The Omoto founding visions of Deguchi Nao

Record summary

Deguchi Nao’s 1892 possession and revelation experiences formed the basis of Omoto, a Japanese movement that later expanded under Deguchi Onisaburo. Early messages, especially those attributed to a deity speaking through Nao, addressed social disorder, purification, and an impending transformation of the world. Omoto offers a comparison with Japanese spirit mediumship, female prophetic authority, and state surveillance. Its early history is difficult to reconstruct because writings, oral reports, and later organizational narratives were preserved through changing editorial and political conditions.