretobe performed
fortheemperor,
orwhenhe leftthe
that
the
and
time
be
selected
it
was
palace,
important
extremely
day
carefully
to avoid inauspiciousdaysand hours.This would also have been thetaskof
theKurdo-dokoroonmyji.Figure 1 showsa numberofoccasionson which
anentry
intheShyki
2 (1018).
that
anonmyji
called
datedKannin
13.From
5.26,weknow
Koremune
noFumitaka
built
a private
EvenFumitaka,
whose
final
wasprob"temple."
ranking
Fifth
Lower
hadsufficient
means
todoso.
Rank,
Grade,
ablySenior

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Studies 40/1(2013)
Journal
90 I Japanese
ofReligious
Seimei,as Ichijs Kurdo-dokoroonmyji
, selectedauspiciousdaysand times
Itwas Seimeihimself
whoselectedthedatefortheperformance
fortheemperor.
of the KeikokuseiFestivalof 988, and he laterwrotea letterof explanation
, Eien 2 [988].8.7).
whyhe did notattend(Shyki
explaining
Furthermentionis madeoftheKurdo-dokoro
, the
onmyjiin theChyki
aboutwhomitsays,"Hewas
(1062-1141),
diaryofFujiwarano MunetadaH
a manwhoservedon theKurdo-dokoro
andwas ofthehighestrank"( Chyki
,
Thus
Munetadas
the
was
the
time, highest7.8).
by
ranking
onmyji
Daiji 4 [1129].
Kurdo-dokoro
Abe no Seimeiwas thehighestofhis
onmyji.
rankingonmyji
own timewhenhe was promotedto SeniorFifthRank,UpperGrade,in 993.14
Thissuggests
thatalreadybythemid-Heianperiod,thesystemor customexisted
the
wasattachedtotheKurdo-dokoro.
whereby highest-ranking
onmyji
Thereis anotherdocumentin theChyagunsaithatwe mustconsiderhere.
It is datedChji 2 (1105).2.21and is a requestforthepromotionofan onmyji
calledKamo no Narihira.As a precedentfortheextraordinary
promotionofan
rankedpersonofOnmydwho
itcitesthecase of"thesecond-highest
onmyoji,
wasgivenextraordinary
promotion"
(Chyagunsai15,Rekid, "Rekidjoshaku
this
there
is an note attachedwrittenabout the
shs"). Concerning
person,
AbeYoshimasa:"Chtoku4 (998)4, awardedSeniorFifthRank,Lower
onmyji
wasAbe
Grade;ofthehighestrankatthattimewasYoshihiraAson.""Yoshihira"
no Yoshihira,
whowas,likeYoshimasa,a son ofSeimei.15
to an entryin theShyki
datedChwa5 (1016).1.8,Abeno YoshiAccording
hirahad on thatdaybeenawardedtheJunior
FourthRank,LowerGrade.Probablyevenin 1015whenhe was oftheSeniorFifthRank,UpperGrade,Yoshihira
SinceFujiwarano Sanesukehadcommented
wasthehighest-ranking
on
onmyji.
Yoshihirathat"thereis notone amongthepractitioners
ofOnmyd(onmyka
)
whocan comparewithhim,"itis clearthathe was an excellentonmyju
whodid
in anyway.Abe no Yoshimasa,whowas raised
notshamethenameofhisfather
fromJuniorFifthRank,LowerGrade,to SeniorFifthRank,LowerGrade,was
thesecond-highest
rankedonmyji.The expressionfoundin theChyagunsai
rankedpersonofOnmyd"maybe thought
"the
to
concerning second-highest
"
Ifthisis so,the onmyji
meanthesecond-highest
rankedonmyji.
ofthehighestrank"was also at thetimecalled"thehighestrankedpersonofOnmyd."
AtthetimeofEmperorIchij,thepersonwho occupiedthispositionwas none
otherthanAbe no Seimei.
intheChya
Grade.
s rank
asSenior
Sixth
Rank,
14.Thedocument
Upper
gaveSeimei
gunsai
Thisisprobably
anerror
onthepartofthewriter
andshould
notposea problem.
between
Yoshimasa
andYoshihira,
seeShigeta2004,227-60;
2006,
15.Fortherelationship
86-102.

