It’s an interesting and growing religion in Japan. Its teachings combine components from Shinto, Buddhism and Christianity as well as others.
What does the word mean? Well ten means "heavens," ri means "truth" or "reason," and kyo means "teach." Altogether, Tenrikyo means "Religion of Divine Wisdom"

Nakayama Miki her founder was born in 1789, in a village in the Yamato Province, Japan. With 13 she married and became a virtuous housewife as well as one keeping her family. In 1837 a priest performed a "mystical ritual" to cure both Miki and her husband from sudden attacks of great pain. That was the starter. She got her first revelation, started to go into trances and spoke as if God was speaking through her.
It is said that from 1838 onwards “God the Parent” started to reside within her body and Her spoken words and written words, emanated from then on from the mind of “God the Parent”. Even though she outwardly was a human.

There are various new religions that have come on the scene in Japan but few have had the success like Tenrikyo. They have now over 2,4mio members and 15,000 so called "churches." They are found worldwide but mainly in Japanese communities All members are to be Missionaries, sent out all over the world. They have congregations especially in Hawaii, Brazil, Korea, China, the Philippines, but also other countries. The movement's headquarters are in Tenri City, Japan where 50,000 residents live.

After having become “obsessed” she plunged herself into poverty by casting off her possessions as well as those of the whole family. She is said to have given away what rice the family had to anyone in need. She could not bear seeing anyone suffer. Her family and relatives strongly protested her actions but this didn’t change her stance. In 1853, as the family gradual declined to poverty, her husband died. After this time she began to teach and to perform "healings by faith" which attracted many followers.

She died at 90 years of age. But for her followers she continues living at the “Residence of Origin” where she continues in all eternity, working night and day for world salvation

Her Followers continue to serve her three meals a day and prepare her daily hot baths. The Priests guard the door 24 hours a day.

Teaching

God is the creator who is working day and night with divine wisdom. He is seen as
“God the parent” and as "God in Truth" apart from which nothing exists and which is therefore present within human bodies also, providing protection, workings, and true salvation.
The idea of the moon/sun God (the God who works day and night) is paganism found in nature religions. God the “creator” is his creation, which makes him not a god at all but only something that was created.

Man controls his mind alone, and his body is on loan. This temporary vessel should be used to serve God in order to avoid the accumulation of “dust” on mind and soul.

“God the Parent” suggests that God's love for us is like the love with which human parents tenderly care for their children. We live in the very bosom of God.
and are protected by him

Human should lead a joyous life, which is not just for humankind but involves both human and God. On the way to Joyous Life, we encounter a variety of occurrences, including those in which we might not be able to rejoice. Joyous acceptance (Tanno) has been taught to help us settle the mind especially when we feel unhappy because of illness or troubles.
Joyous acceptance has nothing to do with putting up with something one dislikes or resigning oneself to a situation one finds unpleasant. Rather, it refers to a mode of mind that clearly and directly perceives what is happening at the present moment and accepts it with simplicity, without judging it.

Difficulties or hindrances, illness and troubles add beauty to the path of live. It is important, therefore, to let go of our dissatisfaction, worries, and skepticism, trusting completely in Gods boundless parental love. This is God in a Buddhism framework.
Illness and pain do not exist in itself, they are none other than the hastening and guidance of God. The mind becomes the key. If we sow a seed of a plant, it will grow into only that particular type of plant. Likewise, seeds sown through the mind produce only results that accord with those workings.

God needs us to change things. We are essentials to God as well as to the environment.

When we become spirited through the helping of one another, the sight of our spirited- ness will make God spirited, and God's spiritedness will enliven all living things, even plants and vegetables.

Sometimes we meet experiences which we can not analyze and which have to do with casualty. The law of cause and effect or causality can be
originated in a previous life and produce their results during the present lifetime
originated in the present life and produce their results during the present lifetime
originated in a previous life or the present life and produce their results in a future life
Here we have the Buddhist teaching of Reincarnation

History
1874
She bestowed the Amulet and the Sazuke, the Divine Grant, for the first time and, in the following year, identified the Jiba, the place of origin where humankind had first been conceived.
1877
She taught the women's musical instruments used in the performance of the Service. The arrangements for the Service was taught as the path to universal salvation.
1908
government acknowledges Tenrikyo as a Shinto sect.

