Kuji-in - History

History

The kuji are first introduced in the Taoist text Baopuzi (抱朴子) a poem written by Ge Hong c.280-340 ADE). In it he introduces the kuji in chapter 17 titled DengShe/登涉 (Climbing and crossing rivers) as a prayer to the six Jia (generals of yang), ancient Taoist gods. in Daoist Magic, the Chia Spirit Generals are powerful celestial guardians and part of Tammon-Ten's (Vaiśravaṇa), The God of the North, Celestial Thunder Court.

The kuji come from line 5 which reads,

Line 5:

抱朴子曰：“入名山，以甲子開除日，以五色繒各五寸，懸大石上，所求必得。又曰，入山宜知六甲秘祝。祝曰，臨兵斗者，皆陣列前行。凡九字，常當密祝之，無所不辟。要道不煩，此之謂也。”

Translation: (To enter a famous mountain, choose an opening day, which can be determined by its cyclical binary. Hang silk of the five colors, each piece five inches wide, from a large rock, so that you may be sure to succeed in your goal. Further, while entering the mountains you must know the Six-Chia secret prayer. It goes like: "May the presiders over warriors be my vanguard!" This nine word prayer must constantly recited in secret. It means, "May all evils flee me and the essential procedure present no trouble.") (Write, 1966)

The Chinese ku-ji actually forms a grammatically functional sentence when translated. The kuji come from this section of the chapter and are written as 臨兵斗者，皆陣列前行 which can be roughly translated as "(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 well especially in Japanese esoteric Buddhism. According to the Baopuzi, the kuji is a prayer to avert difficulties and baleful influences and to ensure things proceed without difficulty. To this end it can be said that the primary purpose of ku-ji is shōkanjō (consecration, abhiseka) and chōbuku (exorcism).

The Taoist ku-ji are next cited in a text called the Wuliangshou jing youpotishe yuansheng ji zhu (The commentary on the discourse about the Sutra on Immeasurable Life, and on the verses about the vow to be reborn ), or just Wangsheng lunzhu for short, by Taluan (467?-542ADE?).

How the kuji arrived in Japan is still a matter that is debated. The Korean variant is 臨兵鬥者皆陣列在前行. Current scholars seem to agree that the kuji arrived in Japan via China through Jodoshu (True Land Faith), and Shugendō around perhaps the 8th century, if not much later. As to what the kuji consisted of at this time is unknown. The mudras are found in Taoist material as well as Shugendō. Some have suggested it was Shugendō who added the mudras that are known today to be associated with the kuji. This would make sense as the vast majority of information that is known about the kuji comes from Shugendō literature.