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shigeta:a portrait of abe no seimei I 91

Onmyd
WhentheconsortofCrownPrinceAtsunaga(laterEmperorGo-Suzaku),Fujiwarano Michinagasdaughter
calledNakahara
Yoshiko,diedin 1025,an onmyji
a ritecalled tamayobai
no Tsunemori
performed
"callingback
thespirit."
Thisseemsto havebeen a formofmagicto summonthespiritofthe
deceasedbackintothebody,and appearstohavebeena ritethatwas in demand.
However,severaldayslater,Tsunemoriwas punishedby"high-ranking
people
oftheWay."The reasonwas thatitwas unusualforonmyjito perform"spirit
calling."This incidentwas reportedin an entryin theSakeikidatedManju 2
(1025).8.23.Those"high-ranking
peopleoftheWay"who punishedTsunemori
wereundoubtedly
seniormembersofOnmyd,in otherwords,thehighestand
As theincidentshowsus,thesepeoplecontrolled
ranked
onmyji.
second-highest
in general.Atthattime,theexpression
theactivities
ofonmyji
"Onmyd"did
ofparticular
ideas
nothavethemeaningitdoes today,thatis,a systematization
ofpeopleofthesameprofession,
itmeantan organization
and practices.Rather,
, whowereunderthecontrolof"high-ranking
peopleoftheWay."16
onmyji
that
this
control
existed
betweenthehigherand
it
is
Nevertheless, likely
only
lowerranksof onmyjiwho werethemselvesofficials.17
Onmyjiwithofficial
statuslike Abe no Seimeicould be called kanjinonmyjillffiP(official
There
atthetimewereofficials.
ybutthisdoes notmeanthatall onmyji
onmyji)
who
had
knownas hshionmyji
werealso onmyji
),
(priestonmyji
theappearanceofBuddhistpriestsand werewithoutofficial
status,and presumdid
not
extend
to
them.
the
control
of
the
Onmyd
ably
Entriesin the Shykidated Chwa 3 (1014).11.5, Chwa 4 (1115).
7.13,and
had
a
man
called
"Ken
Hshi"
show
that
no
Sanesuke
Chwa 4.8.2
Fujiwara
, performa divinationtogether
fifc,who musthavebeen a hshionmyji
withSeimeis son Yoshihira.A writtendepositionconcerninga certaincurse
mentionsthataround
incidentcontainedin volumeseventyoftheSeijiyryaku
Kank 5 (1008), a hshionmyjicalled Dman ilS was a habitualvisitorto
a noblewoman,Takashinano Mitsuko.Sei ShnagonsMakurano sshi, in the
in connecto see,"mentionsa hshionmyji
section"Thingsthataredistressing
It
a purification
a
tionwithhisperforming
wearing papercap. appearstheywere
in theirsociety.
well-known
figures
Since the nobility,fromaround the middle of Heian period,had a great
abhorrenceforspillinghumanblood theydid not attemptacts ofviolenceto
inHeiantimes,
seeYamashita
16.Forthemeaning
ofOnmyd
1996.
intheShyki
Nakahara
noTsunemori,
toanentry
dated
17.According
4 (1031).
3.29,
Chgen
totheoffice
ofj (third
whohadperformed
the"spirit
wasthatdayappointed
ritual,
calling"
in
the
He
was
a
lowerofficial
who
had
occupied
posisecretary) Onmyry.
ranking
successively
intheOnmyry
nozoku(clerk),
andonmy
noj (third
tions
ofonmyji
,onmy
secretary).

