refers to the Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

ese 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

Magic word

Magic words are words which have a specific, and sometimes unintended, effect. They are often nonsense phrases used in fantasy fiction or by stage prestidigitators. Certain comic book heroes use magic words to activate their super powers. Magic words are also used as Easter eggs or cheats in...

", and "sacred sound". The notion of kotodama presupposes that sounds can magically affect objects, and that ritual word usages can influence our environment, body

Body

With regard to living things, a body is the physical body of an individual. "Body" often is used in connection with appearance, health issues and death...

, mind

Mind

The concept of mind is understood in many different ways by many different traditions, ranging from panpsychism and animism to traditional and organized religious views, as well as secular and materialist philosophies. Most agree that minds are constituted by conscious experience and intelligent...

, and soul

Soul

A soul in certain spiritual, philosophical, and psychological traditions is the incorporeal essence of a person or living thing or object. Many philosophical and spiritual systems teach that humans have souls, and others teach that all living things and even inanimate objects have souls. The...

.

This Japanese compound

Compound (linguistics)

In linguistics, a compound is a lexeme that consists of more than one stem. Compounding or composition is the word formation that creates compound lexemes...

 kotodama combines koto 言 "word; speech" and tama 霊 "spirit; soul" (or 魂 "soul; spirit; ghost") voiced

Voice (phonetics)

Voice or voicing is a term used in phonetics and phonology to characterize speech sounds, with sounds described as either voiceless or voiced. The term, however, is used to refer to two separate concepts. Voicing can refer to the articulatory process in which the vocal cords vibrate...

 as dama in rendaku

Rendaku

is a phenomenon in Japanese morphophonology that governs the voicing of the initial consonant of the non-initial portion of a compound or prefixed word...

. In contrast, the unvoiced kototama pronunciation especially refers to , which was popularized by Onisaburo Deguchi

Onisaburo Deguchi

, born Ueda Kisaburō 上田 喜三郎 , is considered the second spiritual leader of the Oomoto religious movement in Japan.Onisaburo had studied Honda Chikaatsu's "Spirit Studies" , he also learned to mediate spirit possession from Honda's disciple Nagasawa Katsutate in Shizuoka...

 in the Oomoto

Oomoto

Oomoto also known as Oomoto-kyo , is a sect, often categorised as a new Japanese religion originated from Shinto; it was founded in 1892 by Deguchi Nao...

 religion. This field takes the Japanese gojūon

Gojuon

The is a Japanese ordering of kana.It is named for the 5×10 grid in which the characters are displayed, but the grid is not completely filled, and, further, there is an extra character added outside the grid at the end: with 5 gaps and 1 extra character, the current number of distinct kana in a...

phonology as the mystical basis of words and meanings, in rough analogy to Hebrew Kabbalah

Kabbalah

Kabbalah/Kabala is a discipline and school of thought concerned with the esoteric aspect of Rabbinic Judaism. It was systematized in 11th-13th century Hachmei Provence and Spain, and again after the Expulsion from Spain, in 16th century Ottoman Palestine...

.

The etymology of kotodama is uncertain, but one explanation correlating words and events links two Japanese words pronounced koto: this "word; words; speech" and 事 "situation; circumstances; state of affairs; occurrence; event; incident". Note that these two kanji

Kanji

Kanji are the adopted logographic Chinese characters hanzi that are used in the modern Japanese writing system along with hiragana , katakana , Indo Arabic numerals, and the occasional use of the Latin alphabet...

were used interchangeably in the name Kotoshironushi or , an oracular kami

Kami

is the Japanese word for the spirits, natural forces, or essence in the Shinto faith. Although the word is sometimes translated as "god" or "deity", some Shinto scholars argue that such a translation can cause a misunderstanding of the term...

mentioned in the Kojiki

Kojiki

is the oldest extant chronicle in Japan, dating from the early 8th century and composed by Ō no Yasumaro at the request of Empress Gemmei. The Kojiki is a collection of myths concerning the origin of the four home islands of Japan, and the Kami...

and Nihon shoki

Nihon Shoki

The , sometimes translated as The Chronicles of Japan, is the second oldest book of classical Japanese history. It is more elaborate and detailed than the Kojiki, the oldest, and has proven to be an important tool for historians and archaeologists as it includes the most complete extant historical...

