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Took me a minute but its finally in English!
In 1870 (early Meiji), the Japanese imperial government had banned Onmyōdō and abolished the
Onmyōryō (the official bureau of divination) as part of its push toward westernization and State
Shinto.
This ban pushed practitioners, diviners, and esoteric compilers into private publishing. During the
late Meiji era (around 1900–1910), print technology allowed massive collections of previously
secret, hand-copied talismanic manuals to be compiled and sold commercially to private
practitioners, priests, and laypeople.
Published in 1910, Tentei Sonsei Reifu Secret Collection (天帝尊星霊符秘密集伝) was one of these
comprehensive compilations.
While modern popular culture labels almost all Japanese talismanic magic as "Onmyōdō," the
contents of this specific book are more accurately described as Shinto-Daoist Esotericism (Shinsen-
dō / Reifu-jutsu), there is also a high level of syncreticism between Buddhist, Confucius, Shinto and Taoist ideals.
Enjoy!
In 1870 (early Meiji), the Japanese imperial government had banned Onmyōdō and abolished the
Onmyōryō (the official bureau of divination) as part of its push toward westernization and State
Shinto.
This ban pushed practitioners, diviners, and esoteric compilers into private publishing. During the
late Meiji era (around 1900–1910), print technology allowed massive collections of previously
secret, hand-copied talismanic manuals to be compiled and sold commercially to private
practitioners, priests, and laypeople.
Published in 1910, Tentei Sonsei Reifu Secret Collection (天帝尊星霊符秘密集伝) was one of these
comprehensive compilations.
While modern popular culture labels almost all Japanese talismanic magic as "Onmyōdō," the
contents of this specific book are more accurately described as Shinto-Daoist Esotericism (Shinsen-
dō / Reifu-jutsu), there is also a high level of syncreticism between Buddhist, Confucius, Shinto and Taoist ideals.
Enjoy!