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Studies 40/1(2013)
Journal
92 I Japanese
ofReligious
eliminatepoliticalrivals,but ratheremployedcurses.As a result,therewere
curseswithinaristocratic
manyincidentsinvolving
societyin Seimeis time,and
in a majority
ofcasesthecurseswereplacedbyhshionmyji.
TheNihonkiryaku
,
"
in an itemdatedKank6 (ioo9).2.5,mentionsthe onmyhshiGennen
who cursedtheempress,as wellas thenewly-born
secondson oftheemperor
and theGreatMinisteroftheLeft,"
and theHyakurenshy
a historycompiledin
thethirteenth
in an itemdatedChtoku1 (995).8.10,speaksof"a hshi
century,
who
a
curse
on theGreatMinisteroftheRight."
tothe
onmyji placed
According
the
hshi
named
Ken
who
Shyuki(Chgen3 [1030].5.4),
onmyji
frequented
on suspicionoflayinga curse
Fujiwarano Sanesukesresidencewas apprehended
on thedaughterofFujiwarano Michinaga.Again,in thepreviouslymentioned
in
the
a
curse
the
of
incident, frequenting
deposition
Seijiyryakuconcerning
theresidenceofTakashinano Mitsukobya hshionmyji
was relatedto thefact
thatshe used a hshionmyjicalled Enn Rib to put a curseon Fujiwarano
Michinagaand others.Dman, anotherhshionmyjiwho was also a frequent
visitorto Mitsuko,mightalso havebeeninvolvedin theincident.18
In contrastto such hshionmyji
, however,as faras we know fromthe
recordsavailableat present,
official
likeSeimeidid notlaycurses.From
onmyji
oftheiractivitiestheyratherprotectedpeoplefromcurses,as can
descriptions
be seenin theMakuranosshi, "Thingsthatgivea good feeling":
"Awell-spoken
ofcurseson thedryriverbed."
purifications
onmyji
performing
It is also possiblethatbecausecurse-laying
was performed
,
byhshionmyji
official
had
no
role
to
that
the
aforementioned
Ken
onmyji
play.Considering
had a studentcalled Goch &, and Enn had a studentcalled Myeni'P,
hshionmyjiwho could enactcursesmayhavecarefully
trainedtheirsuccessors.Evenifthiswerenotthecase,official
under
strictsupervisionof
,
onmyji
theirsuperiors,would not have been permittedto have anyconnectionwith
criminalactssuchas curses.
Shikigami
in theHeianperiod
Perhapsone oftheaspectsofthemagicemployedbyonmyji
thatinterests
modernpeople themostis theartofinvokingshikigami
tt to
do theirbidding.Onmyjiwho appear in tales and legendsall possess these
,whichmaybe spiritsordemons,thattheyareabletocommandfreely;
shikigami
on occasiontheyalso laydowncursesusingthem.The onmyjiAbe no Seimei
whoappearsin thiscontextis accomplished
atcontrolling
His famein
shikigami.
18.Itisinteresting
that
a hshi
calledDmanactually
existed
atthetime
Seimei
was
onmyji
since
loreandlegends
that
were
toemerge
later
feature
anonmyji
called
Dman
active,
(orDma)
asSeimei
Inthese
s long-standing
Dman
isanonmyji
whoplaces
curses.
stories,
enemy.

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shigeta:a portrait of abe no seimei I 93

