The Dark Side of Japan: Ancient Black Magic, Folklore, Ritual
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SELF-PROTECTION IN JAPANESE MAGIC
We often forget that the world of Japan was a dangerous place; even in the centuries of peace you still had to be careful of both humans and spirits. Therefore, one core element of the esoteric side of Japanese life was the idea of self-protection. This section does not really deal with human aggressors but more with the demonic.
The Gunpo Jiyoshu military manual (c. 1619) gives the following selection of spells to help protect a samurai in war or at home. For more sections of this manual see the book Secret Traditions of the Shinobi.
To Avoid a Fatality
To dispel fatality, you should chant ‘On Ashirikakei Houkai’ seven times. Do this while facing the image of the god Nitten, and with your hands make the mudra Naibaku In:
After that, make the mudra Gejishi In and chant the following three times:
Tensho Zeshin Koumyaku Shukunin Bosatsu Kekairai Ejo
Then make the mudra Tensho In and chant the above mantra three times again. Blow into your hands, put your palms together, and put them on your breast to keep the idea in your heart.
The Great Secret of Marishiten, the Goddess of War
Before you go to battle, chant the following three times:
Me-i-go-san-kai-jo-u, Go-go-jippo-ku-u, Hon-rai-mu-to-za-I, Ka-sho-u-nan-boku
Then chant this poem three times:
In a storm, the wind from the mountain shall blow away and clear all the enemies I am defying.
Lastly, chant three times:
On Marishiei-sowaka.
The above is a prayer for success in war; it is used from the general down to the lower-ranking samurai (hamusha).
The Gunpo Jiyoshu continues again with a spell for waking you up in an emergency; similar spells appear in other schools and are normally used to wake you if there is an intruder in your home or fortification.
The Secrets of Pillows
Version One
大
When you go to sleep, trace the ideogram 大 (large) three times on your left palm and then lick it. Details to be orally transmitted.
Version Two
Trace the Sanskrit letters above on to your pillow with the letter toward you and sleep on it. Then chant the following poem three times:
うちとけて もしもまどろむ ことあらば 引きおどろかせ 我がまくら神
(If I am unguarded and fall into a doze, may my Pillow Gods startle me so that I awaken)
A Secret Method to Bind Somebody to Secrecy
To bind somebody to secrecy, make the mudra of Gejishi (shown below) and with it on your lips chant the following poem three times:
秋津嶋 みもすそ 川のながれにて わがためあしき 人は口なし
(Akitsushima in the flow of the River Mimosuso, may people hostile to me have no mouth)
The above is to win when you argue in court; a lord should chant this without fail after he has had a secret conference.
The Zoho Majinai Chohoki Daisen manual has a method to keep a person silent:
Protection from Injury
This is a secret method to pray so that a samurai can obtain victory without being injured on a battlefield. First make a mudra of Gejishi (see image left) and chant the following:
Shi-shi Fu-shu-se-tsu Ga Ho-u-myo-u Nanshi Shozo-cho-man-sha-mon-hitu fu-kyoshin
If you do this you will not be injured or hit by an arrow. Whether it is the lord himself or a soldier of low rank, if you think you are going to fight the enemy, chant this spell. This is a deep secret. This secret method was given to Zhang Liang by Huang Shigong.
The Secret Method of Yoshitsune
When you pass a very dangerous place, write these five characters on paper and put it into your topknot.
Then chant the following seven times:
On Kiru-kiru Mata-uji-yakuyasei-sowaka
Next, perform kuji seven times (Rin, Pyo To, Sha, Kai, Jin, Retsu, Zai, Zen). By doing this, you can protect yourself against arrows and swords even if passing before the enemy. Even at normal times, do this when you need to travel through a mountain pass at night or travel a long distance. It is said that this is the way Yoshitsune and was taught by Taro-bo, who was a Tengu goblin of the mountain Atago.
A Secret Method to Stop a Ninja or Thief
To stop an assailant, make a brush of Muku wood (Aphananthe aspera) on the day of Kanoe when it also corresponds with the Day of the Monkey, and write the following spell on all four sides inside the gate (lintel, two sides and threshold):
Also when you search for shinobi (ninja) or a suspicious person, first write the spell as above and put it on each exit, so that the person will not be able to exit. It is said this talisman was passed down by Nichiren Shonin to the Hakone Gongen shrine.
The Art of Preventing Robbers or Scoundrels
On the seventh day of the seventh lunar month in the hours of Snake (9–11 a.m.) or Horse (11 a.m.–1 p.m.), pick up a leaf of the Nurude tree (Rhas javanica var. Roxburghii) and write the kuji (grid) upon it. On the thirteenth day of the lunar month, grind it into powder and mix glue with it and make pills. Scatter them in the direction from which you think the enemy will approach; this will prevent robbers from coming and will protect you from an epidemic too. The number of leaves with kuji grids written on them (to be ground into powder) should be 360 while you chant the kuji power words a myriad of times.