. Kotodama is related with Japanese words such as kotoage "words raised up; invoke the magical power of words", kotomuke "directed words; cause submission though the power of words", and jumon "magic spell; magic words; incantation".

Kotodama is a central concept in Japanese mythology

Japanese mythology

Japanese mythology is a system of beliefs that embraces Shinto and Buddhist traditions as well as agriculturally based folk religion. The Shinto pantheon comprises innumerable kami...

, Shinto

Shinto

or Shintoism, also kami-no-michi, is the indigenous spirituality of Japan and the Japanese people. It is a set of practices, to be carried out diligently, to establish a connection between present day Japan and its ancient past. Shinto practices were first recorded and codified in the written...

, and Kokugaku

Kokugaku

Kokugaku was a National revival, or, school of Japanese philology and philosophy originating during the Tokugawa period...

. For example, the Kojiki describes an ukei (or seiyaku) "covenant; trial by pledge" between the sibling gods Susanoo

Susanoo

, also known as is the Shinto god of the sea and storms. He is also considered to be ruler of Yomi.-Myths:In Japanese mythology, Susanoo, the powerful storm of Summer, is the brother of Amaterasu, the goddess of the sun, and of Tsukuyomi, the god of the moon. All three were born from Izanagi, when...

 and Amaterasu

Amaterasu

, or is apart of the Japanese myth cycle and also a major deity of the Shinto religion. She is the goddess of the sun, but also of the universe. the name Amaterasu derived from Amateru meaning "shining in heaven." The meaning of her whole name, Amaterasu-ōmikami, is "the great August kami who...

, "Let each of us swear, and produce children". Uttering the divine words of an ukehi supposedly determines results, and in this case, Amaterasu giving birth to five male deities proved that Susanoo's intentions were pure.

Kototama or kotodama is also fundamental to Japanese martial arts

Japanese martial arts

Japanese martial arts refers to the enormous variety of martial arts native to Japan. At least three Japanese terms are often used interchangeably with the English phrase "Japanese martial arts": , literally meaning "martial way", , which has no perfect translation but means something like science,...

, for instance, in the use of kiai

Kiai

is a Japanese term used in martial arts. There are numerous examples of the battle cry in other cultures: kiai is perhaps primarily a development of this. In the representation of Asian martial arts in cinema and in animated cartoons, Modern Kiai are often written by westerners in Romaji as...

. Morihei Ueshiba

Morihei Ueshiba

was a famous martial artist and founder of the Japanese martial art of aikido. He is often referred to as "the founder" or , "Great Teacher".-Early years:Morihei Ueshiba was born in Tanabe, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan on December 14, 1883....

, the founder of aikido

Aikido

is a Japanese martial art developed by Morihei Ueshiba as a synthesis of his martial studies, philosophy, and religious beliefs. Aikido is often translated as "the Way of unifying life energy" or as "the Way of harmonious spirit." Ueshiba's goal was to create an art that practitioners could use to...

, used kototama as a spiritual basis for his teachings. William Gleason

William Gleason (aikidoka)

William Gleason is the American author of two books about Aikido, spirituality and kototama. He holds the rank of 6th dan in Aikido and is the founder and head instructor of Shobu Aikido in Somerville, MA, USA...

 says Ueshiba "created aikido based on the kototama principle," and quotes him that "Aikido is the superlative way to practice the kototama. It is the means by which one realizes his true nature as a god and finds ultimate freedom." Mutsuro Nakazono

Mutsuro Nakazono

Mutsuro Nakazono was a Japanese acupuncturist, an Oriental medicine practitioner and a 7th dan Aikikai aikido master with a strong judo background....