thisrespectmusthavebeenwidelyknown,forhisuse ofshikigami
is mentioned
notonlyin talesin theKonjakumonogatarish and Uji shimonogatari
, but
also forinstancein thechronicleofEmperorKazan in theOkagami.In reality,
recordofAbe no Seimeiemploying
though,thereis no mentionin thehistorical
noneevenofshikigami
themselves.
, and virtually
shikigami
In the ideal portraitof the onmyjiKamo no Michiyodrawnby Fujiwara
no Akihirain theShin-sarugakuki
he is describedas "commanding
shikigami?
thisdescription
character,
strongly
suggeststhat
ThoughthisKamo is a fictional
The
thepeopleofthetimeconsideredthatonmyjicould commandshikigami.
is thecause of
Shkimokuroku
containstheheading,"Itis said thata shikigami
theMinisteroftheLeftstroubles,"
underthedateChh2.5.9(Shymokuroku
20, "Gonayamukoto").Accordingto this,itappearsthatat thetime,theillness
oftheGreatMinisteroftheLeft,Fujiwarano Michinaga,was thoughtto have
beencausedbyshikigami.
Todaythedetailsofthisincidentareunknownas thediaryentryitselfis lost,
Besides
and we haveno knowledgeofwho mayhavecontrolledtheshikigami.
Thereis onlya deitycalled
this,thereareno otherrecordsthatmentionshikigami.
intheMakuranosshi("WhenI first
"Shikino kami"mentioned
begantowaiton
are
true
orfalse.
theempress")
whois saidtobe abletojudgewhether
things
Perhapswe can make the followingconjecture.We see in theMakura no
sshithatan onmyjiwas accompaniedbya kowarawabe'hit (smallchildor
We knowtoo thatthe
youth),who was verywellversedin ritualknowledge.19
hshionmyjiEnn,who was mentionedin theSeijiyryakuas beingaccused
ofthecrimeoflayinga curse,was accompaniedbythedjit (youth)Mononobe no Itomaru.Thusitseemsto havebeen a customofthetimeforonmyji
tobe attendedbyyoungboys,and peoplemayhavelookedon themas shikigami
A talein theKonjakumonogatari
shconfirms
commandedbytheonmyji.
my
it
describes
how
a
hshi
called
Chitoku
was
accompanied
supposition;
onmyji
in theformofboys(Konjakumonogatari
sh, kan24,Tale 16).
bytwoshikigami
TaizanFukunsai
One magicalritethatwas acquiredbythehistoricalAbe no Seimeiwas Taizan
of
Fukunsai
(FestivalritualsofTaizanFukun).Thiswasan invocation
TaizanFukunand otherdeitiesassociatedwiththeRealmoftheDead to increase
thepetitioner
s allottedlifetime,
to bringhim richesand honors,and to avert
and
misfortune.
It
was
also
calledShichiken
(Festival
calamity
jshsai
ritualsofthesevenofferings
anda letterofsupplication).
TheritualgainedinpoptotheMakura
nosshi,
kowarawabe
carried
outallthemiscellaneous
duties
19.According
when
theonmyji
wasperforming
anexorcism
orsomeother
rite.

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Studies 40/1(2013)
Journal
94 I Japanese
ofReligious
becameone ofthemost
ularityfromthereignofEmperorIchijand eventually
characteristic
ofthoseperformed
At
first
it
was
usedamongthecourt
byonmyji.
but
the
Kamakura
it
to
the
warriorclass.Conseperiod spread
nobility, during
itcanbe assumedthatAbeno Seimeihadtheintention
ofpopularizing
it.
quently
The earliestmentionin the historicalrecordof Taizan Fukunsai (under
thename of Shichiken
jsh sai) is in the diaryof Fujiwarano Saneyori
Teishin
kki
timeitappearsin
, in an entrydatedEngi19(9i9).5.28.Thefirst
theorthography
TaizanFukunsai is in theShykU
Eiso 1 (989).2.11.Ithad been
forEmperorIchij;accordingto theShyki
, a ritecalledDaiyakusai
performed
ftJE0 to wardoffcalamityand diseasehad beenintendedforthepreviousday,
buttheTaizanFukunsai wasperformed
on thisdayinstead.Theritualist
wasAbe
no Seimei.
After989, the Taizan Fukunsai was frequently
An entrydated
performed.
Chh 4 (1002).11.9in theGonkigivesan exampleofFujiwarano Yukinarihavitforhim,whileentriesin theShyki
datedKank
ingAbe no Seimeiperform
2 (1005).2.18and Chwa 2 (1011).2.25suggestthatFujiwarano Sanesukehad it
performed
byonmyji
everyyearin thesecondmonth.Andaccordingto a documentdatedKank7 (1010).10.30,aroundthistimethe TaizanFukunsai was
one ofthecustomaryritualscarriedout by onmyjiat courtfortheemperor
(Heian ibun, no. 458).
As is clearfromthegap betweenperformances
ofmorethanhalfa century
between919and 989,itwas rarely
in
the
time
ofIchijspredecessors,
performed
theemperorsKazan and Eny.Accordingto Hayami (1975),in themid-Heian
theRealmoftheDead, suchas TaizanFukun,Enmaten
periodbeliefsconcerning
Ifthatis so,itis notsurRUSK, and JizJ&jwerenotparticularly
flourishing.
to
find
that
the
Taizan
Fukun
sai
was
not
before
thetimeofIchij.
prising
popular
Thefactthattheritualgainedin popularity
fromIchijsreignmaybe attributedto Abe no Seimeis energeticsponsorshipofit.Forexample,accordingto
an articlein theGonkidatedChh 4 (ioo2).ii.28,earlythatmorningYukinari
had presentedofferings
and petitionedTaizan Fukunforlonglife.Seimeihad
recommended
he do this.We shouldremember
too thatitwas Seimeiwhosubstituted
theTaizanFukunsai fortheDaiyakusai.
It thusappearsthatSeimei encouragedpeople to have the Taizan Fukun
carriedout and indeedtriedto widen
sai, withitsfocuson worldlybenefits,
itsperformance.
It mayseema littlerecklessto attribute
to a singleonmyji
the
popularityofthecomparatively
largephenomenonthatthe TaizanFukunsai
as seen from
became,butjudgingfromthedegreeofSeimeis social influence,
theexampleofthetsuinaof1001,thisis notsuchan unwarrantable
supposition.
Thissocial cloutmaywellhavebeen wieldedas a resultofhis positionas the
seniorfigure
ofOnmyd.