Becoming Invisible to the Enemy
Take the placenta of a woman’s first baby without letting her know and then dry it in the shade for 100 days while you chant the nine kuji over it 1,000 times every day.
Also, take the fangs from a live mamushi pit viper, and put them into your topknot in case of an emergency. If a scout or captain of a shinobi night attack carries this, the squad will not be seen by the eyes of the enemy. However, if they have doubts or use this skill for their own evil desires, they will meet their nemesis and will be discovered by the enemy.
Bringing a Robber Back to Justice
A person who has woken to find their house robbed could do the following to bring the thief back:
1. Find the footprints of the burglar
2. Burn a good quantity of Moxa in each print within the garden
As the Moxa burns, the robber will feel as if their feet are on fire and will gain no rest until they return with the goods or for justice.
The Zoho Majinai Chohoki Daisen manual also has spells that help catch thieves; this manuscript is kept in the John Rylands Library, Special Collections Section, a division of Manchester University Library.
Zoho Majinai Chohoki Daisen Spell 1
Write the spell below and stand in the footprints of a thief to discover who the thief is or where your stolen property is.
Zoho Majinai Chohoki Daisen Spell 2
An alternative to the previous spell.
Zoho Majinai Chohoki Daisen Spell 3
After writing this in the air and toward the front and back of the house, you may go to sleep. This way the thief will leave without stealing anything – or if he comes into the house during your absence, he will be unable to move from there.
8
ANCIENT JAPANESE CHARMS AND TALISMANS
This chapter will describe various kinds of magic charms and talismans from a variety of periods and geographical locations across Japan. Here you will encounter spells and rituals that concentrate on the darker side of magic – lighter ones do exist in the lore, but we are concerned with the more hellish among them.
Protecting a Child Who Has Passed Away
Jizo is the saint of children, and in Japan a woman can buy a stamp of the saint and stamp the image of the saint 100 times on small sections of white paper. On the fortieth day after the burial of the child, the woman kneels down by a running stream or river and drops each paper individually in to the water and chants the prayer, ‘Namu JizoDai Bosatsu.’
Getting Rid of an Angry Ghost
One shamanic case in Japan tells of how a
woman is haunted by her dead husband’s spirit and how he is angry at her and wishes her to honour him after death by not marrying again. To counter the angry ghost, the shaman follows this magic ritual:
1. Repeat the heart sutra 100 times: Gyate gyate haragyate haragyate bochi sowaka.
2. Promise the dead spirit his wishes will be fulfilled.
3. Shout out the nine kuji words of power.
With this the angry ghost disappeared, and the illness the woman had been suffering vanished with it.
All of the following talismans should be kept in a small cloth bag unless the instructions say otherwise.
To Dispel Nightmares
When you have had a nightmare, trace this charm on your palm.
To Travel Safely at Night
If you carry this charm in your kimono, you will not come in harm’s way.
A Talisman for Travelling in the Dark of Night
Carry this with you when travelling on a dark night and it will bring you luck.
To Destroy a Hated Enemy
Write down your enemy’s name on some deutzia wood (Deutzia crenata) and bury this talisman with their name on it. In this way you can take vengeance upon them.
To Expel Evil or the Spirits of the Dead
If someone who is plagued by the spirits of the dead uses this, it will expel the spirits.
Protection from Curses
If you carry this talisman, you will not be cursed.
To Take Revenge on Those Who Have Cursed You
Use this talisman to reverse the effects of a curse put upon you.
To Protect Against Robbery
Use this talisman in your home to protect your property from thieves.
To Make a Man Impotent
Version 1
Wipe the sperm of the man in question on a piece of paper and hide it under a Tatami mat where people will often cross over and step on it.
Version 2
Carve a wooden model of a penis and dry roast it in a pot over a flame while moving the model around. This method was used by prostitutes up until the early 1900s.
A Spoken Charm to Deter the Attention of an Unwanted Man
我念ふ君の心ははなれつる我も思はじ君も思はじ
(Your affection for me will move away so that I will not love you and you will not love me either)
The Power of Demon Charms
There is a form of talisman that relies on the power of the Japanese oni or demon. Each of the following talismans has a standard ideogram at the top which represents the word for demon as seen above. It is then given direction by adding a specific command.
鬼
The above is the ideogram for ‘demon’ and is used in all the following charms (the charm is at the top and its use is at the bottom of each image).
To Attract a Woman
To Fulfil a Wish
To Return a Curse
To Recover from Disease
For a Long Life
For a Woman’s Love
For Safe Travel upon Water
A Talisman for Luck
9
SAMURAI AND THEIR WEAPONS OF DEATH
The samurai had a certain amount of superstition and religion surrounding their weaponry, and they also called on the divine to aid them in their battles. This section will allow you a brief glimpse into the world of the warrior and how there is a darker tradition behind their weapons and armour.
Arrows and Quivers
The samurai quiver was modelled in abstract on the head of an unknown demon called Isoso. Legend says that the god Taishakuten killed this demon with twenty-five arrows, which led to the tradition of the samurai carrying twenty-five arrows at a time. Further to this, they would single out one arrow which would be used to fire in an unlucky direction to ‘kill’ negativity. Also, some traditions say that the samurai must keep at least one arrow on him for when he is dead.
If you want to kill a snake or demon, drip human saliva on the arrowhead as this is deadly to demons, snakes, dragons and giant centipedes. (Keep in mind that in some places in Japan it is bad to kill a snake; if you do, its severed head will appear by magic in your rice box.)
The Bow
Archery was used during official inspections of decapitated heads. A lord would have archers standing by him, ready to aim and shoot at the ghost that belonged to the decapitated head, defending the lord against the vengeance of the dead samurai.
When making a bowstring for a samurai bow, it is said women were not allowed near the string or to touch it, as they were formed from yin energy and would have negative effects on the weapon. In addition to this, it was a definite taboo for a woman who was menstruating to touch anything that was involved in the making of a bow.
The Gunpo Jiyoshu manual instructs the following for when a samurai lord rides to war:
Hold the bow with left hand and twang the string with the right hand, concentrating your mind on the gods and driving away evil spirits or ghosts. This is called meigen or ‘sounding the string’. After doing this, pray for the children, the domain and then the clan, then unstring the bow while uttering the name of the god ‘Hachiman Daibosatsu’ – but say this only once.
Raiko is a legendary figure in Japanese folklore, and a mean archer. It is said that he went on a quest to kill all the demons and goblins in Japan. One night, a woman came to him in his dreams and gave him a magnificent bow and taught him the deepest secrets of archery to help him on his quest. He came to a place littered with human remains where devils drank human blood – their ‘merriment’ was cut short as the famed archer killed them all.
Also, one archer is said to have twanged his bow three times to expel a demon that was causing his father to be ill.
The Sword
Katana-kagi is a form of prayer with a sword, used to cut down evil demons and expel them from a person who is ill. You should take up a sword and beckon and cut the demon with the blade, doing so above the head of the ill patient. This cutting action was believed to destroy the demon’s hold on the ill person, and they were said to recover after this.
Bloodthirsty Swords
Legend tells that the swords made by the swordsmith Muramasa Sengo or his school were demonic blades that possessed the madness of their creator and thirsted for human blood. However, interestingly, it is possible that this tale was initiated by the famous shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu. It is said his father and grandfather were killed by swords from Sengo’s foundry, and others from the same workshop were also used by samurai who rebelled against both of the above deceased men. Therefore, Tokugawa Ieyasu forbade his retainers from wearing swords of that line and it is possible that the legend of their demonic power was established to make good the name of his ancestors and to show that they were not incompetent rulers.
Three Heads in a Cauldron
Once there was a warlord who had two ingots of iron. He sent them to a smith to have a sword forged from them. However, the smith made two swords at the same time, a bonded pair. One was female and one was male. One he gave to the king as requested, and the other he gave it to his wife to bury; he instructed her that if anything should happen to him, when their son came of age she should give him the sword. Time passed, and the king noticed that his sword was constantly wet, covered by dew. His ministers said that this was because the sword had a matching partner – because they were separated, the sword was crying in lamentation. The king immediately knew what had happened and sent for the smith. The smith was then tortured and killed, but he did not give away the position of the other sword. The wife and son fled, taking the sword with them. Later, one of the king’s ministers, Hakuchu, became disgruntled and hated the king, so he sought out the smith’s son to help him attain vengeance. He found the son and the wife and explained all. The son, seeing it as a sign from the gods, bit off the end of the sword; keeping it in his mouth, he had Hakuchu cut off his head. Hakuchu took the head to the king, but the king looked at the face and thought it evil, so had the head boiled for twenty
-one days. However, after that period the head had not changed at all. Hakuchu told the king that the head wished to speak to him and so the king looked into the cauldron, bending over and getting up close. The head of the smith’s son spat out the sword point, decapitating the king, whose head now fell into the water of the cauldron. The two heads began to fight and bite each other. Hakuchu, watching all this, thought that the king’s head was getting the upper hand and so put his head over the cauldron and cut his own head off, attacking the king’s head alongside that of the smith’s son. Thus there were three heads in a cauldron, and all over a missing sword.
This theme can also be found in a story in which a samurai called Yoshihiro goes to kill a political prisoner, Morinaga. In a weakened state, Morinaga bit off the end of Yoshihiro’s sword so that he might have posthumous vengeance like the smith’s son, but when Yoshihiro took his head and killed him he noticed the sword point and threw the head away, taking heed of the story of the Three Heads in a Cauldron.