Abstract
There are many variants of Tenjin-Engi (The Origin of Tenjin), such as Kitano-Tenjin-Engi (北野天神縁起), Egara-Tenjin-Engi (荏柄天神縁起), and so on. Hosshōzan-Tenmangū-no-Engi (法性山天満宮之縁記) is one of those variants of Tenjin-Engi, enshrined in Hosshōzan-Jissōji-Temple (法性山実相寺) in Tomioka City, Gunma Prefecture, which narrates the legendary origin and history of Tenjin. A manuscript book in the possession of Jissōji-Temple is the only text of this narrative. The text was copied by hand in 1894 from the original, written in 1663. Unfortunately the original is missing.
An important characteristic of the text differentiating it from other variants is that it contains folk traditions peculiar to the area around Jissoji-Temple. Consequently it should be recognized that the text is a valuable material with which to investigate the local trend of the faith in Tenjin.
In this paper, I reprint the text and give a commentary on it.
