Encyclopedia of Shinto

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カテゴリー1 8. Schools, Groups, and Personalities
カテゴリー２ Modern Sectarian Groups
Text A religious group based on the mountain-worship cult of Kiso Ontake (Mount Ontake in the Kiso region). It began in the mid-Meiji era when Nehashi Umetarō (1868-1922) founded the Chikaku Kōsha (Chikaku Religious Association). When Nehashi died in 1922, his third son Shigefumi, who had joined him in religious practice at the Seiryū Dōjō (training center) at Mount Ontake, followed him as leader. In 1929 Shigefumi established the Chikakusan Ontake Kyōkai with the deity Ontake ōkami as its main object of worship. In 1934 he made the group an affiliate of Ontakekyō and changed its name to Chikakusan Ina Kyōkai (the Ina branch church of Mount Chikaku).
      Following the end of World War II, the group wished to establish its own doctrines and scriptures, and thus became independent of Ontakekyō in 1947, taking its present name and registering as an independent religious corporation under the Religious Corporations Ordinance (Shūkyō Hōjinrei). After this it constructed a facility called Oku no In ("remote" or inner shrine; see yamamiya, satomiya) as well as branch religious centers. In 1954 it became registered as a legally independent religious corporation under the Religious Corporations Law (Shūkyō Hōjinhō). It gave much energy to social welfare activities such as operating organizations for sheltering and guiding young people and parolees from prison.
      When Nehashi Shigefumi died in 1986, his eldest son Heihachi, who began making ascents to Mount Ontake at the age of seven, took the position of leader. While managing the Nehashi Chiropractic Clinic, he conducts consultations with followers on avoiding "bad luck" (yakuyoke), and other personal problems.
      Headquarters: Nagano Prefecture  
      Nominal membership: approximately 52,000 (M)

—Yumiyama Tatsuya

Chikakusan Minshukyō Kyōdan