Essays From The Master

Ninja Magick roots: Mahozukai rituals and the rituals of Shugendo
Ninja of the Komuso Ryu are trained in Kuji Kiri or Ninja Magick, many of the rituals and ceremonies of Kuji Kiri stem from the lore of Shugendo (The way of preternatural power) as practiced by the Yamabushi or mountain ascetics of Japan. Those trained in Kuji Kiri are called Mahozukai (magickian) or Senin (wizard), note that in some ryu Senin is an alternate term for a Ninja sensei. The Yamabushi, like the ninja, are linked in folklore to the Tengu. It is held that philosophically speaking the Yamabushi are the ancestors of the ninja. As the discipline of the ninja evolved the needs of its adherents changed spiritually speaking. This led the ninja to devise what could be seen as a practical spirituality that reflects the core of the ninja paradigm. The spiritual methods of the Komuso Ryu tend more toward occultism than to mysticism in that more than understanding what is and one’s place in it the ninja seeks to manipulate what is as a means of achieving his goals or those on whose behalf the ninja is acting as agent. That is not to say that mysticism had and has no role in the path of the ninja merely that most active ninja had little time or need for it while striving to do what was needed and thus prevail.
Now in these post-modern times both spiritual approaches can and should be part of a ninja’s training just as surely as both medical and martial arts should be. Great masters such as my own mentor Ashida Kim have endured much to emphasize and elevate the mysticism of the Silent Way which could be defined as power through harmony and understanding. It is my karma to do the same for the more occultic aspects of the Silent Way. The more occultic or magickal approach could defined as understanding through the acquisition and application of power. Popular culture emphasizes the martial aspects of the Way, the methods of the ninja-Ninjitsu; it is the spiritual that make the martial feats possible. That is not to say that the methods can not be used without knowledge of the spiritual, it means that with the spiritual the practitioner has more resources to draw upon.
Much of the regalia of the Shugenja (one who practices Shugendo) and their rituals went into the costume of the Komuso Ryu when not acting as a ninja. This is not to say that all Komuso monks were or are Ninja. It shows how one area of knowledge can conceal another. Below are the five main types of Shugendo ritual as well as how they relate to the five “ways” that compose Ninja Magick in the Komuso Ryu. After the five main types of ritual are thirteen acts of power to employ as part of Ninja Magick most of which use a combination of the five main types of ritual. In a sense this Senin or Mahozukai persona is the Yonin (sunlit secret) equivalent of the Innin (shadow secret) inner Tengu symbolized by the Death’s Head Mask.
Main types of Shugendo ritual and their relationship to Ninja Magick (Kuji Kiri) 
1. Rituals for the purpose of identification with a deity (such as Susano) = Fox in that the mind must be invested in the deity for said deity to exist for the initiate.
2. Rituals for communication with a deity= Viper in that for communion to occur once the mind is invested the emotions must be made to respond to the deity.
3. Rituals to achieve power to manipulate deities= Raven in that the Senin understands that the Gods or Kami are sentient projections of that which the Komuso Ryu defines as the Kokoro.
4. Rituals of prayer – requests= Bat in the sense that mudra and posture must be used to contact the proper aspect of the Kokoro or Kami. This also speaks to the acting out the mythos of a deity as a form of invocation usually termed possession.
5. Rituals of exorcism= Scorpion in that through Wu Shing the Senin learns to cast out his own flaws and what one can do to one’s self one can do to others.  
13 acts of empowerment ritual
Practice in the Mountains (nyubu shugyo)
Involves various rituals while on extended retreat in the mountains- The Senin by spending time doing ritual in his chosen place of power refines his spirit and attains clarity as to his Karma and its place as a thread in the Kokoro during this period the practitioner realizes union with the central esoteric deity – Susano. The practitioner comes off the mountain reborn as a living Buddha or Tulku.
Demonstration of magico-religious powers (genjitsu)
By becoming a Tulku i.e. embracing his inner Tengu or shadow self the Senin is able to perform seemingly inhuman or preternatural feats such as leaping Kung or the ability to endure cold or fire for example. Having identified self with Susano the practitioner demonstrates this by entering the spiritual realm and performing various feats.
Offering rites (kuyoho) – The honoring the earthly manifestations of those sentient projections of the Kokoro known as the Kami. This is normally done in accord with the local mythos of the Kami.
Consecration ceremonies (shokanjo)- The ritual empowerment of objects to provide for many spiritual needs such as talismans and amulets.
Participation in festivals- As part of both the art of disguise and the ninja’s spiritual work as a Senin often he must deal with more than his patron and its ceremonies. Due to the nomadic nature of the ninja’s work, as a Mahozukai the ninja will need to honor local Kami in there proper time so long as said Kami does not appose the ninja’s patron.
Fortune telling and divination- As a Senin the ninja of the Komuso Ryu is aware of the Kokoro and the infinite number of outcomes that exist within what is commonly called time. Armed with this knowledge the ninja can forecast the most likely outcome based on where the subject is in the continuum of space-time or how to avoid said outcome if need be.
The art of obtaining oracles through mediums (fujitsu) – With the ninja’s understanding of the Kokoro and through it the nature of time the ninja acting as a Senin is able to function as a channel for the Kami for those who can not interact with the Kokoro directly.
Prayers of possession (yorigoto)- Used often to allow others to interact with the Kami through the Senin as a medium. Unlike the oracle workings this working often deals with “channeling” the dead or the subject’s inner demons.
Fire ceremonies for averting misfortunes (sokusai goma) – rituals used to balance the flow of energies to alter karma, this type of ritual draws on the lore of Feng Shui. This sort of ritual is often used to ward off baleful influences.
Rituals centered on various deities (shosonbo) – Rituals that allow the Senin to interact with Kami other than one’s patron, often the Senin works as a neutral party in the context of a “spiritual lawyer.”
Incantations (kaji)
These are the verses of the mantra and the sutra used by the ryu, both of which are taken from the Toromaki or secret scroll of the ryu. These verses can be used verbally or silently.
Exorcism (tsukimono, otoshi, chobuku) Here the practitioner identifies himself with a deity, gains an oracle which tells him what evil is causing the problem, then wields the supernatural power of the deity and exorcizes the evil.
Spells and charms (fuju, majinai) Fuju or spells in this context are cuts or sigils traced in the air or visualized to activate their power. Majinai or charms are paper amulets such as are common in some of the occult arts in China.