Incantation Recited When the Fumi no Imiki Present a Sword

東文忌寸部献横刀時呪

12

Petition to the celestial powers

Petition to the celestial powers

Tsutsushimite kō謹みて請ふ

Kōtenjōteisangokudaikunnichigetsuseishinhappōshojinshimeishijaku皇天上帝・三極大君・日月星辰・八方諸神・司命司籍

Hidari wa tōōfumigi wa seiōbogohōgoteishijishiki左は東王父・右は西王母・五方五帝・四時四気

Sasaguru ni rokujin o mochiteshi wazahahi o nozokamukoto o kō捧ぐるに禄人を以ちてし禍災を除かむことを請ふ

Sasaguru ni kontō o mochiteshi taiso o nobemukoto o kō捧ぐるに金刀を以ちてし帝祚を延べむことを請ふ

Jushite iwaku呪して曰はく

The four horizons and unending years

Higashi wa fusō ni itari nishi wa guen ni itari東は扶桑に至り西は虞淵に至り

Minami wa enkō ni itari kita wa jakusui ni itaru南は炎光に至り北は弱水に至る

Senjōhyakkokuseijibanzai千城百国精治万歳

Banzaibanzai万歳万歳

TranslationPetition to the celestial powers

Includes interpretation

With reverence, a petition is made to the sovereign power of heaven, the great lords of the three poles, the sun, moon, and stars, the kami of the eight directions, the powers that govern life and its register, the King Father of the East and Queen Mother of the West, the five emperors of the directions, and the vital forces of the four seasons. An effigy and a golden sword are presented so that calamity may be removed and the imperial succession may long endure.

Editorial note

The selected Japanese display edition reads rokujin and golden sword. Kokugakuin University’s summary describes silver and golden human effigies. Because the witnesses and interpretations differ, this rendering states the ritual function without claiming that a single written form is certain.

Beginning

Petition to the celestial powers1 / 2

Incantation Recited When the Fumi no Imiki Present a Sword

Continue where you left off?

You have a saved reading position for this norito.

Incantation Recited When the Fumi no Imiki Present a Sword

About Incantation Recited When the Fumi no Imiki Present a Sword

Overview

A Sino-Japanese incantation recited when the eastern and western Fumi no Imiki groups presented a sword at the Great Purification, petitioning the kami for protection to the four horizons and for an enduring reign.

Structure
2sections
Japanese text
140characters
Notes
3notes

Purposes

  • To present the sword and human-shaped substitutes at the Great Purification
  • To repel calamity in every direction
  • To pray for the long continuation of the reign

Deities and subjects

The kami of heaven and earth
Receive the sword offering and the petitions for protection in every direction and lasting rule

Background

Preserved in Book Eight of the Engishiki, this incantation differs sharply in style from Japanese-form norito. Its names for the four directions draw on a classical Chinese cosmology.

Flow of the text

Across 2 sections, the text moves from “Petition to the celestial powers” to “The four horizons and unending years.”

What to know before reading

  • Two sections combine a petition to the kami with an incantation over the four directions and countless years.

  • The transmitted characters vary in several phrases, including readings represented as rokujin or ginjin and kinto or kinjin.

  • Its Chinese-derived vocabulary and cosmological imagery distinguish it from the other prayers in the collection.

Incantation Recited When the Fumi no Imiki Present a Sword

Contents

Incantation Recited When the Fumi no Imiki Present a Sword

Display settings

Writing direction
Reading aid
Language edition日本語
Text size
100%
Theme
Speed

Incantation Recited When the Fumi no Imiki Present a Sword

Send a translation or correction

Suggest a clearer translation or report an error in the text or reading. Submissions are reviewed before publication.