Tsuchimikado Calendar and Archives Institute

At the Tsuchimikado institute established within Tensha Shrine, the shrine’s onmyoji compile calendars that guide ritual practice and daily life, drawing upon calendrical arts said to have been transmitted since Abe no Seimei.

At their foundation is the principle of Taiitsu, yin and yang, and the Five Phases. From Taiitsu, the source of Heaven, Earth and all things, divine qi divides into yin and yang and becomes manifest as the Five Phases of wood, fire, earth, metal and water. Its workings extend into the cycle of the four seasons, the movements of the sun, moon and stars, and the generation of all things.

In Heaven, Taiitsu is revered through the North Star and the circling Big Dipper. The preparation of a calendar begins with a rite offered to Taiitsu. The onmyoji bows before the deity, looks to the principles of Heaven, reads the circulation of divine qi and reverently gives it form as a calendar.

A calendar prepared here is not simply a record of dates. It reflects when and in which directions the divine qi of Taiitsu is at work and how it appears in the qualities of each day. It is a guide connecting Heaven, Earth and human life.

The learning and practice of Onmyodo have long lived within shrine and temple rites, the spirit of arts such as flower arrangement, tea, calligraphy and swordsmanship, performing arts including Noh and Kabuki, annual observances and customs of everyday life.

The institute inherits this wisdom from generation to generation and offers prayers before Taiitsu for peace in the daily lives of all people.