Omoto is a mystical faith, founded by an illiterate Japanese widow Nao Deguchi in 1892. The faith was further unfolded by her co-founder and son-in-law, Onisaburo Deguchi (1871-1948).
The founder of aikido, Morihei Ueshiba (1883-1969), was profoundly influenced by the Omoto faith, shifting his martial arts from a focus on defeating enemies into a philosophy of ‘universal love and peace’. Through aikido a person can become initiated into Japanese mysticism. Aikido means ‘the way to union with the universal force’. Aikido can transform you into a passionate nature mystic.
Shinto Background
The Shinto faith nurtures nature worship in Japan. For example, mountains are believed to be sacred places where kami (spirits or gods) dwell. Worship of the kami involves pilgrimages, rituals, purifications and offerings. This shows respect for the spirits and a firm resolve to seek their spiritual guidance and protection.
Origins of Omoto
Picture it. Nao Deguchi suddenly enters an altered, mystical state. She experiences a powerful presence arising within her, which manifests as a voice coming from her body, beginning in her stomach and rising upward. The voice identifies itself as the powerful kami, Ushitora-no-Konjin. This god informs Nao that he has returned after being banished for 3000 years. His gospel is simple. The world has been corrupted by disharmony and his mission is to redeem the world. A bold, provocative claim!
Impersonal God
A central Omoto teaching is that the divine is not confined to one particular religious tradition. God is understood as the spiritual reality permeating the universe (panentheism). In simple terms God has many faces. Onisaburo, the literate son-in-law summarised this relationship by stating:
“God and man become One…God is the Spirit which pervades the entire universe, and man is the focus of the workings of heaven and earth…Divine wisdom and love fill the universe. Beings can be regarded as manifestations of God.”
Omoto proclaims that all the major religions ultimately derive from the same divine source. This is the perennial philosophy beloved by King Charles as outlined in his 2010 book Harmony. The novelist Aldous Huxley was a famous proponent of this perennial tradition.
Omoto teaches that the world has been ruined by selfishness and disharmony. Its mission is described as the reconstruction of the world and the establishment of a “Heavenly Kingdom on Earth.”
Harmony and the Reconciliation of Opposites
Another distinctive Omoto doctrine is the reconciliation of apparently opposing forces. This is just like the Taoist faith. Omoto frequently uses the imagery of warp and weft. Just as threads become a coherent fabric through their interrelationship, humanity achieves harmony by bringing complementary opposites together; rather than treating differences as inherently divisive, Omoto sees their integration as necessary for spiritual and social redemption. This is just like Yin and Yang in Taoism.
So how can you be saved according to the Omoto faith? You must reject the western proposal that humans can conquer nature in the spirit of the French philosopher Descartes. You must merge with Nature…finding harmony in her warm, mystical embrace.
Harmony with Nature and the Importance of Art
Omoto regards humans as part of nature in a panentheist spirit. Beauty, nature, religion, and artistic creativity are therefore closely connected. Onisaburo wrote: “Art is the mother of all religions.” He understood art as a means of revealing divine beauty and guiding humanity toward a better world. Artistic activity has a spiritual significance rather than just being a creaturely activity qualified by the aesthetic aspect.
Universal Brotherhood and Interfaith Cooperation
Omoto stresses cooperation among the world’s religions. Its founders instruct us that the world’s religions have a common divine origin, making religious exclusivism offensive and unnecessary. This doctrine led Omoto to promote international and interfaith activities, including cooperation across religious and faith boundaries.
Christian Critique
In summary, Omoto teaches that humanity should purify itself, overcoming selfishness by living harmoniously with nature…reconciling opposites, cultivating beauty, and cooperation across religious boundaries. This is salvation by works and Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross and His bodily resurrection are completely ignored. The ultimate aim of Omoto is the spiritual and social redemption of the world through mystical love and universal harmony.
We should pay careful attention as to how Nao Deguchi received her revelation (automatic writing!). It sounds very similar to the mystical experiences of Mme Blavatsky, Carl Jung, William Blake and many others. If only Nao had tested the spirit Ushitora-no-Konjin (1 John 4:1-3)…
Omoto, like Taoism, holds that both good and evil come from the divine. How then do war, slavery, rape and murder fit into this faith? We are urged to find union with the divine but the divine is both good and evil. Isn’t this profoundly unbiblical and logically incoherent?
It may be possible to unfold aikido in a way that spurns nature mysticism but Christians should always be discerning at to how martial arts can draw you away from our Lord and Saviour.
The New Testament does not teach us to invite an impersonal cosmic energy into our lives but to honour the Lord Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit is not a mystical force that can be controlled by human technique. God is the creator and the universe is His creation. The gospel urges us to renounce nature mysticism and to place our trust in Jesus Christ and not in Ushitora-no-Konji.
Mark is a lively storyteller and the author of four books, including The Spy, the Rat and the Bed of Nails: Creative Ways of Talking about Christian Faith. His work is focused on storytelling and how this can help us to communicate the Christian faith. He has written many articles for the Baptist Times, RE Today, Youthscape, Direction magazine and the Christian Teachers Journal.
- A Christian Critique of Aikido and its Mystical Origins - September 25, 2026
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- Blasphemy and Evangelism - July 29, 2026
1 Comment
Dr P Thomas · September 25, 2026 at 5:27 pm
Thank you, Mark, for sharing your critique of the Oomoto faith and Aikido. Personally, the closest I get to martial arts is laughing at the delayed voice-over dubs in old Bruce Lee movies!
But seriously, you hit on a vital truth. The Holy Spirit is not a cosmic energy we can access or master through human technique. No amount of physical expertise in throws, pins, or punches can ever bring us closer to God. Knowing Jesus requires faith and trust in Him alone.