ESSAY TYPE QUESTION
How did Hamaguchi become a living God?
Hamaguchi was the Murosa or the headman of a coastal village in Japan. Like other
villages, his principal occupation was cultivation. He was also referred to as
Ojiisan(grandfather) by the villagers. Being the richest among the village peasantry, he
was sometimes officially referred to as Choja. His counsel was sought by the villagers in
matters relating to finances, disparities, and sale of crops. He was liked and respected by
all.
On a particular day, when the villagers had gone to celebrate their harvest at the court of
Ujigami, he stayed behind as he was not keeping well.
He was an observant person and a seasoned Japanese peasant who was quick to
recognize the signs of an earthquake. As he was looking down from the balcony of his
house, the preparation for the merry making below, he felt a queer tremor– a long, slow,
spongy motion. Probably an “after-tremor of some immense seismic action very far away.”
“The house crackled and rocked gently several times, then all became still again.”
As the quaking seized his keen old eyes were anxiously turn toward the village. His keen
observation coupled with his position at a vantage point made him look towards the
horizon to see the sea darken and flow against the wind, away from the land. He felt that
the sea was acting strangely. Then he realised what that monstrous ebb signified as he
remembered what his grandfather told him about the traditions of the coast. With his extra
sensory perception he understood the oceanic behaviour and that a tsunami was going to
be apocalyptic on the [Link] saw the people excitedly rnning to the bech as they were
also surprised to see the sea moving away from the land.
Understanding that a catastrophe was imminent as he had seen things which he had
never seen before – “ unfamiliar spaces of ripped sand and reaches of weed hung rock
were left bare,” he thought to send a message to the village or to get the priests of the
Buddhist temple on the hill to sound their big bell. But it would have taken a much longer
time. So Hamaguchi called his grandson and asked him to light a pine torch and he set
ablaze his rice stacks, representing most of his invested capital, stood awaiting for
transportation.
The priest of the hill temple, seeing the blaze which was looking like a towering inferno
rang the big Bell. Hamaguchi knew the villagers’ psychology. He knew they would be
obligated to leave everything and rush to his aid upon seeing his fields on fire. The people
below responded to the double call. Hamaguchi saw that the people like huge group of
ants were running up the hill leaving the beach behind. A few agile young men tried to
douse the fire but he stopped them as the burning stacks were sending signals about
something [Link] the whole village came up to Hamaguchi's housealthough
nobody knew what was the rel reason. They were only shocked to see what happened to
Hamaguchi's fields and were amazed by the expressionless face of their Choja. As a result
he could save the lives of all the villagers through his wisdom, foresight, and sacrifice.
Even after losing all his wealth he offered his home as a shelter to the now homeless
villagers until they revealed their own houses. When better times came, the people did not
forget the debt to Hamaguchi. They could not have made him rich again, nor would he
have suffered them to do so. So to express the reverential feelings of gratitude towards
him, Hamaguchi was venerated as a God. while he was still [Link] called him
Hamaguchi DAIMYOJIN for his magnanimity and love for his people. The villagers built a
temple to his spirit so that people could pray to him in times of fear and trouble.