Kotodama
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kotodama (言霊 or ことだま pronounced [kotodama]) or kototama (言霊 or ことたま pronounced [kototama]) is "the spirit of words" in the Japanese language, believed to have a magical effect on the world. These effects range from curing deseases to stopping earthquakes. Kotodama, this is, the power of spirit of language, is sometimes referred to as "Power Words" and are believed to have great strength in affecting our environment, mind, body, and soul. These words are supposedly reached through enlightenment or when a kami (god) grants a person the use of a Kotodama. Kotodama has a direct translation of "word spirit."
Kotodama are sometimes found in the martial arts, in the form of kiai. Additionally, Kotodama are sometimes found in the form of magical oaths, such as the ukei (archaic ukehi) found in the Kojiki.
In recent years, Morihei Ueshiba, founder of the martial art of Aikido, is believed to have mastered Kotodama to a certain degree, and often seemed to use it in his teachings. Some of his disciples have been eager to learn this part of the art from him with the notable exception of Mutsuro Nakazono (also known as Masahiro) (1918-1994), who lived the last years of his life in New Mexico, USA.
The book The Spiritual Foundations of Aikido, by William Gleason Sensei, 6th Dan Aikido teacher,[1] describes Kotodama in detail. According to the author, "O-Sensei [Ueshiba] created aikido based on the kototama principle: 'Aikido is the superlative way to practice the kototama...'"[2]
[edit] References
- ^ Shobu Aikido of Boston, http://www.shobu.org/sensei.php
- ^ Gleason, W: The Spiritual Foundations of Aikido, p. 55, Destiny Books: 1995
[edit] External links
 |
This Japan-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
