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言霊
refers to the Japanese belief that mystical powers dwell in words and names. English translations include "soul of language", "spirit of language", "power of language", "power word", "magic word", and "sacred sound". The notion of ''kotodama'' presupposes that sounds can affect objects, and that ritual word usages can influence the environment, body, mind, and soul. Some interpret the belief as the discovery of commands words that can affect physiology and the mind. Basis This Japanese compound ''kotodama'' combines ''koto'' 言 "word; speech" and ''tama'' 霊 "spirit; soul" (or 魂 "soul; spirit; ghost") voiced as ''dama'' in ''rendaku''. In contrast, the unvoiced ''kototama'' pronunciation especially refers to , which was popularized by Onisaburo Deguchi in the Oomoto religion. This field takes the Japanese ''gojūon'' phonology as the mystical basis of words and meanings, in a way that is roughly analogous to Hebrew Kabbalah. Etymology The etymology of ''kotodama'' is un ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kojiki
The , also sometimes read as or , is an early Japanese chronicle of myths, legends, hymns, genealogies, oral traditions, and semi-historical accounts down to 641 concerning the origin of the Japanese archipelago, the , and the Japanese imperial line. It is claimed in its preface to have been composed by Ō no Yasumaro at the request of Empress Genmei in the early 8th century (711–712), and thus is usually considered to be the oldest extant literary work in Japan. The myths contained in the as well as the are part of the inspiration behind many practices and unified "Shinto orthodoxy". Later, they were incorporated into Shinto practices such as the purification ritual. Composition It is believed that the compilation of various genealogical and anecdotal histories of the imperial (Yamato) court and prominent clans began during the reigns of Emperors Keitai and Kinmei in the 6th century, with the first concerted effort at historical compilation of which we have record ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
William Gleason (aikidoka)
William Gleason (born 4 September 1943) is the American author of two books about aikido, spirituality and kototama. He holds the rank of 7th dan in aikido and is the founder and head instructor of ''Shobu Aikido'' in Somerville, MA, USA. Gleason teaches seminars worldwide. Biography Gleason lived in Tokyo, Japan from 1969–80, where he trained in traditional aikido and Japanese sword at the world headquarters of aikido, the Aikikai Hombu Dojo. Gleason wrote a brief account of his training at the dojo, describing the training environment and people involved. In 1998, Gleason received his 6th degree black belt from Mitsugi Saotome (born in 1937) is a Japanese aikido teacher currently living in the United States. He was a direct disciple of the founder of aikido, Morihei Ueshiba. Biography At the age of 16, Mitsugi Saotome began his martial arts training in judo. At the .... Gleason founded ''Shobu Aikido of Boston'' in 1980. Shobu Aikido of Boston is a nonprofit organi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aikido
Aikido ( , , , ) is a gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art which is split into many different styles including Iwama Ryu, Iwama Shin Shin Aiki Shuren Kai, Shodokan Aikido, Yoshinkan, Renshinkai, Aikikai, and Ki Aikido. Aikido is now practiced in around 140 countries. It was originally developed by Morihei Ueshiba, as a synthesis of his martial studies, philosophy and religious beliefs. Ueshiba's goal was to create an art which practitioners could use to defend themselves against attacks, while also protecting the attackers from injury. Aikido is often translated as "the way of unifying (with) Qi, life energy" or as "the way of harmonious spirit". According to the founder's philosophy, the primary goal in the practice of aikido is to overcome oneself instead of cultivating violence or aggressiveness. Morihei Ueshiba used the phrase to refer to this principle. Aikido's fundamental principles include: (entering), , (breathing control), (triangular principle), and (turn ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Morihei Ueshiba
was a Japanese martial artist and founder of the Japanese martial art, martial art of aikido. He is often referred to as "the founder" or , "Great Teacher". The son of a landowner from Tanabe, Wakayama, Tanabe, Ueshiba studied a number of martial arts in his youth, and served in the Imperial Japanese Army, Japanese Army during the Russo-Japanese War. After being discharged in 1907, he moved to Hokkaido as the head of a pioneer settlement; here he met and studied with Takeda Sōkaku, the headmaster of Daitō-ryū Aiki-jūjutsu. On leaving Hokkaido in 1919, Ueshiba joined the Ōmoto-kyō movement, a Shinto sect, in Ayabe, Kyoto, Ayabe, where he served as a martial arts instructor and opened his first dojo. He accompanied the head of the Ōmoto-kyō group, Onisaburo Deguchi, on an expedition to Mongolia in 1924, where they were captured by Chinese troops and returned to Japan. The following year, he had a profound spiritual experience, stating that, "a golden spirit sprang up f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kiai
In Japanese martial arts a is a short shout uttered when performing an assault. Traditional Japanese dojo generally uses single syllables beginning with a vowel. The practice has become a part of Asian martial arts in popular culture, especially in martial arts films, in writing often rendered in variants such as ''Hi-yah!'', ''Aiyah!'', ''Eeee-yah!'' or ''Hyah!''. A ''kiai'' is usually not the word "''kiai''" itself. Etymology The term is a compound of '' ki'' (), meaning "energy" or "mood" and ''a(u)'' (, infinitive ''ai''), an emphatic marker. The same concept is known as ''kihap'' in many Korean martial arts, such as taekwondo and Tang Soo Do, ''ki'' being the ''energy'' and ''hap'' meaning ''to join'', ''to harmonize'' or ''to amplify'', based on the Korean reading of the same characters; its Hangul spelling is 기합. In the board game '' Go'', the term describes fighting spirit. Use in martial arts Students of Japanese martial arts such as aikido, karate ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Japanese Martial Arts
