Kuji-in

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Kuji-in (九字印), "Nine Syllable Seals," is a specialized form of Buddhist meditation. It is derived from the Diamond Universe Nine Assemblies mandala of Shingon Buddhism. It is also used by other Buddhist sects. The Buddhist took it from the Taoists and practitioners of Shinto and Chinese traditional religion; who also practice in folk-magic throughout East Asia.

Technically the word "Kuji-in" refers only to the hand postures (mudra) and their related incantations (mantra). The related practice of making nine cuts--five horizontal and four vertical, alternating--in the air with the finger or on paper with a brush is known as "kuji kiri," nine syllable cuts. In Japanese folk-magic and Onmyodo, the nine cuts are often made over writing or a picture, to gain control of the object named or pictured. Thus, a sailor wishing to be protected from drowning might write them over the kanji for "sea" or "water".

The Kuji-in practice symbolizes that all the forces of the universe are united against evil; because of this, it was often used by the common people for luck when traveling, especially in the mountains.

Contents

[edit] The Mantra and Mudra

In Japanese, the nine syllables are: Rin (臨), Pyō (兵), Tō (闘), Sha (者), Kai (皆), Jin (陣), Retsu (列), Zai (在), Zen (前). If the nine cuts are then made, as is sometimes done, the syllable Kō (行) is sometimes spoken.

Note that the syllables are shortened forms, and there are also longer, Sanskrit mantra that go with the same mudra.

The hand postures are as follows:

Image:Kuji_Rin.gif Jumon is On baishiraman taya sowaka. Mudra is dokko.

臨 (Rin): Hands together, fingers interlocked. The middle fingers are raised and pressed together.

Image:Kuji_Hei.gif Jumon is On isha naya in tara ya sowaka. Mudra is daikongo.

兵 (Pyō): Hands together, fingers interlocked (often on the inside). Index finger and thumb raised and pressed together, middle fingers cross over index fingers and their tips curl back to touch the thumbs' tips, the middle-fingers' nails touching.

Image:Kuji_To.gif Jumon is On jite rashi itara jiba ratanō sowaka.

闘 (Tō): Hands together, index fingers interlocked, middle fingers crossed over them. Ring and pinky fingers are raised. Tips of ring fingers pressed together, tips of pinkies pressed together, but both sets of ring and pinky fingers are separated to form a V shape or bird beak.

Image:Kuji_Sha.gif Jumon is On haya baishiraman taya sowaka.

者 (Sha): Hands together, middle fingers interlocked, ring fingers crossed over them. Index finger, pinky and thumb raised, like American Sign Language "I love you".

Image:Kuji_Kai.gif Jumon is On nōmaku sanmanda basaradan kan.

皆 (Kai): Hands together, fingers interlocked.

Image:Kuji_Jin.gif Jumon is On aga naya in maya sowaka.

陣 (Jin): Hands together, fingers interlocked, with the fingertips inside.

Image:Kuji_Retsu.gif Jumon is On hirota ki shanoga jiba tai sowaka.

列 (Retsu): The vajra mudra. Left hand in an upward-pointing fist, index finger raised. Right hand grips index finger, and thumb is pressed onto left index's nail.

Image:Kuji_Jai.gif Jumon is On chirichi iba rotaya sowaka.

在 (Zai): Hands spread out in front, with thumb and index finger touching.

Image:Kuji_Zen.gif Jumon is On a ra ba sha nō sowaka.

前 (Zen): Hands form a circle, thumbs on top and fingers on the bottom, right hand overlapping left up to the knuckles.

[edit] The meanings in Shinto

Each word is translated to the following meaning for Shinto.

  • Rin: To face.
  • kyō /Hyō/Hei: The soldier.
  • Tōh: To fight.
  • Sha: The man (or the people); a foe
  • Kai: The all, or the whole effect, or whole effort.
  • Jin: In Formation, or position in camp or to prepare.
  • Retsu: To move in column or a row, in a line; or marching, or to focus.
  • Zai: To appear, or to exist to make yourself known, or create existence.
  • Zen: To be in front. or show up in front.

Kuji-in is used as part of a ritual in Shinto [1] is used to purify a person with a waterfall.

[edit] The meanings in Buddhism

  • Rin, to confront
  • Pyō /Hyō/Hei to soldier on
  • Tō, to Battle with
  • Sha, Against One/Person
  • Kai, With everyone/entire/group
  • Jin, The formation
  • Retsu, In a row
  • Zai, To Presence
  • Zen, To move Forward

There as many as 81 variations to the Kuji-in in certain sects of Buddhism in Japan, to say nothing of other mudra that are also used.