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shigeta:a portrait of abe no seimei I 95

Conditions
ofRisingtoHighRank
withthehighestrankhad thepositionof
We havealreadyseenthattheonmyji
Kurdo-dokoroonmyjuand thesecond-highest
rankingonmyjihad a similarappointment.
TheKurdo-dokoro
documentof995thatwe examinedabove
as theKurdo-dokoro
givesthenameofKamono Mitsuyoshi
onmyji.20
Kamono Mitsuyoshi
wasa studentofSeimeis teacher,
Kamono Yasunori,
and
in
8
an
the
Gonki
as
:
(Kank
5.9)
[1011].
appears
accomplished
onmyji"Mitsuyoshi
knowsdivinationinsideout;he shouldbe called a god."However,as surviving
accountsshow,Mitsuyoshi
did notperform
divinationand ritualsforEmperor
on thesamescale as Seimei.It was onlyafterSeimeisdeathin
Ichijanywhere
becamethesenioronmyju
thathisactivities
in thisarea
1005,whenMitsuyoshi
standout.21
In all likelihood,the "highest-ranked
person of Onmyd"fundamenthe
Kurdo-dokoro
had
of
ranked
position
tally
onmyji.The second-highest
have
as
Kurdo-dokoro
for
his
deputized
superioronly
onmyjimay
onmyji
whensomething
thesuperiorfromperforming
his task.Ifthisis so,
prevented
theKurdo-dokoroonmyji
, who had a virtualmonopolyon divinationsand
wouldhavehad a fargreateropportunity
ritualsconnectedwiththeemperor,
to
attaina markedleveloffameand reputation
thanhisdeputyor otheronmyji
of
lowerrank.As we havealreadyseen,onmyjiofthetimewereapparently
able
to boosttheirrecognition
as onmyjibytheefficacy
{gen) oftheirrituals.Such
the
if
that
would
have
been
all
had been displayed
greater
efficacy
recognition
in ritualsperformed
fortheemperor.Itwouldhavebeenthesamein thecase of
divination.
appraisalthrough
The onmyjiwho receivedextraordinary
recognitionat thetimewereonly
thosewho stoodas the"highest-ranked
personofOnmyd."Moreprecisely,
itwas onlywhena personhad attainedthispositionthathe receivedrenown.
For example,Kamo no Mitsuyoshiwas praisedwiththewords"Mitsuyoshi
knowsdivinationinsideout; he should be called a deity"onlyafterSeimeis
death.Again,itwas onlytheyearfollowingMitsuyoshi
s deaththatitwas said
aboutAbe no Yoshihirathat"therewas no one who could comparewithhim,"
at a timewhenYoshihirahimselfhad become the"highest-ranked
personof
Onmyd."
intheGonki
20.Inanentry
dated
Chtoku
there
ismention
of"Kamo
noAson
4 (998).8.27,
Senior
Fifth
Lower
Provisional
Bureau
of
the
Palace
Kitchen."
Rank,
Grade,
Director,
Mitsuyoshi,
Thusin995,Seimei,
whohadbeenraised
toSenior
Fifth
Grade
in993,would
have
Rank,
Upper
beenthenumber
oneperson
ofOnmyd,
andMitsuyoshi
number
two.TheKurdo-dokoro
document
of995gives
s rank
asSenior
butthisshould
beseen
Sixth,
Grade,
Mitsuyoshi
Upper
asanerror
onthepartoftheChya
gunsai.
21.ForMitsuyoshi
s activities
asanonmyji
,seeYamashita
1996.

