Can you teach me kototama chanting?

 

Can you teach me kototama chanting?


Question:

Could you teach me Kototama chanting?

My answer:

Thank you for your question. Kototama or Kotodama as it is often called is literally means word spirits. It is the belief of some that sounds affect our world through the energy that embraces everything. This has nothing to do with Buddhism but it is closely related to ancient Shintoism, the other Japanese religion.

Kotodamas are used in Shinto but it is not widely practiced in Japan. The two people who really studied and made it a central part of their practice were Onisaburo Deguchi, head of the Omoto-kyo religion in the 30s and Morihei Ueshiba, founder of Aikido. Ueshiba was a close friend and disciple of Deguchi.

Many books have been written about the importance of kotodamas in Aikido and many people forget that Aikido is first and foremost a spiritual practice. Ueshiba used his jo (wooden stick of about 3 feet of lenght) as a spiritual tool as much as a martial tool. He used it to channel ki -enregy- from the universe.

This having been said, despite that I am very interested in the kotodamas and that I have been taught parts of it, I am not, at this moment, the one to ask for teachings. I might compile something in the future with my mentor but as of now, the best tool out there is William Gleason’s The Spiritual Foundations of Aikido.

Just click on the link below to see the book.