What Was the Chigo Kanjō Ritual? (A Consideration of Doi-sensei from Nintama Rantarō)

この内容はセンシティブなテーマを含むため、翻訳に際して注意深く扱いました。

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※chatGPTに翻訳してもらいました

September 11, 2023, 16:17

This article contains content that may be perceived as child abuse. It is recommended that those who may find this distressing should not read further.

Previously, I mentioned the Chigo Kanjō (Child Consecration) ritual in my article and tweets. Although it is considered a crime in modern times, the religious, environmental, and romantic values of the medieval period differ, so I will proceed without extensive condemnation.
(In the medieval period, it is said that monks had sexual relationships with boys instead of women. This is famously depicted in "Aozukin" from the "Ugetsu Monogatari.")

My interest in this ritual arose by chance, but it relates to Doi-sensei’s knowledge as a teaching ninja, as he was set to have entered a temple in his childhood (refer to volume 50 of the original work).
At that time, I had only internet-based knowledge, but some fictional works (if I recall correctly) depict three levels of chigo: upper, middle, and lower. The upper level included the children of samurai and aristocrats, who were not subjected to monks. Conversely, it is said that the relationships with samurai and aristocrats' children continued as "shudō" into the Meiji period.
Since Doi-sensei is of samurai lineage, this raises various possibilities.

Therefore, I first read "Chigo" by Tōkō Ima. Tōkō Ima was a high priest at Mount Hiei and reportedly deciphered manuscripts from the Eizan Library, which is inaccessible to the general public (even for Yukio Mishima-level individuals), to create his stories.
The narrative may have disseminated the image of medieval monks and chigo. The impression of chigo in the story, while involving relationships, can be compared to a beautifully adorned pet walked around by the monks.
Not all children were selected; only chosen ones were favored. (Incidentally, Tōkō Ima was reportedly a close friend of Yasunari Kawabata, according to Wikipedia.)

Additionally, the oldest chigo literature is "Akiyanagamonogatari," in which the protagonist is the child of an aristocrat (implying samurai children might have been involved too).
Tatsuhiko Inagaki also references this in his works, though it appears more like a collection of episodes, making it difficult to grasp as a whole.

After forming a rough image of chigo from these fictional works, I read the aforementioned research book. By then, my interest had waned, so I skimmed through it. The book seems to suggest that Tōkō Ima's works do not represent the true nature of chigo culture, implying that the stories might have been somewhat altered or embellished (this is my interpretation).
This further confused my understanding.

At the initial stage of internet research, I considered the possibility of Doi-sensei having been a chigo, interpreting his character formation positively (as homosexuality was normal at the time, and he would have received proper teachings as a monk).

After reading "Chigo" by Tōkō Ima and feeling uneasy about the impression of "favoring," I thought Doi-sensei might not have undergone the Chigo Kanjō. Finally, reading the research book made the image of the Chigo Kanjō itself ambiguous (perhaps due to my lack of comprehension).
In conclusion, without concrete evidence from secondary sources (Tōkō Ima, the research book), I tentatively think Doi-sensei might not have undergone the Chigo Kanjō, considering his personality.
The process of human character formation is something only the individual and specialists can truly understand.

This topic will likely conclude with this article.

References:

• "The Sexuality of Chigo" (Available in PDF)
  Tokyo Woman's Christian University Repository

• "Monks and Chigo in Temple Society: Focusing on the Understanding of 'Ōjō Yōshū'" (Available in PDF)
  Nishogakusha University Repository

• "Homosexuality between Monks and Chigo in Japanese Buddhism" (Available in PDF)
  International Research Center for Japanese Studies Repository

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特-にこの内容はセンシティブであり、
適切な文脈を持って慎重に扱われるべきです。
by chatGPT4o