7/07/2007

Kotodama

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Daruma Pilgrims Gallery

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Kotodama 言霊 

The spirit which is present in Japanese words


© Onisaburo Deguchi, Philosophy

Ama-no-Kazu-Uta ("Chant of Heavenly Numbers")

(= 1) Hito
(= 2) Futa
(= 3) Mi
(= 4) Yo
(= 5) Itsu
(= 6) Muyu
(= 7) Nana
(= 8) Ya
(= 9) Kokono
(= 10) Tari
(= 100) Momo
(= 1000) Chi
(= 10000) Yorozu

Literally meaning "the Chant of Heavenly Numbers," Ama-no-Kazu-Uta is a prayer that invokes the mystical power of kototama (or kotodama), thereby providing those who intone the incantation with divine help and the grace of Kami.

In this respect, Ama-no-Kazu-Uta is by no means a mere sequence of numbers; instead, it praises the Great Original Spirit (= the primordial form of the Great Original Deity of the Universe) represented by kototama "su"  for Its Virtue, Power and Glory in creating and evolving the cosmos through a myriad of times, stages and processes.
(Note: the Great Original Spirit   is identical to Ame-no-Minaka-Nushi-no-Kami (The Deity Master-of-the August-Center-of-Heaven) in the Kojiki (Records of Ancient Matters) and to Ame-no-Minehio-no-Kami (The Deity Fire-of-the August-Peak-of-Heaven) in the Reikai Monogatari.)


Hito (1) = ichi-rei-shi-kon (four aspects of man's soul governed by one direct portion of the Spirit of Kami)
♣The Great Original Spirit, the root cause of the great cosmos, governs the four soul-aspects, , , and , under the command of the direct portion of the Spirit called .

Futa (2) = hachi-riki (eight forces of the True God)
♣Varying degrees of the union of yin and yang, which constitutes a part of the workings of the True Kami, result in eight forces--namely, do (activating force), sei (quieting force), kai (melting force), gyo (coagulating force), in (pulling force), chi (loosening force), go (combining force) and bun (dividing force).

Mi (3) = san-gen (three irreducible elements of the physical world)
♣Subtle and intricate combinations of the eight forces produce the three fundamental elements of the material plane, go (tamatsume-musubi = generative power of Kami that fastens the soul in the physical body; essence of minerals), ju (taru-musubi = generative power of Kami that enriches creatures; essense of plants) and ryu (iku-musubi = generative power of Kami that gives life to inanimate objects; essence of animals).

Incidentally, Onisaburo indicates that the chemical elements which have been discovered until today will ultimately fall into these three categories. He goes on to say that go corresponds to Kuni-no-Toko-Tachi-no-Kami (The Earthly-Eternally-Standing-Deity) in Kojiki, ju, to Toyo-Kumonu-no-Kami (The Luxuriant-Integrating-Master-Deity) and ryu, to Umashi-Ashikabi-Hikoji-no-Kami (The Pleasant-Reed-Shoot-Prince-Elder-Deity).

Hito also means the Spirit of the True God (ichi-rei-shi-kon), futa, His Power (hachi-riki) and mi, His Body (san-gen). Thus, at this stage, the three irreducible elements of the universe, or the Three Attributes of the Godhead, are all present.

Yo (4) = yo (world) (this is a homonym; the same applies to the rest of the numbers)
♣A mud-like world comes into being.

Itsu (5) = itsu (emergence)
♣The sun, the moon, the stars and the earth appear.

Muyu (6) = muyu (multiplication)
♣Plants, trees, animals and various other creatures proliferate.

Nana (7) = nana (fulfillment of the earth)
♣The birth of human beings realizes the kingdom of the earth.

Ya (8) = ya (prosperity)
♣The world flourishes continually and expansively.

Kokono (9) = kokono (solidification)
♣The fullness and stability of the world are strengthened.

Tari (10) = tari (completion)
♣The world reaches perfection. (The True Kami desires that the world evolve in the manner of upward spiral, treading the path from perfection to greater perfection.)

Momo (100) = momo (variety)
♣Various other things are further created.

Chi (1000) = chi (blood = spirit)
♣The blood (or spirit) of the great creation work circulates in every vein of the universe, constantly replenishing all entities with vigor and vitality.

Yorozu (10000) = yorozu (departure from darkness)
♣The world of illuminous light unfolds forever and ever via the evolutionary process explained thus far.

.....

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A Creation Story

Day 1 (Hitsuka)
In the beginning, quite an imperfect spiritual element (rei so) appeared. It took almost 1 billion years for this spiritual element to evolve into spirit.

Day 2 (Futsuka)
The spirit displayed its power (chikara). Chi as in chikara means "spirit" or "fire" and kara, "body" or "water." It took another 1 billion years for this spiritual force to do its part.

Day 3 (Mitsuka)
Chikara began forming physical substance; another 1 billion years passed.

Day 4 (Yotsuka)
Spirit (rei), force (chikara) and body (tai) exerted their combined energy to create innumerable forms of solid and liquid. The sun, the moon, the earth and many other heavenly bodies came into existence. This process required another 1 billion years.

Day 5 (Itsuka)
The seeds of plants and animals appeared in heaven and on earth; another 1 billion years passed.

