Kuji-kiri

Kuji-kiri

Kuji-kiri (九字切り lit. "nine symbolic cuts") is a practice of using hand gestures found today in Shugendo and Shingon Mikkyo. It is also present in some old and traditional schools ("ryuha") of Japanese martial arts including but not exclusive to schools that have ties with ninjutsu. Originally thought to have originated from Taoism and brought to Japan from China by Buddhist monks, it is often misconceived as a spell or curse (jumon) to cause ones adversary to meet a foul end.[citation needed]

Contents

The Nine Cuts

  • Rin - Power
  • Pyo - Energy
  • To - Harmony
  • Sha - Healing
  • Kai - Intuition
  • Jin - Awareness
  • Retsu - Dimension
  • Zai - Creation
  • Zen - Absolute

The meanings have also been interpreted differently.[citation needed]

  • RIN - STRENGTH of mind and body
  • PYO - DIRECTION OF ENERGY
  • TOH - HARMONY with the universe
  • SHA - HEALING of self and others
  • KAI - PREMONITION of danger
  • JIN - KNOWING THE THOUGHTS OF OTHERS
  • RETSU - MASTERY OF TIME AND SPACE
  • ZAI - CONTROL of the elements of nature
  • ZEN - ENLIGHTENMENT

Kuji Kiri and Kuji In

A subset of Kuji Kiri, Kuji-in (九字印 lit. "nine symbolic signs") is the name given to the hand postures that represent each of the nine cuts when performed in the long form as detailed in Shingon Mikkyo Kuji Goshin Ho.[citation needed]

Kuji Kiri and the Modern World

How this started and what the belief in this practice it is unknown. It is a protection spell, you put a kanji symbol of whatever you want protection from inside a 9 lined grid representing RIN, KYO, TOH, SHA, KAI, JIN, RETSU, ZAI, ZEN have to draw lines in that order for it to work.[citation needed]

Religious Symbolism and Meanings

The Kuji In were created from the gesture of both the hands, (the left hand Taizokai possess a receptive valence, and the right hand Kongokai possess an emitter valence). The Kuji Kiri performed with the right hand are to emphasize the cut of the ignorance of the Veil of Maya (that is the deceptive sensory world) through the Sword of the Wisdom. In this way, according to the belief system of Shingon Mikkyo, one would come to create an opening in the daily world that would allow one to reach various states of consciousness. Derived from the Taoist dualism, Jaho could be seen as Yin, and Kobudera as Yang. This has deeper significance in the various forms of Kuji Kiri that exist.[citation needed]

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