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Studies 40/1(2013)
Journal
96 I Japanese
ofReligious
ofthetime,thepositionofthe"highestThusitseemsthatforofficial
onmyji
in societybuta
rankedpersonofOnmyd"was nottheresultofadvancement
late.
conditionforit.In thissense,Abe no Seimeis risein statuscameextremely
of
the
seventh
month
of
Eikan
Figure 1showsthaton thetwenty-seventh
day
2 (984), Seimeiselectedthedayfortheenthronement
ritualofEmperorKazan,
surmisethatSeimeihadbythis
whosucceededEmperorEny.We can therefore
timebeen workingas an onmyjiin theKurdo-dokoro.
However,Seimeihad
withan onmyjicalledFumino Michimitsu,
and furselectedthedaytogether
Michimitsuwas ofhigherrankthanSeimei.Thissuggeststhatdurthermore,
the
ing
reignsofEnyand Kazan,Seimeiwas appointedas thesecond-highest
oftheKurdo-dokoro.
rankingonmyji
It was around986,whenIchijcame to thethrone,thatMichimitsusname
disappearsfromthe recordand we can assume Seimei became the highestrankedfigureof Onmyd.Havingbeen born in 921,he would alreadyhave
has been attachedto this
beenwelloversixtyyearsofage.No greatimportance
Abe
did
not
the
no Seimei
fact,but
possess
necessaryconditionforadvancecamelatein life.
mentuntilhe had enteredold age.His famecertainly
the
era
when
Seimei
was
describedas the"preChh
(999-1004),
During
eminentpractitioner
ofOnmyd"and "a masterofOnmyd,"he had risen
to theJuniorFourthRank,LowerGrade,but he was alreadyaged eighty.His
teacherKamo no Yasunorihad achievedthesamerankin hisfifties,
and hisson
Yoshihirain his sixties.It is apparentfromthisthatSeimeihad notadvanced
smoothlyin his career.Indeed,ifhe had nothad sucha longlife,he mightnot
havewonthefamethathas allowedhisnameto becomeknownto us.

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1993 Heiankizokunojitsuz
HayamiTasukuilzK m
1975 Heian kizokushakaitoBukky
Kbunkan.

Tokyo:TkydShuppan.
Tokyo:Yoshikawa

Kosaka Shinji/hSIn Murayama,vol.4,

1993 Onmydnohenbainitsuite
117-47.
MurayamaShichi
etal.,eds.
ssho
4 vols.Tokyo:MeichoShuppan.
1991-1993 Onmyd
Okada ShjiKEHffiW]
SIISI. In
1991 Onmyd saishi no seiritsuto tenkai
Murayamavol.1,153-95.
Meicho
Shuppan.
Tokyo:

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SHIGETA:
A PORTRAIT
OFABENOSEIMEI | 9J
Shigeta Shinichi
tokizokushakaiIswS
Kbunkan.
2004 Onmyji
Tokyo:Yoshikawa
t fHf.
Kbunkan.
2005 teiankizokutoonmyji
Tokyo:Yoshikawa
Kbunkan.
2006 AbenoSeimeiHp
Tokyo:Yoshikawa
Yamashita KatsuakililTSW
1996 Heianjidai no shkybunkato Onmyd
Tokyo:IwataShoin.
[translated
byGaynorSekimori]

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