This is said to be the remainders of a nature-worshiping religion that once dominated. In Aogashima, Izu Islands, people place small shrines at the base of cryptomeria (Japanese cedar) trees and still worship and pray to them. Kodama became humanized as well-there are stories of kodama falling in love with humans and taking human shape in order to marry their beloved. Genji Monogatari also uses the phrase “either oni or kami or kitsune or kodama,” showing that these four spirits were thought to be separate entities.Īround the Edo period, kodama lost their rank as gods of the forest and were included as just one of Japan’s ubiquitous yokai. Another Heian era book, Genji Monogatari (源氏物語 The Tale of Genji), uses木魂 to describe kodama as sort of tree-dwelling goblin. Wamuryorui Jyusho was a dictionary showing the appropriate kanji for Japanese words, and listed古多万 as the Japanese word for spirits of the trees. The oldest, specific known use of the term kodama comes from the Heian period, in the book Wamuryorui Jyusho (和名類聚抄 Japanese Names for Things written 931 – 938 CE). The first known mention of tree spirits is in Japan’s oldest known book, the Kojiki (Record of Thing’s Past) that talks about the tree god Wakunochi-no-kami, second born of the godling brood of Izanagi and Izanami. Kodama that were mistreated or disrespected brought down powerful curses. Kodama that were properly worshipped and honored would protect houses and villages. Whatever form they took, kodama were said to be possessed of supernatural power, that could either be a blessing or a curse. (In modern times this mountain echo is associated with the yokai yamabiko and not with kodama). ![]() The sound of a tree crashing in the woods was also said to be the plaintive cry of a kodama. Echoes that reverberated through mountains and valleys were said to be kodama. A kodama’s curse was something to be feared.īut they were also a sound. Woe betide any unwary woodsman who took an axe to what looked like a regular tree, only to draw blood as he chopped into a kodama. ![]() Still others believed that kodama were rooted like the trees themselves, or in fact looked no different from other trees in the forest. Some believed that kodama were not linked to a single tree but could move nimbly through the forest, traveling freely from tree to tree. In ancient times, kodama were said to be kami, nature dieties that dwelled in trees. And if you read below you will find out why.Īlong with the kanji, what exactly a kodama is has changed over the centuries, from nature gods to goblin spirits. There is little difference between木魂, 木魅, or 木霊, all being variations of the term “tree spirit.”Īnother kanji used for kodama, 谺, also means echo. This is the most likely explanation for the use of 古多万.īut this combination is unsatisfying, and in later years 木魂 (木 ko tree – 魂 dama soul) was adopted as well as木魅(木 ko tree – 魅 dama soul), and now in modern times木霊 (木 ko tree) – 霊 dama spirit) tends to be used. Unrelated symbols were jammed together to approximate the pronunciation of existing Japanese words. Because ancient Japanese had no writing system, when the Chinese writing system was adopted kanji characters were often selected for sound rather than meaning. The word breaks down into 古 – (ko old) – 多- (da many) – 万 (ma 10,000). ![]() The oldest, 古多万, is ambiguous to say the least. It was spoken long before Japan had a written language, and over the centuries there have been three different kanji used to write kodama. ![]() Kodama is a very old belief, and a very old word. But the most common term, the one that is still used today, is kodama. Depending on where you lived, these spirits went by many names. For whatever reason-maybe because of an interestingly shaped trunk, or a sequence of knots resembling a human face, or just a certain sense of awe-some trees were identified as being the abodes of spirits. The Japanese have always known that some trees were special. If a tree falls in the forest, and someone hears it, is that the plaintive cry of a kodama? Because that is what ancient, tree-worshipping Japanese people thought. Sourced and translated from Kaii Yokai Densho Database, Japanese Wikipedia, Yokai Jiten, Nihon Kokugo Dai-ten, and Other Sources
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |