Koshi no taitoko, The Life of Taicho
A follower of the founder of asceticism, En no Gyojya, Taicho was born in
the 11th year of Hakuho (682 C.E.)Fukui City ,Sanjuhassha in modern times .He
was the second son of Yasusumi and Ino.
His mother Ino's family apparently ran a ferry business.
In reference to Taicho's priest diary, "Genko Shakusho" many of the
miraculous episodes described probably cannot be trusted, but a summary of this
episodes follows.
As a child, he was fervently religious At the ago of 11,he met Dosho, and also at 14, he devoted himself to religious ascetics at at Mount Ochi. It is written that he was able to not only move rocks and other objects through the power of the law, but that he himself could fly freely, and was able to disappear and reappear at a completely diffcially place in an instant. After that, he became an unofficial priest (one not officially recognized by the government) and confining in earnest on Mount Ochi,he continued his ascetics.
During that time, he made Fuseri no Gyosha and Kiyosada no Gyosha his disciples,
and continuing
his training, he acquired such powers as calling on rain and healing the sickness.
He came to be known as the Koshi no Taitoko among the local people.
Upon dreaming of the Hakusan goddess while on Mount Ochi, He finally, made his
first clime of Hakusan in the first year of Yoro, on June 18. At the top of Hakusan,
there was a reservoir, "Midori ga Ike" created by a crater, and according
to local legend, the deity Kuzuryu-kongen appeared from the waters,and afterwards
it changed to be seen as the Eleven-Headed Kannon.
The Imperial
Decree from the Emperor
Within the priest diary of Taicho, the "Taicho Osho Denki",
it is written that the reputation of his powers had grown, and eventually reached to the imperial
palace. Prayers were made for the curing of the ill Emperor Gensho, and thanks
to the emperor's. complete recovery,Taicho was praised and acknowledged, and
he was granted the imperial decree of Shinyu-zenshi.
In the second year of Jinki (725 C.E.)Taicho met Priest Gyoki(668-789 C.E.)and
the two deepened their friendship. During the Tempyo Era(729-749 C.E.),Priest
Taicho practiced the jinenchi exercises as
enumerated in the Kokuzo-Gumonji-ho(an esoteric ritual whose object of worship
is Akasa-garmha,the Bodhisattva of Space),and afterwards, came to bring the belief
in Kokuzo-bosatsu(Akasa-garbha.)
The founder of the Hakusan Asceticism
In the first year of Jingo-keiun(767 C.E.), Taicho passed away in an enchanted
cave on Mt.Ochi.
It is said that he was 86 years old. Taicho spent his whole life as a mountain
ascetic monk, never being a fully officially priest by the government.
His relationship with the emperor cannot be read in authentic history books,
but can be thought as an existence which, in the process of being made divine,
was gilded and embellished.
The reverence of Taicho as the founder of the Hakusan faith continues even today,
but we must continue to pursue an animistic faith, in complete harmony with nature.