Day 6 (Muyuka)
The workings of yin and yang and of water and fire set in motion, perfecting the foundation of all that is. This phase needed another 600 million years.

Day 7 (Nanaka)
As mentioned above, the Creator created everything in 6 days.
The Creator declares that He will spend another 70 million years to sublimate and complete this world into one of ineffable bliss--namely, the Age of Mi(5)-ro(6)-ku(7) (= 5.67 billion years = Miroku = Maitreya). This is Nanaka (the 7th Day).

Incidentally, nana as in Nanaka means "perfection" or "rest."
Only after the fulfillment of all these 7 days will a cosmos of absolute truth, absolute beauty and absolute good come. This state is called the Sabbath.

Thus, Day 7 per se is not equal to the Sabbath. Should the Creator take a day or even a minute off, every being in the universe would collapse in a flash.

Today is in the midst of the 5.67-billion-year transition period to the Age of Maitreya. In this respect, our world is imperfect and has inevitably undergone a myriad of upheavals.

© Onisaburo Deguchi, Philosophy


More about Onisaburo

Great Exorcism of the Last Day of the Sixth Month
Norito Text






Daruma, most probably painted by Onisaburo
Curtesy of Robert Roemer


1871年(明治4年)? - 1948年(昭和23年)1月19日)
『出口王仁三郎 聖師』


出口鬼三郎 Onisaburo Deguchi
was born with the name Kisaburo Ueda in 1871, in Kyoto Prefecture's Kameoka City. He passed away on January 19, 1948, at the age of seventy-eight. Oomoto's Co-Founder, Onisaburo Deguchi

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Nanette Gottlieb on the myth that Japanese is uniquely difficult and impenetrable to foreigners.
http://www.abc.net.au/rn/linguafranca/stories/2005/1496894.htm


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Genji Monogatari Japanese words (the myth of kotodama).
https://appsv.main.teikyo-u.ac.jp/tosho/mono36.pdf


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values (such as mono no aware), and spiritual qualities (kotodama)
The State and Racialization: The Case of Koreans in Japan
www.ccis-ucsd.org/PUBLICATIONS/wrkg69.pdf

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Prof. Dr. W. J. Boot
"Kotodama and the Ways of Reading the Man'yooshuu"
Publication, Leiden University

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Yamato Kotoba: The Japanese Language of the Flesh
Yukari Kunisue and Judy Schavrien

Abstract
This inquiry explores the Japanese Yamato Kotoba language, one preceding the Chinese injection of spoken and written words; this subset of present-day Japanese preserves earlier words that are better suited, the authors propose, to express the experience of people inextricably involved with their natural setting.
Aspects of this exploration include analysis of a haiku in which Basho uses Yamato Kotoba; and also an explanation of Japanese Koto Dama, which deploys the spiritual power that resides in words—both spoken and unspoken. In what ways do these linguistic approaches preserve, capture, and celebrate human intimacy with nature? The presentation of Eastern approaches, intimate and even mystical (bypassing all separation between human and setting), is supplemented in a prologue citing analogies and departures in the West.

The authors will also examine how Yamato Kotoba is related to the indigenous concept of Koto Dama, or the spirit of the words. Etymologically Koto in Koto Dama came from the word kotoba (word, speech, or language, “koto” and leaf, “ha” or “ba”). Like a single leaf falling out of its mother tree, when a word comes out of thoughts, each leaf of thought brings out the power of the spirit that originated in the deep roots of the tree.

Koto Dama: The Spirit of the Language
Japanese children grow up believing in the miraculous power of words called Koto.
source : www.sofia.edu/academics

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The concept behind Kotodama is a role-playing game in which players must master concepts of Japanese language and culture to gain in-game abilities. Through speech recognition input, players use spoken Japanese to accomplish game goals. Kotodama is targeted towards high school age kids with an interest in videogames and Japanese anime."
http://blogoehlert.typepad.com/eclippings/2005/03/index.html


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Fujitani Mitsue 富士谷御杖 (1768-1822)

“The poet's anxiety results from the subjugation of the guts—the aesthetic sacred dimension to the political rules of the body, or external reality. The poet penetrates and communicates with the inner self (kami) of the reader by dwelling within the 'spirit of words' (kotodama), which awakens the reader to the truth of his real, 'unidimensional' Being.”

Modern Japanese Aesthetics
Tr. Michael F. Marra


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What is the meaning of Kotodamaya?
The name of this site ‘Kotodama’ literally means ‘The power of Word‘ or ‘ The soul of Word‘ in English. In Japan, it has been believed that a soul dwells in word or even a natural phenomenon from ancient times. By using this words as a symbol of Japan, Kotodamaya stacks with Japanese Culture.

What kind of information does Kotodamaya handle?
Japanese culture on Kotodamaya.com is mainly Tradition or Custom (High Culture) which hardly immovable or influenced by latest trends but not Pop or Sub culture which is always changing.

◦Footprint of Eminent Poeple :
Basho Matsuo, Musashi Matsuo, Issa Kobayashi etc..

Tsutomu Kodama
source : kotodamaya.com/about


Kotodamaya - Tags with Matsuo Basho :
source : kotodamaya.com/tag/basho-matsuo


. Matsuo Basho 松尾芭蕉 - Archives of the WKD .


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