Kotodama
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Kotodama or kototama (
Basis[edit]
This Japanese compound kotodama combines koto
Etymology[edit]
The etymology of kotodama is uncertain, but one explanation correlating words and events links two Japanese words pronounced koto: this
Mythology[edit]
Kotodama is a central concept in Japanese mythology, Shinto, and Kokugaku. For example, the Kojiki describes an ukei (or seiyaku)
Martial arts[edit]
Kototama or kotodama is also fundamental to Japanese martial arts, for instance, in the use of kiai.[citation needed] Morihei Ueshiba, the founder of aikido and a student of Deguchi, used kototama as a spiritual basis for his teachings. William Gleason 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."[1] Mutsuro Nakazono, a disciple of Ueshiba, wrote books on the importance of kototama in aikido, such as The Kototama Principle in 1983.[2]
Equivalences[edit]
While other cultures have parallels to kotodama, such as mantra, yanling, mana, and logos, some Japanese people believe the "word spirit" is unique to the Japanese language. One of the classical names of Japan is kototama no sakiwau kuni (
See also[edit]
- Dōongo / Dōon Igigo (
同音 語 /同音 異義 語 , lit. "Like-Sound Utterance" / "Like-Sound Different-Meaning Utterance")—Homophones, while not a-part of Shinto-in-&-of-themselves, occur in many things that are considered lucky are considered-so because they are homophones of things that are lucky (i.e. Jū Nana meaning, both 'great wealth'/'prosperity' and the number #17), and, likewise, many things that are considered unlucky are considered-so because they are homophones of things that are unlucky (i.e. Shizan meaning, both, 'stillborn' and the number #43). See also Kotodama (below), Imikotoba (below), Tetraphobia, Japanese superstitions and Onomatopoeia. - Ancient Egyptian conception of the soul § Ren (name, identity)
- Cledonism
- Linguistic relativity
- Law of contagion
- Magic word
- Mantra
- Norito
- Om
- Shabda
- Sympathetic magic
- True name
References[edit]
- ^ Gleason, William (1994). The Spiritual Foundations of Aikido. Rochester, Vermont: Destiny Books. p. 55. ISBN 9780892815081. Retrieved 6 November 2017.
- ^ Gleason, William (1995). The Spiritual Foundations of Aikido. Simon and Schuster. p. 194. ISBN 9781620551226. Retrieved 6 November 2017.
- ^ Kenkyūsha's New Japanese-English Dictionary (5th ed.). 2003.
the ⌈soul [spirit] of language; the miraculous power of ⌈language [a phrase, a spell].
External links[edit]
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/99/Wiktionary-logo-en-v2.svg/40px-Wiktionary-logo-en-v2.svg.png)
- Kotodama, Encyclopedia of Shinto
- KOTODAMA, Encyclopedia of Aikido
- Kotodama: The Power of Words, A Videogame that teaches Japanese, Carnegie Mellon