(September 14, 1858 â October 10, 1940) was a Japanese Shinto priest and spiritual teacher. He was the spiritual teacher of Deguchi Onisaburo, Tomokiyo Yoshisane, and Nakano Yonosuke, all of whom were founders of notable Japanese new religions.
Nagasawa Katsutate was born on September 14, 1858 (old lunar calendar date: August 8 of the year Ansei 5) in Fujimi Village ä¸ÂäºÂè¦ÂæÂÂ, Abe å®Âå district (now part of the city of Shimizu, Shizuoka). His father was Nagasawa Shinzaemon (æ°左工éÂÂ), and his mother was Nagasawa Toyoko (æ°左è±ÂÃ¥ÂÂ).
During Nagasawa's teenage years, he attended the , located at in Shizuoka city.
In 1874, Nagasawa became a teaching assistant at the same school and also served as a ritual assistant at . During that time, he also became the head priest of (note that has the reading "Yamanashi"). He established the at Yamanashi Shrine in 1891. Nagasawa was later promoted as head priest of Miho Shrine, which would attain the rank of a in 1898.
In 1885, Nagasawa met Honda Chikaatsu and became one of Honda's most capable disciples. From Honda, he learned a type of meditation (and/or spirit possession) practice known as (), which is practiced in the Japanese new religions Ananaikyo, Shintà  Tenkà Âkyo, and Oomoto today.
On April 28, 1898, Deguchi Onisaburo, the founder of the Oomoto religion, traveled from his hometown in Anao, Kameoka to Shimizu to become Nagasawa's disciple, forming the start of a lifelong friendship. Just two weeks earlier on April 15, Deguchi had also been appointed of Nagasawa's at Yamanashi Shrine by Mitsuya Kiemon (ä¸Âç¢åÂÂå³è¡ÂéÂÂ), a member of the confraternity who went to Anao to invite Deguchi to join. According to Oomoto's historical narratives, Nagasawa's mother Toyoko (è±ÂÃ¥ÂÂ) gave three books from Honda Chikaatsu to Deguchi, which were Shinden hisho (ç¥Âä¼Âç§Âæ¸; also known as Reigakushà  ), Michi no taigen (éÂÂä¹Â大åÂÂ), and Shintà  montai (çÂÂéÂÂÃ¥ÂÂ対). Upon reading the books, Deguchi said that they contained the same teachings that the kami Kotodamahiko (ç°éÂÂ彦) had taught him while he had performed his ascetic training on Mount Takakuma in March 1898. As a result, Deguchi identified Kotodamahiko as the spirit of Honda Chikaatsu. He practiced chinkon kishin with Nagasawa, with Deguchi serving as kannushi (possessed person) while Nagasawa served as saniwa (spirit mediator). Deguchi also received a and stone flute from Nagasawa Toyoko.
Around 1920, Tomokiyo Yoshisane (, who had been an Oomoto member from 1918 to 1919, studied chinkon kishin with Nagasawa and went on to found the Shintà  Tenkà Âkyo) religion in 1922. In 1930, Nagasawa was granted an audience with Emperor Hirohito.
From 1938 until his death in 1940, Nagasawa taught 1887âÂÂ1974), originally an Oomoto follower prior to the Second Oomoto Incident of 1935, who would make daily commutes from his home in Yaizu to Nagasawa's house. There, Nakano learned much of Honda Chikaatsu's teachings and practices from Nagasawa. On September 14, 1940, Nakano was initiated as the successor to the official lineage of (or ) in a ceremony that lasted an entire week and was attended by four lawyers and two witnesses.
Nagasawa died on October 10, 1940 and was buried at , and Nakano Yonosuke became Nagasawa's successor. Nakano went on to found the Ananaikyo religion on April 4, 1949, which he saw as fulfilling Nagasawa's 1899 prophecy that a world religion would be founded after 50 years.
Only three writings can be attributed directly to Nagasawa.