Spiritual Poetry, "Waka," tune with Celestial Rhythm
The first chapter of Hotsuma tsutae, a hidden Japanese record, describes how traditional Japanese poem “waka” is powerful. Because "waka," a 31‐syllable poem, resonates with the universe. In other words, it is the verse of heaven and earth "a wa." ("a" means Father's Heaven, "wa" means Mother's Earth.)
In general, "waka" consists of five phrases, and the number of phonemes in each phrase is 5, 7, 5, 7, and 7, which is a total of 31 phonemes.
31 is important number denoting the relation between the earth and the sun. Because the earth makes one round of the sun in 365 days. Then, divide 365 days by 12 to get about 31 days a month.
The following is a powerful courtship poem. Princes Waka made and handed this song to the man she fell in love with at first sight:
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waka by Princes Waka
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ki shi i ko so = 5 phonemes
tsu ma wo mi gi wa ni = 7 phonemes
(I'll be your wife and near you)
ko to no ne no = 5 phonemes
to ko ni wa gi mi wo =7 phonemes
ma tsu zo ko i shi ki = 7 phonemes
(I'm always waiting for you.)
I was moved by how Princes Waka frankly conveyed her affection. Princes Waka was noble, wise and beautiful, so the man would have been happy. The two married happily.
By the way, this poem is palindrome. In other words, it has the same phoneme sequence whether it is read from the beginning or from the end. Such songs have a very strong spiritual power.
"Waka," an amulet song that wipes out disasters
The rhythm of the phases of the moon is less than thirty days. Therefore, a disaster occurs in "ma" between the rhythm of the moon and the sun. ”Waka" consisting of 32 phonemes can wipe the disaster out. Such a "waka" is composed of 5 phonemes, 7 phonemes, 5 phonemes, 7 phonemes, and 7 phonemes, plus 1 phoneme.
The Japanese national anthem, "Kimigayo" is an amulet song "waka."
The Japanese national anthem, "Kimigayo" is 5+7+6+7+7=32 characters. In other words, it is an amulet song. The following is "kimigayo." I put a simple translation of "Kimigayo" in parentheses, but the true meaning is probably deeper.
ki mi ga yo wa = 5 phonemes
(May your reign)
chi yo ni ya chi yoni = 7 phonemes
(will continue for thousand, eight thousands generations)
sa za re i shi no = 6 phonemes
(until pebbles)
i wa o to na ri te = 7 phonemes
(grow on gravels)
ko ke no mu su ma de = 7 phonemes
(and moss grows rich)
Was the lyrics written so that it would be a magical song? Or is it a coincidence?
"Waka,"an amulet song that drove away locusts
Hotsuma tsutae describes the time when the locusts were driven away with this 32-character Japanese traditional song "waka".
To wipe out the locusts, Princes Waka stood east of the rice field, holding the reed grass in one hand, and fanned it with a cypress fan in the other hand, and wrote the amulet "waka." Then many insects flew away. Upon seeing it, Princes Mukatsu let the thirty princesses stand in groups of 15 on each side of the rice field.
Princes Waka, Princes Mukatsu and the 30 princesses together sang the amulet "waka" made by Princes Waka. They continued to sing the amulet "waka" 360 times. After that, they roared the grass and cypress (fan made of cypress) all at once and shouted out loud. Then, the insects flew away all over the west sea. At last, the rice paddy has calmed down.
Thanks to this Princes Waka, all the rice leaves have been restored again. In autumn the folk farmers celebrated with rich food. From this, the name of this place was named Wakayama.
The "waka" that wipes out locusts is as follows:
ta ne ha ta ne = 5 phonemes
(rice seeds, field seeds)
u mu su ki sa ka me = 7 phonemes
(barley, wheat, barley beans)
ma me su me ra no = 6 phonemes
(soybeans, red beans)
zo ro ha mo ha me so = 7 phonemes
(rice leaves also you have eaten)
mu shi mo mi na shi mu = 7 phonemes
(all insects also have been calmed down)
Let's make "Waka" for Cosmically Conscious
"Waka" is made up of 5 phrases whose Japanese phonemes are 5, 7, 5, 7, 7 phonemes, respectively. Each phoneme is an important element of "waka." Each of the 48 phonetic sounds in Japanese is a spiritual existence. It can be said to be the source of the "kotodama" idea. "Kotodama" is mystical powers dwell in words and names in Japanese. I think you can find the essential things of Japanese culture here. You may be able to feel the mysterious power by making "waka." How about making a "waka"?
reference:鳥居 礼「完訳秀真伝 上下巻」八幡書店, 1988