Kuji-in, 九字印  known as Nine Hand Seals is a system of mudras and associated mantras consisting of 9 syllables. The mantras are referred to as Kuji 九字, meaning nine characters.   It is believed that the kuji arrived in Japan through Jōdo-shū and Shugendō around the 8th century. Kuji is rumored to be a dangerous ritual that is, if made without proper initiation or performed incorrectly, can attract unwanted entities. Importance of the Number Nine   Why the number nine is used is because in Taoist divination, the number nine is seen as the perfect number for Yang/yo when...

Kitsune 狐 きつね    Kitsune, or Foxes are found almost everywhere in Japan. They are similar to wild foxes found elsewhere outside Japan apart from their mysterious magical powers. Their cute faces and tiny size makes them loved by most people around the world.     Kitsune are overly intelligent and strong shape-shifters. They often harass humans by shape-shifting into giants or other scary monsters. They do this to play a prank, and sometimes they do it with wicked intent. They are masters of shape-shifting, skilled enough to transform into the exact copy of the individual, they often transform into...

TORA! TORA! TORA! 虎 "Tora" is the Japanese word for tiger, originated from southern China, deriving from the word "taira". Although, they have never lived in the wilds within Japan, they have been long known and so highly esteemed and feared among the Japanese as shown from arts, stories and skins. One story commonly told today coined the phrase - FURUYA NO MORU WA  TORA O-KAMI YORI MO OSOROSHII ( 古屋の漏るは虎狼よりも恐ろしい) meaning, a leaky roof is more terrible than a tiger,  showing how feared tigers are, they have been the standard of fear, awe, or scariness.  Tora or Tigers in...