THE WIZARD'S GRAVE

For #FolkloreThursday I have talked a lot about one of my favourite figures, Abe-no-Seimei (安倍晴明). Known by some as the 'Merlin of Japan', Seimei was Japan's greatest 'diviner'.
His long lifespan convinced many that he was indeed the son of a fox.

But Seimei was (at least) half-mortal, and eventually, on October 31st 1005, he passed away.
The site of his grave has been hotly debated for many years. While we know that he was enshrined at Seimei-jinja (晴明神社), no-one is entirely sure where he was interred.
#Kyoto #Japan

The modern tomb of Abe-no-Seimei (安倍晴明の墓所) stands on a small parcel of land to the south of the Saga-no-Higashi-no-Misasagi (嵯峨東陵), Mausoleum of Emperor Chōkei (長慶天皇 1343-94), in Sagano (嵯峨野/嵐山). It is a short walk from the Togetsukyō bridge (渡月橋).
#Kyoto

Seimei died at the age of 85 and was said to have been buried in the grounds of his villa in Sagano (嵯峨野). Between 1362-68 Junei-in (寿寧院), a sub-temple of Tenryū-ji (天龍寺), was founded and the gravesite was incorporated into the temple grounds.
#folklorethursday #Japan

For most of its history the tomb was cared for by the temple, but when Junei-in's fortunes declined towards the 19thC, Tenryū-ji took over as caretaker.
Eventually Junei-in was moved elsewhere, but the gravesite was preserved on its own parcel of land.
#Arashiyama #Sagano #嵯峨野

For those of you wondering who Abe-no-Seimei (安倍晴明 921-1005) was, here is a previous thread I wrote

https://twitter.com/camelliakyoto/status/1315446551540449281?s=20

And for good measure, here's a thread about Seimei-jinja (晴明神社)

https://twitter.com/camelliakyoto/status/1315813814923796481?s=20

#folklorethursday #Japan #Kyoto #安倍晴明

In 1972 Seimei-jinja (晴明神社), with the help of Tensha Tsuchimikado Shinto Headquarters (天社土御門神道-a branch of Shinto incorporating elements of Onmyōdō 陰陽道), helped to revive the old gravesite.
From this time it came under the control of Seimei-jinja.
#晴明神社 #Kyoto

In former times the site was known as Seimei Goryō (晴明御霊), 'The Mausoleum of Seimei'.

Every September 26th, on the anniversary of Seimei's death, a memorial service is held at the tomb by priests from Seimei-jinja (晴明神社).
#晴明御霊 #晴明神社 #陰陽師 #folklorethursday

In the course of history the exact location of Seimei's 'true' grave became lost, but the most likely candidates remain Sagano (嵯峨野-his out-of-town villa) and Hōjō-ji (法城寺/aka Daikoku-dō 大黒堂), a temple on a sandbank in the Kamo River (鴨川).
#Kyoto #folklorethursday

Legend has it that Seimei founded Hōjō-ji (法城寺) as a charm to stop the Kamo River flooding. Sadly it failed, because in the Muromachi period the temple (and entire sandbar) was swept away by successive floods.

Seimei's grave was moved to the nearby Shinkō-ji (心光寺).
#Japan

The sandbank stretched along the Kamo River, north east of the Matsubara Bridge (松原橋-then known as Gojō Bridge 五条大橋). It was considerable enough to include a temple and other structures.
Not a single trace remains.
#folklorethursday #Kyoto #Japan #AbenoSeimei #松原橋

After this time Seimei's grave (which included a Stupa) was moved around numerous times until all trace was lost.

Following his death numerous memorial mounds had been erected (to worship Seimei) by Onmyōdō practitioners, helping confuse the location of his actual grave.
#Kyoto

The Sagano site is the only tomb for Seimei still preserved in the city.
The Shōkoku-ji monk Zuikei Shūhō (相国寺僧/瑞渓周鳳 1392-1473) in his diary mentions Seimei’s 'true' grave in a 1467 entry. He notes it as being in the north east of Sagano (嵯峨野の東北).
#Sagano #嵯峨野

There is some debate how authentic Zuikei Shūhō's account might be. Some suggest that it was the Shōkoku-ji monk Ikō Myōan (惟高妙安) that first attributed this information to Zuikei in 1562, perhaps trying to give the assertion more weight.