It would make a wonderful plot for a romantic novel. But with regard to this column, I would like to stay as non-fictional as possible, even if such was a theory that was overly preposterous.

As a matter of fact, to our surprise, the idea that regards Kurama-Tengu as Sanat Kumara is something new. It started when the former chief abbot got absorbed in theosophy. It is said that this was also the reason why the temple became an independent religious organization called Kurama-Kokyo and not of the Tendai sect.

Theosophy may sound unfamiliar. It could be described as occult mysticism. Such idea created a large movement that also involved the Jewish mysticism Kabbalah, esoteric ideologies like Hindu and Buddhism. Famous people like Rudolf Steiner were known for pedagogy, Annie Besant for magic arts, Henry Steel Olcott for psychics, and the Indian Saint Jiddu Krishnamurti and Madam Blavatsky were known as great psychics.

Madam Blavatsky, in particular, was a person of great influence with her books. And inside her books were the descriptions regarding Sanat Kumara. It seems the truth is that the chief abbot of Kurama temple was so attracted by this idea that he eventually integrated it into the doctrine of his own temple.

Hard to believe, isn't it. But no need to worry, for it doesn't mean that Kurama temple and the prince of darkness figures are also imported from theosophy. So let us now get back to the main topic and take a deep look into this prince of darkness.

The principle image of Kurama-temple is Bishamonten. In fact, this Buddha is no other than the Kurama-tengu, which is the prince of Darkness. The upper region of Buddhism consists of Hindu Gods. Bishamonten, in particular, dates back as far as Brahmanism, from which Hinduism developed. It's Indian name is Kubera. The sounds starting with B can easily corrupt into sounds starting with an M. A good example is the Chinese character representing "horse." It is sometimes pronounced "ba" and sometimes "ma". A Taiwanese junior at my college used to write "gokiburi (cockroach)" as "gokimuri". My assumption is that "be" of Kubera was thought as "me" and became Kumera. This also could be identified with Sanat Kumara.

Anyway, let's get back to Kubera. Kubera, in India, is the deity of treasures who lives in the Himalayas. This is why Bishamonten was enshrined at Kurama situated on the northern outskirts of Heian-kyo as the god protecting the people of the northern region. Even today, Bishamonten is believed to hold strong power among the magi co-religion of the Tendai sect.

But its roots were something unexpected. Bishamonten was the Sanskrit word "Vaisravana" written in Chinese characters. It means someone with multiple ears. In other words, it means Tamonten, one of the four heavenly kings.

He can be identified as the God of Light, Mitra of ancient Arya. Mitra is called Misra by the Zoroasters, the religion of Persia, an Aryan nation like India. Misra has multiple eyes and ears protecting the growth of the living and the nation. And such attribute was divided into four heavenly kings of Komokuten, Tamonten, Jikokuten and Zoshoten.

Mitra in India, on the other hand, is Maitroya in Sanskrit, meaning friendship. But once adapted into Buddhism, he becsme the Maitreya Bodhisattva. According to the Holy Book, Maitreya is the deity of the future. He is believed to have descended onto the Earth 5.67 billion years after the death of Shakyamuun to save mankind.

Salvation and resurrection. Such words remind us of Jesus Christ. It is in the Holy Book of Mahayana Buddhism that Maitreya bodhisattva makes an appearance. As you may know, Mahayana Buddhism was established after 1 A.D. It is a historical fact that Christianity was introduced to India during the same period. Some even declare that Maitreya Bodhisattva is Jesus Christ.

To sort out all the above, Bishamonten is sometimes called Kurama-Tengu and the Prince of Darkness. But, in India, he is known as Kubera or Mitra, which leads to Maitreya bodhisattva and even to Jesus Christ.

In Part 1, Kurama-Tengu was the fallen angel Lucifer. And now, Jesus Christ. Could it be fate or not, the Hata-clan makes another appearance here.

Mr. Kurama, where Kurama-temple is located, was once known as Mt. Matsuo. In Kyoto, the name Matsuo reminds us of Matsuo-Taisha near Arashiyama. As it is known as the deity of Sake, sake barrels are lined up beside the temple. The person who established this shrine was Hata-no-tori. And successive chief priests had all been Hatas.

The meaning of the word "Matsuo" is not known. But where ever a "Matsuo" is found, there is always a Hata. There is Matsuo-temple in the Wakasa region surrounded by Hatas. Many temples and shrines were established by the Hata clan. There is also a place called Matsuo on the east shore of Lake Biwa and a Matsuo temple. Formally known as Kongoh-ji, this also is a temple established by the Hatas. The name Matsuo often appears in Nagasaki and Saga of Kyushu. Those Matsuo families are no other than a member of the Hata clan. It is no exaggeration to say that Matsuo is of the Hata clan.

If this is the case, it naturally leads me to explain the word "Matsuo" from the same viewpoint as the theory of the Hatas being primitive Christian Jews. Matsuo, in Hebrew or Aryan, means "bread without yeast," same as the mochi of Japan. Well, the word "mochi" is no other than the corrupted form of the word "matsuo". In fact, Russian Jewish pronounces the word "matsuo" as "mochi".

But naming a shrine "mochi" does not make sense.

But then again, there is Matthew. Matthew, who was one of the 12 apostles of Jesus Christ, is pronounced "Mateo" in Europe, as in the famous Mateo Rich. "Mateo" and "matsuo". Sounds close, doesn't it? Naming a shrine after one of the 12 apostles is not as strange. Since I have no knowledge of how "Matthew" in Aryan became "Matsuo", I shall refrain from going further beyond just pointing out the possibility.

In any case, I can definitely say that the Hata clan lie behind Kurama-Tengu. They worshipped Bishamonten. And if they figured out the Mitra = Maitreya = Jesus Christ connection, they must have been really outstanding, don't you think?

Translated by Rie Ishida