, a disciple of Ueshiba, wrote books on the importance of kototama in aikido.

While other cultures have animistic parallels to kotodama, such as mantra

Mantra

A mantra is a sound, syllable, word, or group of words that is considered capable of "creating transformation"...

, mana

Mana

Mana is an indigenous Pacific islander concept of an impersonal force or quality that resides in people, animals, and inanimate objects. The word is a cognate in many Oceanic languages, including Melanesian, Polynesian, and Micronesian....

, and logos

Logos

' is an important term in philosophy, psychology, rhetoric and religion. Originally a word meaning "a ground", "a plea", "an opinion", "an expectation", "word," "speech," "account," "reason," it became a technical term in philosophy, beginning with Heraclitus ' is an important term in...

, some Japanese people believe the "word spirit" is unique to the Japanese language. One of the classical names of Japan

Names of Japan

There are many names of Japan in the English, Japanese, and other languages. The word "Japan" is an exonym, and is used by a large number of languages. The Japanese names for Japan are Nippon and Nihon . They are both written in Japanese using the kanji 日本...

 is , a phrase that originated in the Man'yōshū.

Kotodama in popular culture

• In the manga
  Manga
  Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
  
   and anime
  Anime
  is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
  
   Ayakashi Ayashi
  Ayakashi Ayashi
  is a Japanese anime series, created and written by Shō Aikawa and produced by Bones. Directed by Hiroshi Nishikiori, it featured character designs by Toshihiro Kawamoto and premiered across Japan on October 7, 2006 on TBS's 6:00 pm doroku timeslot, which has previously occupied other noted anime...
  
  , Ryūdō Yukiatsu is a 'Kotodama User' being able to draw the hidden power out of the name of an object or person's name, usually by manifesting a hidden part of the ancient kanji as a weapon.
• In the manga and anime Yozakura Quartet
  Yozakura Quartet
  is a Japanese manga created by Suzuhito Yasuda that began publishing by Kodansha in 2006, and was then published in the US by Del Rey in 2008. The series was animated in Japan and began airing on October 2, 2008; it comprises 12 episodes, all of which have aired. The anime was produced by Nomad and...
  
  , Kotoha Isone is referred to as a Kotodama User, but has the ability to conjure objects by simply speaking their name; some objects require a more complicated description to manifest than others.
• In the manga and anime Tsukuyomi: Moon Phase, Kouhei Morioka is born with the power to see spirits. However, he loses this ability after being told many times that he cannot see spirits. His loss of this supernatural ability is ascribed to kotodama. Being told he cannot see spirits has in fact caused him to not be able to see spirits.
• In the manga and anime Wagaya no Oinari-sama, Ebisu uses the power of kotodama against the main character Kūgen Tenko. Kūgen also gathers spirits' names before she turns them loose so Kūgen can likewise use kotodama against them should they try anything else in the future.
• The band Kagrra, had a single entitled Kotodama. It was released first in 2000, then later reissued in 2005.
• In the manga Naruto
  Naruto
  is an ongoing Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto. The plot tells the story of Naruto Uzumaki, an adolescent ninja who constantly searches for recognition and aspires to become the Hokage, the ninja in his village who is acknowledged as the leader and the strongest of...
  
  , the brothers Kinkaku and Ginkaku possess five treasured items belonging to the Sage of the Six Paths. When three of these items are used together in battle, they can draw out, sever, and seal away another individual's kotodama.
• Kotodama is the name of a monster in the Yu-Gi-Oh!
  Yu-Gi-Oh!
  is a Japanese manga created by Kazuki Takahashi. It has produced a franchise that includes multiple anime shows, a trading card game and numerous video games...
  
  Trading Card Game.

External links

• Kotodama, Encyclopedia of Shinto
• KOTODAMA, Encyclopedia of Aikido
• Kotodama: The Power of Words, A Videogame that teaches Japanese, Carnegie Mellon