[edit] Ninjutsu meanings

While the kuji-in have no unique relation to ninjutsu, the ninja traditions are steeped in esoteric Buddhist beliefs, especially Mikkyo. The kuji-in are used in a number of their meditations, both those related simply to their religious practice and those dealing with their martial arts; in some ways, they are used similarly to the Taoist ideas in Chinese internal martial arts (some of the ideas of Chinese internal arts are, however, incorporated in many Japanese arts, including ninjutsu and jujutsu). Some web pages[who?] claim the following interpretations:

  • Rin - Strength
  • Pyō / Hyō - Channel
  • Tō - Harmony
  • Sha - Healing
  • Kai - Sense of Danger
  • Jin -Reading of thoughts.
  • Retsu - Control space and time.
  • Zai - sky or elements control.
  • Zen - enlightenment.

The kuji-in are a tool to be used in meditation, and are frequently over-simplified in popular culture as being a form of magic. This misrepresentation, along with the misuse of the mudra and mantra, has been further popularized by Dead or Alive, Tekken, and certain neo-ninja.

[edit] The use in Onmyodo

In the Japanese Taoist magical art called Onmyoudo, the kuji-in are known as the Doman, or Seal of Doson, after Ashiya Doson, the great rival of the legendary Onmyouji Abe no Seimei. Together with the Seman, or seal of Seimei (the pentagram, in Asia a diagram of the relations of the five elements), the Doman makes up the Doman-Seman, considered the fundamentals of Onmyodo.

The nine syllables are used to make a yang spell, especially to ward off demons, while the tenth is spoken, without the slashes or any other mudra, to turn it into a yin spell (even numbers are yin in Onmyou numerology, while odd are yang). Supposedly, Doson could use the 9 syllables to control his shikigami at a distance, even using them as assassins.

[edit] Kuji-in in popular culture

  • In the anime and manga Naruto, though the kuji-in themselves rarely appear, the hand-postures used to execute many techniques do come from the same Buddhist tradition. The names of the hand signs are those of different animals.
  • In the anime and manga Dragonball Z, Future Trunks used the Kuji-in before executing an energy blast technique in his battle against Freeza and King Cold.
  • In the anime Sailor Moon, Rei used the Kuji-in in front of a fire to see visions. She also used it to banish oni when used with an ofuda, or anti-evil scroll, with the chant "Rin, pyou, tou, sha, kai, jin, retsu, zai, zen. Akuryou taisen! (Evil spirits, disperse!)" [[2]]. This was first seen in episode 10. [[3]] In the English adaptation, the chant was changed to "I call upon the power of mars. Fireballs charge!" or variants of this phrase. Later it was changed to "Sun, Moon, Sky, Earth, Fire, Air, Water, Rock, Star!"
  • In the manhwa The Island by In-wan Youn and Kyung-il Yang, the serial killer/demon hunter who is hired by Miho uses incantations derived from Esoteric Buddhism. In the fight with the god Penjullae, he uses the Kuji-in to defeat the god.
  • Several characters in the manga and anime Inuyasha use incantations derived from Mikkyo Buddhism, and the kuji-in themselves actually make an appearance once or twice, for instance when Tsukiyomi sealed her youkai lover Hoshiyomi. She also used a pentagram talisman, indicating that the act was Onmyoudo, not a Buddhist exorcism.
  • Raven, the neo-ninja character introduced in Tekken 5, performs the Kuji-in in one of his win animations. He also tries to teach Yoshimitsu how to perform the kuji-in in a cut-scene that is shown when Yoshimitsu fights Raven and loses in his Story mode, but Yoshimitsu has trouble doing it.
  • In the CLAMP series Tokyo Babylon and X/1999, Sumeragi Subaru and Sakurazuka Seishirou, both onmyouji, use various parts of the Kuji-in at various times.
  • Ryu Hayabusa, the main character of the Ninja Gaiden series, uses them as part of a victory animation in Dead or Alive 3 and they make up the life gauge upgrade in Ninja Gaiden on the Xbox. Ryu also recites the Kuji-in as a timer mechanic before using Ninpo in Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword.
  • In Samurai Warriors, Hattori Hanzou uses this to open a sealed door in a cutscene (complete with the hand postures), while in Samurai Warriors 2 his rival Fuuma Kotaro speaks this incantation during the Siege of Odawara to seal a gate (as part of gameplay events/dialogue, so there's no hand signs).
  • In the PS2 game Tenchu:Wrath of Heaven, characters Ayame and Rikimaru preform the Kuji-in when they receive a new technique.
  • In the Anime Ghost Hunt several characters, including Mai Taniyama, a psychic, and Ayako, a miko, use the Kuji-in to banish or attack ghosts or evil spirits.
  • In the Hong Kong TV Series Date with a Vampire (我和僵尸有个约会) the lead actress, Mai Xiao Ling 马小玲, a ghost & vampire killer use the Kuji-in to summon a dragon to kill vampire.

[edit] References

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