The beginning according to “God the Parent”
Contrary to the bible where Adam and Eve formed the first human beings, with Eva coming from the rib of Adam the human being according to Tenrikyo were created from all the animals available to god in the “original ocean”.
The original creation was repeated 3 times. All human beings were born ½ inch tall and, and grew to 4 inches in 99 years. After the third time they were told by their mother to reach the human heights being five feet tall and with a smile, she withdrew from physical life. All her children passed away for rebirth, deeply yearning for their mother.
After that, human beings were reborn 8,008 times in different creatures as worms, birds, beasts. Then they again all passed away except a she-monkey. She conceived 10 human beings at a time, 5 male and 5 female. Again they were reborn ½ inch tall and they grew to 8 inches. In the meantime God the Parent began to develop the bottom of the muddy ocean. This time when they grew to 1 foot and 8 inches the land and sea, heaven and earth, and the sun and moon came to take on form so as to be distinguishable. Human beings twins were born from each conception, both male and a female. When humans reached 3 feet, one child was born from each conception and they began speaking. When they reached 5 feet tall, land and sea, heaven and earth, the whole universe, was completed, and human beings began to dwell on land.
This story is clearly a blend of real even though somewhat simplified evolution as nowadays known to us with a religious touch.

What are factors influencing human life

The 8 dusts
Humans during their lives collect Nokori (dust), but usually we don't notice it. This
“dust" settles on a persons mind and soul, when he or she lives a self-serving life,
instead being there for others. From the dust sometimes illness and troubles might arise Whatever illness or trouble we may encounter, we should see this as a positive challenge to grow and as a manifestation of God's parental love, which is helping us sweep our heart clean with God as the broom. Humans from birth have no sins, but they can fall if their minds become stained with specks of dust.
The 8 dusts are miserliness, covetousness, hatred, self-love, grudge-bearing, anger, greed and arrogance. If one is able to keep away or sweep away the dust one becomes ort stays open to living a happy life which is according to Tenrikyo salvation. No wonder that prayer is accompanied by hand motions, that symbolize dust being brushed away.

Sazuke
Sazuke is a god gift offered to individuals as an important form of healing ability to save people from physical sufferings. This blessing promises to lead to miraculous determination to follow God's "path"
Sazuke is bestowed exclusively to those who have a sincere mind. God grants only as much blessings as the sincerity in one's mind allows. If your mind is truly sincere, there will never be a failure in any salvation.
Even after the reception of sazuke one must continue the daily removal of dust. .

The Kagura Rite
The Kagura's has 10 performers, 5 men and 5 women reenacting the story through which human beings and the world were created. They wear their kagura masks and symbolize by hand-gestures God the Parent's providence in ten aspects. The Service is called the "Joyous Service" and the "Salvation Service" because it calls for the blessing of universal salvation, which will bring about the spiritual renewal of human beings.

Setsubun
This is a traditional ceremony to drive away demons and to ward off evil. They will scatter beans (usually soy beans) inside and outside of the house or building and chant. “Out with demons! In with good luck!" The custom is for family members to eat the same number of beans as their age.

Social orientation
Tenrikyo is involved in numerous social services. Orphanages are built. They founded cultural Institutions like the Tenri University, a library that is one of the largest in the East, Churches and a museum.
Each month 1,000 to 2,000 people are accepted to Shuyoka, a 3 month retreat, beginning at the start of each month where people learn the teachings of “God the Parent”. One needs to be at least 17 years old to be admitted and it seems that this attracts a lot of youngsters as 50% are in general between their teens to their twenties. On the other side you’ll find even 90 years old people there.

Criticism
Miki put her own interests and growth above those around her. While she couldn't bear to see others suffer her own family suffered greatly. This might show a religious zeal for something that made her blind to her own family’s condition. Especially in Japan with its strong family ties this is unforgivable according to some.

For some critics it is hard to accept everlasting live, when she died like anyone else. For them Miki is no different than all the other teachers that have come along claiming a revelation from God, they all lie in their graves.