Japanese martial arts refers to the variety of martial arts native to the country of Japan. At least three Japanese terms (''budō'', ''bujutsu'', and ''bugei'') are used interchangeably with the English phrase Japanese martial arts. The usage of the term ''budō'' (武道) to mean martial arts is a modern one: historically the term meant a way of life encompassing physical, spiritual and moral dimensions with a focus on self-improvement, fulfillment or personal growth. The terms ''bujutsu'' (武術) and ''bugei'' (武芸) have different meanings from ''budō'', at least historically speaking. ''Bujutsu'' refers specifically to the practical application of martial tactics and techniques in actual combat. ''Bugei'' refers to the adaptation or refinement of those tactics and techniques to facilitate systematic instruction and dissemination within a formal learning environment. History Each child who grew up in a samurai family was expected to be a warrior when he gre ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ukehi
is a Japanese Shinto divination ritual. Function and performance Hayashi Oen, a nineteenth-century practitioner of ''ukehi'', identified six functions of the rite. He claimed it could be used to: * ask for information or messages from the ''kami'' * establish the will of the ''kami'' * predict the outcome of an event * enervate or animate living beings * manipulate weather conditions * kill one's enemies The dictates of ''ukehi'' can come as a dream, but more commonly the petitioner would use the ritual to ask a question of the ''kami'' and then await an omen of some sort to confirm their response. If nothing happened, it was assumed that the ''kami'' did not favour the proposed course of action. The questioning of the ''kami'' took the form of an oath or vow. Sometimes the ritual involved inscribing the choices available on bamboo slips, which were then shaken in a container; whichever slip fell out dictated the appropriate course of action. In the novel ''Runaway Horses'', ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Divination
Divination () is the attempt to gain insight into a question or situation by way of an occultic ritual or practice. Using various methods throughout history, diviners ascertain their interpretations of how a should proceed by reading signs, events, or omens, or through alleged contact or interaction with supernatural agencies such as ghost, spirits, gods, god-like-beings or the "will of the universe". Divination can be seen as an attempt to organize what appears to be random so that it provides insight into a problem or issue at hand. Some instruments or practices of divination include Tarot card reading, Tarot-card reading, Runic magic, rune casting, Tasseography, tea-leaf reading, automatic writing, water scrying, and psychedelics like psilocybin mushrooms and DMT. If a distinction is made between divination and fortune-telling, divination has a more formal or ritualistic element and often contains a more social character, usually in a religion, religious context, as se ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Amaterasu
, often called Amaterasu () for short, also known as and , is the goddess of the sun in Japanese mythology. Often considered the chief deity (''kami'') of the Shinto pantheon, she is also portrayed in Japan's earliest literary texts, the () and the (720 CE), as the ruler (or one of the rulers) of the heavenly realm Takamagahara and as the mythical ancestress of the Imperial House of Japan via her grandson Ninigi. Along with two of her siblings (the moon deity Tsukuyomi and the impetuous storm-god Susanoo) she ranks as one of the "Three Precious Children" (, ), the three most important offspring of the creator god Izanagi. Amaterasu's chief place of worship, the Grand Shrine of Ise in Ise, Mie Prefecture, is one of Shinto's holiest sites and a major pilgrimage center and tourist spot. As with other Shinto ''kami'', she is also enshrined in a number of Shinto shrines throughout Japan. Name The goddess is referred to as ''Amaterasu Ōmikami'' ( / ; historical orthogr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Susanoo-no-Mikoto
__FORCETOC__ Susanoo (, ; Historical kana orthography, historical orthography: , ), often referred to by the honorific title Susanoo-no-Mikoto (), is a in Japanese mythology. The younger brother of Amaterasu, goddess of the sun and mythical ancestress of the Imperial House of Japan, Japanese imperial line, he is a multifaceted deity with contradictory characteristics (both good and bad), being portrayed in various stories either as a wild, impetuous god associated with the sea and storms, as a heroic figure who killed a monstrous serpent, or as a local deity linked with the harvest and agriculture. Shinbutsu shūgō, Syncretic beliefs of the Gion cult that arose after Buddhism in Japan, the introduction of Buddhism to Japan also saw Susanoo becoming conflated with deities of pestilence and disease. Susanoo, alongside Amaterasu and the earthly Ōkuninushi (also Ōnamuchi) – depicted as either Susanoo's son or scion depending on the source – is one of the central deities of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kokugaku
was an academic movement, a school of Japanese philology and philosophy originating during the Edo period. scholars worked to refocus Japanese scholarship away from the then-dominant study of Chinese, Confucian, and Buddhist texts in favor of research into the early Japanese classics. History What later became known as the tradition began in the 17th and 18th centuries as ''kogaku'' ("ancient studies"), ''wagaku'' ("Japanese studies") or ''inishie manabi'' ("antiquity studies"), a term favored by Motoori Norinaga and his school. Drawing heavily from Shinto and Japan's ancient literature, the school looked back to a golden age of culture and society. They drew upon ancient Japanese poetry, predating the rise of medieval Japan's feudal orders in the mid-twelfth century, and other cultural achievements to show the emotion of Japan. One famous emotion appealed to by the ''kokugakusha'' is ' mono no aware'. The word , coined to distinguish this school from ''kangaku'' ("Chin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
