Tokugawa-period disputes between Shugen organizations and Onmyōji over rights to practice divination

Abstract

This article examines the conflict during the Tokugawa period between various Shugen organizations and onmyoji (diviners) associated with the Tsuchimikado family. The Tsuchimikado family was given both imperial and shogunate sanction in the late seventeenth century as the official headquarters for all onmyoji throughout the country. The Tsuchimikado family used this authority to try to bring all divination activity under their authority, leading to legal action against various people for tneir “unauthorized” performance of divination. This article examines a number of specific disputes and traces the development of this issue through the Tokugawa period. The differences between the Tdzan-ha and Honzan-ha Shugen organizations, and between the Edo and Osaka/Kyoto areas, in the way the disputes were handled and settled, are highlighted.