One of the most vigorous Shinto priest
Hiroya Kirishima, 29 years old, is one of the most busy religionist. He is a Shinto priest of the Toneri shrine, but, once a week, he is a lecturer of college at Saitama and the junior college of woman at Tokyo. He goes traveling abroad once a year and he goes to academic two or three a year.
He lives with his niece. Her name is Kiyone Sanjyo. She is from Kyoto, but she lives on another because she go to university at Tokyo. Hiroya says to her "If you are cleaning the garden of this shrine with that you are wearing a uniform of woman's Shinto shaman, I will pay a salary of 800 yen a hour", but she keeps house for him too. She says "Because he is very busy, I do it."
Kiyone says "He is very accomplished man and he has many hobbies". Hiroya likes playing tennis and he often plays tennis with her in free time. He also likes shogi and he often plays shogi with some old men. He also likes some of lady's comics and love story, he often buys them. He has a bad reputation in middle-aged person in his town, but she says "I think he is very kind and beautiful man". In truth, many girls who are student of junior high school and high school in this town and are lectured by him in the colleges often go to see him.
Hiroya kirishima was born in Sawa, Saitama. His father was Shinto priest, and he expected Hiroya of that he succeeded to his job. In his boyhood, he was making good marks at school, but he had been weak. When he was 10 years old, he had a turning point in his career. In this year, Sawa had some of bad matters, a earthquake, a flood, a conflagration, car accidents, and so on, and more over, there was a rumor abroad that Mt. Asagi that is near to Sawa might had erupted and peoples were uneasy by this rumor. An elder of the town said "These matters are caused by a god of the town and if we offer a young woman as a victim, He will stop doing them". So many people believe it, and set a young woman as victim. They separated her from her family and boyfriend forcibly and confined her informally in a hut. He says "I heard, she was disappointed at the world and reproached herself and she died in agony". They had been making a secret of her death until a man disclosed it. He says "I couldn't believe all of the people".
Hiroya sat for the entrance examination to Tokyo University after he finished the high school, but he failed. His father suggested that he succeeded to his father's job, but he ignored it. As a result of his doing, he was criticized by all of his relatives. He studied about examination very hard and he attended English school. Next year, he sat for the entrance examination to Tokyo University again, and he succeeded. He was admired by them, but he couldn't credit people more and more.
Hiroya studied about relation between people and religion. He belonged to the tennis circle and the shogi. Because he was tall, beautiful, and kindly, he was popular. In summer vacation, he went traveling China. He go to Dunhuang and he visit some of the ruins of Buddhism. In after years, he said "This travel expedient that I loved travel abroad". After he returned from his journey, he studied hard again. But he got into a slump since the second half year of his third years. He was disappointed because he couldn't write a report and decide a theme of a graduation thesis. But he remembered memories of his trip abroad, and he decided to go abroad to study. He absented from University for one years, he attended a lecture in Calcutta University, India. He visited some of sacred spot and building of Hindu religion and Buddhism and he studied about difference between Hindu religion and Buddhism and relation between religion and local people.
After he returned, he got a license of Shinto priest and he graduated Tokyo University. But his passion for learning was not decaying, and he went to the graduate of Kinshasa University, Congo. He studied about religion of natives of Africa, especially he was absorbed in his study about ceremonies of religion, for example, tattoo, a wedding, a ceremony of growing up, funeral, and some of a ceremony with a victim. He visited some of native tribes. He experienced some of unique events, for example, he was confined by a tribe, he suffered a illness and felt pain, and he made friends with a pretty girl. But two years after, he got a Master of Arts. After he returned, he completed a thesis of his religious experience. This thesis was admitted, and he was conferred a doctor's degree.
But his mother who had been ill for last some years died, and his father died soon. He succeeded to his father's job, Shinto priest, and he undertook a lecture of The College at Saitama and The junior college of woman at Tokyo.
Hiroya Kirishima is planning to go Firenze, Italy, for study. The purpose is that he study the Christian and relation between Catholicism and Italy. To tell the truth, he has a friend who lives in Firenze. His name is Kunihiko Kisaragi, he is a graduate student and he studies abroad. When Hiroya studied in Calcutta, he understood Kunihiko, then he was a student of Kwansei Gakuin University, Faculty of Theology, each other. Hiroya was of a Kunihiko's mind. And he is promoting friendly relation with him by e-mail after his return. This time, Hiroya plans to stay with his home. Kiyone will go to Firenze with him. She thinks she go to there for pleasure but he advises her on that they go to Firenze for study more and more. "I don't expected that she studies hard about religion and I will be gratified if she experiences happy things she can't in Japan" but he said with smile.
Hiroya says "A religion is one of the most valuable invention of human beings because it is teaching all of the people purpose of life and way of life and believers are rescued from anguish or pain by belief." On the other hand, he belongs to the academy of human rights since his University student days. He says too, "I can't admit that innocent peoples are sacrificed for a religion continuing. A religion exists for all of believes and doesn't exist for religionists".
Hiroya greets all of people frankly even if he is thought about strange. He also talks frankly all of visitors. He watches all of people who have various anguish kindly and looks critically at academic circle of religion. He is, really, religionist that he makes much of the people.
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