(also 掠or 天çÂÂæÂŽÂÂ, ) is a Tenrikyo-based shinshà «kyà  (Japanese new religion). Honmichi became formally independent in 1925 under its founder, à Ânishi Aijirà  (大西æÂÂæ²»éÂÂ), also known by the title . Despite the religion being derived from Tenrikyo with a different interpretation of doctrines such as , Honmichi's religious structure still maintains the same basic overall characteristics as Tenrikyo. It was reorganized from the earlier . It had 319,031 followers in 2022 according to the Reiwa 4 (2022) Religion Almanac published by the Agency for Cultural Affairs.
Honmichi considers itself, rather than Tenrikyo, to be the true, original religion of Nakayama Miki. Devout Honmichi members are called rather than yà Âboku (ãÂÂãÂÂã¼ãÂÂ) as in Tenrikyo.
The term Honmichi comes from the Ofudesaki and can be found in Ofudesaki 1:49, 3:37, 4:75-77, 5:30, 5:82, 6:17, 6:28, and 17:22.
Some of the main scriptures used in Honmichi include the Mikagura-uta, and Ofudesaki which also form the basic scriptural canon of Tenrikyo. The Osashizu, written by the second spiritual leader of the original establishment, Iburi Izà Â, was also sometimes consulted by à Ânishi Aijirà Â. The Doroumi Kà Âki is part of Honmichi's scriptural canon as well. The , written by à Ânishi Aijirà Â, is also used. Other scriptures include . Commentaries and doctrinal texts include and .
The mantra is frequently chanted by adherents of Honmichi. Honmichi utilizes the gagaku in its .
Every year, Honmichi followers celebrate to commemorate their founder.
Honmichi began as a religion on July 15, 1913 in Yamaguchi when its founder à Ânishi Aijirà  received a divine revelation, during which God told him that he was the living kanrodai. At the time, he was a Tenrikyo missionary in Yamaguchi Prefecture. In January 1925, à Ânishi Aijirà  officially established the , which was later renamed as in 1937, and finally as Honmichi in 1950.
Honmichi was a noticeable Japanese religion before World War II due to its leader's active defiance against the Emperor of Japan. There were government crackdowns in 1928 and again in 1938. It quickly re-established itself during the US Occupation of Japan.
In 1958, à Ânishi Aijirà  died. Aijirà Â's grandson, à Ânishi Yasuhiko (大西泰彦), took over as the leader in 1960 and was viewed as Aijirà Â's reincarnation, and hence as the new kanrodai.
In 1962, , led by Aijirà Â's daughter à Ânishi Tama (大西çÂÂ; 1916âÂÂ1969) (whom Aijirà  and Honbushin followers claim was the reincarnation of Nakayama Miki), separated from Honmichi. It was incorporated as a religious organization in 1966. Originally, it was headquartered in Takaishi, Osaka, but then moved to Shiojiri, Nagano. In 1969, Honbushin moved to Okayama, where it set up its kanrodai on Mount Kami.
Honmichi is currently headquartered in Takaishi, Osaka. However, the main worship hall is located in Sennan, Osaka.
Apart from the headquarters, there are several other locations, including two :
There are several , including one in the United States:
There are also facilities in Katsuragi, Nara (竹ä¹Âå å»ÂæÂÂ, where à Ânishi Aijirà Â, his wife, and their some of their descendants are buried) and Izumi, Osaka (信太山ä½Âæ¥ÂæÂÂ), as well as a training center (è±ç¬山修éÂÂå ´) near Fudo Waterfall (ä¸ÂÃ¥ÂÂæ»Â) in Takigawa Valley (æ»Âå·Âæ¸Âè°·) in Totsukawa, Nara Prefecture (located just to the southwest of Mount Shakka).
The following religious movements and organizations are founded by former Honmichi members.
During the 1970s, Shigeyoshi Murakami () and Masaki Umehara () published a few books about Honmichi: