The kuji-in () or jiǔzìyìn (), also known as nine hand seals, is a system of mudras and associated mantras that consist of nine syllables. The mantras are referred to as kuji (), which literally translates as nine characters. The syllables used in kuji are numerous, especially within Mikkyō (Japanese Esoteric Buddhism).
Scholars have stated that kuji is of Daoist rather than Buddhist origin. There is no mention of kuji in any of the Shingon or Tendai records brought to Japan.
The use of kuji is essentially a layman's practice and is uncommon in many orthodox Buddhist traditions. It is, however, found extensively in Shugendō, the ascetic mountain tradition of Japan, and in Ryōbu Shintō, which combined Shingon esoteric practices with shinbutsu-shūgō, the syncretism of Buddhist divinities with kami.
The nine Buddhist cuts in order are: rin, pyo, to, sha, kai, jin, retsu, zai, and zen.
History The kuji are first introduced in the Bàopǔzǐ (), a Daoist text written by Gě Hóng (c. 280–340). He introduces the kuji in chapter 17, entitled Dēngshè (登涉, 'Climbing [Mountains] and Crossing [Rivers]'), as a prayer to the Liùjiǎ (六甲, 'Six Generals'), ancient gods. In Daoist magic, the Jiǎ are powerful celestial guardians and are among the gods of the Celestial Thunder Court of Emperor Xuanwu.
The kuji are first seen in line 5, which reads,
Translation:
The kuji form a grammatically correct sentence in Classical Chinese. They come from this section of the chapter. They are written as which can be roughly translated, "(Celestial) soldiers/fighters descend and arrange yourselves in front of me", or "May all those who preside over warriors be my vanguard!"
Other translations are possible, as variations exist within Mikkyō (Japanese Esoteric Buddhism). According to the Baopuzi, the kuji is a prayer to avert difficulties and baleful influences and to ensure that things proceed smoothly. To this end, it can be said that the primary purpose of kuji is abhiṣeka () and exorcism ().
The kuji are next cited in a text called The commentary on the discourse about the Sutra on Immeasurable Life, and on the verses about the vow to be reborn [in the Pure Land] ( Wúliàng shòu jīng yōu pó tí shě yuàn shēng jì zhù), also known as the Commentary on the Treatise on Rebirth in the Pure Land (, Wǎngshēng lùn zhù) written by the Pure Land Buddhist Taluan (467?–542? CE).
How the kuji arrived in Japan is still a matter of debate. Some contemporary scholars assert that the kuji arrived in Japan via China, via Jōdo-shū and Shugendō, around the 8th century, if not later. As to what the kuji consisted of at the time it arrived in Japan is unknown. Mudras are found in Daoism as well as in Shugendō. Some have suggested that Shugendō created the mudras currently associated with the kuji, as most of the information known about the kuji comes from Shugendō literature.
Kuji's origins The earliest known Japanese application of the kuji comes from the Shingon monk Kakuban (1095–1143), who was an academic of Taluan's writings and teachings. Kakuban introduced several kuji formulas dedicated to Amitābha, in his text The Illuminating Secret Commentary on the Five Chakras and the Nine Syllables (五輪九字明秘密義釈, Gorin kuji myō himitsu gishaku or 五輪九字 Gorin kuji hishaku).
The kuji formulas Kakuban introduces are commonly grouped under the title zokushu, and are entirely unrelated to original Daoist kuji. The monk Shinran (1173–1263 CE), founder of Jōdo Shinshū sect, introduced several new kuji formulas, also dedicated to Amitābha. Nichiren, founder of Nichiren Buddhism, introduced a kuji prayer derived from chapter 26 of the Lotus Sutra, where it is uttered by the god Vaiśravaṇa.
Neither Kūkai, the founder of Shingon, nor Saichō, the founder of Tendai, mentioned kuji in any of their writings. It may be assumed that they were unfamiliar with the kuji or that they considered them only part of a minor teaching. Regardless, the nine syllables of the kuji have been associated with several religious and philosophical aspects of Japanese esoteric Buddhism. They are associated with the five chakras (五輪, gorin), the five elements (五大, godai), specific directions of the compass, colors, and deities.
Variations on the ryōbu kuji There are numerous variations of the nine original kuji in Japanese Buddhism. Most of these variations occurred well after the introduction of the kuji into Japan. Some, however, are other formulas taken from Daoist and Buddhist texts. The kuji that is most often seen in the context of budo, or martial arts, and also in general, consists of the nine original syllables ([Celestial] soldiers/fighters descend and arrange yourselves in front of me).
The fact that the nine original kuji are not seen in Japanese documents and writings until at least the last years of the Muromachi period (1500s), and not extensively until around the Edo (1603–1868) and Meiji (1868–1912), indicates that they were either not extensively practiced, or taught as . However, the fact that so many ko-ryū list kuji in their makimono indicates it must have been considered an essential teaching (goku-i). The fact that kuji are listed in numerous kobudō makimono from the 1500s onward is proof that the kuji were practiced by samurai.
Significance of the number nine The number nine is seen in Daoist divination as the perfect number for yang, the “bright side” when determining the individual hexagram lines according to the Yijing. Some have suggested that the number nine refers to the nine planets, which Daoists believe directly influence human destiny, or to the seven stars of the Big Dipper (Northern Seven Stars) plus the two attendant/guardian stars, which Daoists believe is the gateway to heaven, and each star is a deity. The Imperial Palace had nine halls; the celestial sphere has nine divisions; in both Buddhism and Taoism, heaven is 'nine enclosures' (jiuchong). The nine sub-mandalas of the Mandala of the Two Realms correspond to the imperial city of Chang'an. (Waterhouse, 1996)
Kuji no in (hand seals of the nine syllables) The kuji-in (), “nine hand seals,” refers to the mudra (hand seals/gestures) associated with the nine syllables themselves, whereas kuji-ho refers to the entire ritual of kuji and encompasses the mudra, mantra and meditation. Kuji-kan (nine syllable visualization) is a specialized form of Buddhist meditation. Technically the word “kuji no in” refers only to the hand postures (mudra), whereas “kuji no shingon” refers to the related incantations (mantra). There are hundreds of mudras in Shingon alone. Shugendō itself has hundreds of mudras, as does Taoism. Many of these mudras are shared; however, many are not. To further complicate this fact, there are also untold numbers of variations on a given mudra, and many mudras are associated with more than one deity or idea. Furthermore, a mudra may have more than one name, or one association depending on its purpose. Practitioners would be wise to keep this in mind when practicing kuji ho.
Yin and yang and kuji The dualistic influence of inyogoku (yin and yang dualism) is apparent only in respects to the mudra of certain kuji rituals. As stated earlier the kuji in and of itself is a simple prayer. The obvious influences of onmyōdō (the way of yin and yang) is clearly seen in the mudra themselves which were added later. Especially in regard to the first and last mudras, the mudras associated with the syllables "to" and "sha", "kai" and "jin". These mudras are obvious yin and yang counterparts. This is significant in that the concept of yin and yang is seen as encompassing all the cosmic phenomena, all eternity between the two polar opposites. The mudra gejishi-in (gesture of the outer lion) and its immediate counterpart naijishi-in (gesture of the inner lion) clearly represent this yin and yang relation. In fact, not only do these two related mudras represent the alpha and omega by themselves, but the two lions associated with them take this association a step further. The two lions are commonly seen outside the doors of Buddhist temples, where they stand as guardians against evil and baleful influences. The first lion utters the sound “A” which symbolizes the alpha, that all reality and phenomena are, in the tradition of mikkyō, said to neither absolutely exist, nor non-exist – they arise in dependence on conditions, and cease when those conditions cease. Whereas the second lion utters the sound “un” (hūm) which symbolizes the omega, the destruction of all evils; it summarizes the two basic false views of nihilism and externalism and shows them to be false. The truth of things is that they are neither real nor unreal. This description also applies to the next two mudra, gebbaku-in (gesture of the outer bond) and its immediate counterpart neibbaku-in (gesture of the inner bound). The first (dokko-in, kongōshin-in) and last mudra (hobyo-in, ongyō-in), occupy the two most important positions, the beginning and the end, again with relation to the Taoist and mikkyō points of view of the alpha and omega.
In relation to yin and yang theory, the yang aspect is the light, masculine, positive, offensive, absolute, horizontal, left, forward, upward. While the yin aspect is the dark, feminine, negative, defensive, relative, vertical, right, backward, down. (Waterhouse, 1996)
Ryobu kuji and the martial arts Ku-ji ho as generally practiced in budo comes from text Sugen jinpi gyoho fuju shu or Fuju shu for short, a Shugendō document of the Tozan-ha lineage, edited between 1871 and 1934 by Nakuno Tatsue. The original compiler is unknown, but it appears to incorporate numerous Shugendō rituals from various Shingon sects such as Tachikawa-ryu. The text compilation of texts appears to span a time period from the 1200s on up to 1500s and 1600s. The Fuju shu lists 400 rituals, 26 of them kuji-ho. (Waterhouse, 1996).
The two particular techniques of ku-ji that are most directly related to budo, and most widely known are kuji hon-i (Fuju Shu #199) and kuji no daiji (Fuju Shu #200). These two kuji rituals are centered in the esoteric deities of Shingon mikkyo, the Shidaitenno (Four Heavenly Kings) and Godai myo-o (Five Wisdom Kings). Other groupings of deities exist as well depending on the sect and purpose of the kuji.
Kuji-kiri (cutting the nine syllables) The related practice of making nine cuts – five horizontal and four vertical, alternating – in the air or palm of a hand with the finger or on paper with a brush is known as kuji-kiri (九字切り), nine syllable cuts. Kuji-kiri is explained in Shugendo texts, quite correctly, as a preparatory ritual of protection, to cut off demonic influences and their inki (vital substance) (Waterhouse, 1996). In Japanese folk magic and onmyōdō, 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". Author and historian John Stevens notes that methods of oral sex using kuji-kiri were employed by practitioners of Tachikawa-ryu. The Fuju shu does not spell out every ritual in detail. However, in several of the kuji-kiri rituals it is spelled out that the strokes are made alternately horizontal and then vertical: five horizontal and four vertical for men; and four horizontal and five vertical for women. A modern Japanese text labeled Dai Marishi-Ten hiju/大摩利子天秘授 (Nine syllables of the Tactics of the Great Goddess of Light (Marishi-Ten)) says that five horizontal slashes are made while reciting the yo-syllables: rin, toh, kai, retsu, zen, which spells (come, fight, ready, line up, in front) first. These are to be followed by four vertical slashes while reciting the in-syllables: pyo, sha, jin, zai which spells (warriors, one formation, take position). The document gives no other information as to why this arrangement is used.
Kuji-ho in practice