Tomino's Hell : The Cursed Poem (Tomino's Older Sister is a Hell Guard)
This is likely one of the most interesting posts I would like to write since I have a great passion for Japanese culture and literature.
They say reading this poem would bring a person Ill luck or worse could end in death. Now make sure to never read the poem out aloud and just read it in your mind.
The poem is created by Yomota Inuhiko and published in 27th collection of poems by Saizo Yaso in 1919.
Tomino is a boy who falls to hell after undoubtedly his both sisters are in hell as well. It says that his older sister whips him. Usually in the Buddhist hells we call the workers of hell as Yamapallo (in our language) they are the ones who bring punishments to people within any hell. Maybe Tomino's older sister is one of them or he could be talking about an event before he came to hell.
I do not get the first verse actually, I need more research. Elder sister vomits blood (due to sickness?) Younger sister breathes fire? (Is she a hell guard?) and Tomino spits jewels (totally no idea).
One sure path to Avici it says, as much as I know Avichi is the most darkest and the worst of hells. It is said to be 120,000 and 300, 000 kilometres long in area and the people who does the worse sins in the surface world comes here.
These are the several causes that may causes a person to fall to Avici
It is notable to say that Tomino is actually journeying through many hells maybe? because other hells are like purgatory. As much as I remember there was one buddhist hell where it was full of fire and another one is full of ice. Maybe Tomino actually came from those hells and is continuing his last journey. The seven rivers and mountains of hells gives a clue to the 16 Buddhist hells : (the below is taken from wikipedia)
Cold Hells
Down past the seventh Buddhist hells starting from Sanjiva to Pratapana did Tomino come to the last one Avici he has been in hell for a bloody long time and maybe he met his sisters in one of those hells. I conclude it to be Sanjiva she could have been a being that attacked him out of misery but such beings only use claws and not whips.
The poem also talks about the "Needle Mountain". What I have been taught about this is mainly that there is indeed a very large and tall tree inside hell with a lot of large thrones in them. The punished must climb this tree if they are to go to the surface world and end their suffering. Of course the punished would be covered in blood and pain but they would never die, but it is unlikely that anyone could climb this tall throne tree either. In my opinion the throne tree is a hell scam and it is a punishment itself. Tomino is climbing this mountain filled with needles
Also the punished as much as I know cannot journey from hell to hell and they are not allowed to have carts, singing nightingales and etc and you need to be in that particular hell for a long time 4.32 billion years (kalpa or aeon) to be exact is the number in Avici and after that time period is over and depending on your karma could be many kalpas.
This is much as I could do for now and I will continue to research more and update this post later.
They say reading this poem would bring a person Ill luck or worse could end in death. Now make sure to never read the poem out aloud and just read it in your mind.
Tomino’s Hell1
Elder sister vomits blood,
younger sister’s breathing fire
while sweet little Tomino
just spits up the jewels.2
younger sister’s breathing fire
while sweet little Tomino
just spits up the jewels.2
All alone does Tomino
go falling into that hell,
a hell of utter darkness,
without even flowers.
go falling into that hell,
a hell of utter darkness,
without even flowers.
Into that blackest of hells
guide him now, I pray—
to the golden sheep,
to the nightingale.
guide him now, I pray—
to the golden sheep,
to the nightingale.
How much did he put
in that leather pouch
to prepare for his trek to
the eternal hell?
in that leather pouch
to prepare for his trek to
the eternal hell?
Spring is coming
to the valley, to the wood,
to the spiraling chasms
of the blackest hell.
to the valley, to the wood,
to the spiraling chasms
of the blackest hell.
The nightingale in her cage,
the sheep aboard the wagon,
and tears well up in the eyes
of sweet little Tomino.5
the sheep aboard the wagon,
and tears well up in the eyes
of sweet little Tomino.5
Sing, o nightingale,
in the vast, misty forest—
he screams he only misses
his little sister.
in the vast, misty forest—
he screams he only misses
his little sister.
His wailing desperation
echoes throughout hell—
a fox peony
opens its golden petals.
echoes throughout hell—
a fox peony
opens its golden petals.
Down past the seven mountains
and seven rivers of hell—
the solitary journey
of sweet little Tomino.
and seven rivers of hell—
the solitary journey
of sweet little Tomino.
If in this hell they be found,
may they then come to me, please,
those sharp spikes of punishment
from Needle Mountain.6
may they then come to me, please,
those sharp spikes of punishment
from Needle Mountain.6
Not just on some empty whim
Is flesh pierced with blood-red pins:
they serve as hellish signposts
for sweet little Tomino.7
Is flesh pierced with blood-red pins:
they serve as hellish signposts
for sweet little Tomino.7
—translated by David Bowles
June 29, 2014
Let me first say that reading this poem just bought tears to my eyes as I see that when a person falls in hell it is long term suffering. I know of Buddhist literature and I can shed light to most what is written here.June 29, 2014
The poem is created by Yomota Inuhiko and published in 27th collection of poems by Saizo Yaso in 1919.
Tomino is a boy who falls to hell after undoubtedly his both sisters are in hell as well. It says that his older sister whips him. Usually in the Buddhist hells we call the workers of hell as Yamapallo (in our language) they are the ones who bring punishments to people within any hell. Maybe Tomino's older sister is one of them or he could be talking about an event before he came to hell.
