Kosin ( Jap. 庚申 ) is a Japanese folk belief that has its roots in Chinese Taoism and is common among Shinto and Buddhism . At the heart of the belief is the idea of a sixties cycle . Every sixtieth night (on the day of the monkey), collective vigils are held (kosin-mati, jap. 庚申 待 ), designed to prevent three followers from the spiritual entities (sansi, 三 尸 ) from coming out of their bodies, who must report to the supreme deity on all human misconduct.
History
The oldest reports of the ritual vigil on the night of the Kosini are from the year 838 . The most popular belief reached during the Edo period , when many special ritual stone steles were erected, depicting, most often, Vajrayaksha Semen-kongo.
Currently [ when? ] belief has greatly lost its popularity. The Koshin center is the Yasaka Kosin-do sanctuary ( 八 坂 庚申 堂 ) in the Higashiyama district in Kyoto .
Considered [by whom? ] that the symbol of the three monkeys was formed precisely in the environment of the kosin belief.
Links
- Kosin in the dictionary of three monkeys
- Kosin (Eng.) In the project Iroha
- Visit to the Yasaka Kosin-do Temple (English)