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| Tomino being whipped by his sister Art by Shademstr Deviantart |
I do not get the first verse actually, I need more research. Elder sister vomits blood (due to sickness?) Younger sister breathes fire? (Is she a hell guard?) and Tomino spits jewels (totally no idea).
One sure path to Avici it says, as much as I know Avichi is the most darkest and the worst of hells. It is said to be 120,000 and 300, 000 kilometres long in area and the people who does the worse sins in the surface world comes here.
These are the several causes that may causes a person to fall to Avici
- Killing mother or father intentionally
- Killing a priest or monk (some texts elaborates that it is killing an Arahat Monk)
- Shedding blood of Lord Buddha
- Causing a conflict within the monk community (Sangha)
Contrary to the above proposed list we were taught that committing suicide and taking another human life would result in going to the greatest bad hell Avici as well. If that notion is true then it is safe to say that Tomino might have killed a person.
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| Avici Hell |
It is notable to say that Tomino is actually journeying through many hells maybe? because other hells are like purgatory. As much as I remember there was one buddhist hell where it was full of fire and another one is full of ice. Maybe Tomino actually came from those hells and is continuing his last journey. The seven rivers and mountains of hells gives a clue to the 16 Buddhist hells : (the below is taken from wikipedia)
Cold Hells
- Arbuda (頞部陀), the "blister" Naraka, is a dark, frozen plain surrounded by icy mountains and continually swept by blizzards. Inhabitants of this world arise fully grown and abide lifelong naked and alone, while the cold raises blisters upon their bodies. The length of life in this Naraka is said to be the time it would take to empty a barrel of sesame seeds if one only took out a single seed every hundred years.[5]
- Nirarbuda (刺部陀), the "burst blister" Naraka, is even colder than Arbuda. There, the blisters burst open, leaving the beings' bodies covered with frozen blood and pus.[5]
- Aṭaṭa (頞听陀) is the "shivering" Naraka. There, beings shiver in the cold, making an aṭ-aṭ-aṭ sound with their mouths.[5]
- Hahava (臛臛婆;) is the "lamentation" Naraka. There, the beings lament in the cold, going haa, haa in pain.[5]
- Huhuva (虎々婆), the "chattering teeth" Naraka, is where beings shiver as their teeth chatter, making the sound hu, hu.[5]
- Utpala (嗢鉢羅) is the "blue lotus" Naraka. The intense cold there makes the skin turn blue like the colour of an utpala waterlily.[5]
- Padma (鉢特摩), the "lotus" Naraka, has blizzards that crack open frozen skin, leaving one raw and bloody.
- Mahāpadma (摩訶鉢特摩) is the "great lotus" Naraka. The entire body cracks into pieces and the internal organs are exposed to the cold, also cracking.
Hot Hells
- Sañjīva, the "reviving" Naraka, has ground made of hot iron heated by an immense fire. Beings in this Naraka appear fully grown, already in a state of fear and misery. As soon as the being begins to fear being harmed by others, their fellows appear and attack each other with iron claws and hell guards appear and attack the being with fiery weapons. As soon as the being experiences an unconsciousness like death, they are suddenly restored to full health and the attacks begin again. Other tortures experienced in this Naraka include: having molten metal dropped upon them, being sliced into pieces, and suffering from the heat of the iron ground.[5]
- Kālasūtra, the "black thread" Naraka, includes the torments of Sañjīva. In addition, black lines are drawn upon the body, which hell guards use as guides to cut the beings with fiery saws and sharp axes.[5][7]
- Saṃghāta, the "crushing" Naraka, is surrounded by huge masses of rock that smash together and crush the beings to a bloody jelly. When the rocks move apart again, life is restored to the being and the process starts again.[5
- Raurava, the "screaming" Naraka, is where beings run wildly about, looking for refuge from the burning ground.[5] When they find an apparent shelter, they are locked inside it as it blazes around them, while they scream inside.
- Mahāraurava, the "great screaming" Naraka, is similar to Raurava.[7] Punishment here is for people who maintain their own body by hurting others. In this hell, ruru[clarification needed] animals known as kravyāda torment them and eat their flesh.
- Tapana is the "heating" Naraka, where hell guards impale beings on a fiery spear until flames issue from their noses and mouths.[5]
- Pratāpana, the "great heating" Naraka. The tortures here are similar to the Tapana Naraka, but the beings are pierced more bloodily with a trident.[5]
- Avīci is the "uninterrupted" Naraka. Beings are roasted in an immense blazing oven with terrible suffering.[5]
The poem also talks about the "Needle Mountain". What I have been taught about this is mainly that there is indeed a very large and tall tree inside hell with a lot of large thrones in them. The punished must climb this tree if they are to go to the surface world and end their suffering. Of course the punished would be covered in blood and pain but they would never die, but it is unlikely that anyone could climb this tall throne tree either. In my opinion the throne tree is a hell scam and it is a punishment itself. Tomino is climbing this mountain filled with needles
Also the punished as much as I know cannot journey from hell to hell and they are not allowed to have carts, singing nightingales and etc and you need to be in that particular hell for a long time 4.32 billion years (kalpa or aeon) to be exact is the number in Avici and after that time period is over and depending on your karma could be many kalpas.
This is much as I could do for now and I will continue to research more and update this post later.
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