Professor Goldsbury,
Thank you for taking the time and effort to write these wonderful articles. I literally laughed out loud when I read, "How to open your stone door by listening to the gods", it just seems so absurd when taken at face value in English. I do have a question or more likely a topic of discussion I would like to ask about.
Quote:
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武人は常に神に祈りを忘れず、鎮魂帰神法による技を会得し言振れせずに悟り行うことである。小戸の神業（おどのかむわざ）とは、舌三寸の天之村雲[FONT=Times] （あめのむらくも）の神剣である。言霊（ことたま）で人を生かす事も殺す事も自由に使えるという。言霊は神剣である。舌の奥に心あり。精気のこもった言霊は、相手の技をも 止める事ができるという。神秘の技ともいえ るのである。
A man of budo never fails to pray to the deities. He can become skilled in waza by means of calming the soul and returning to the deity, and reach enlightenment without the use of language. The divine waza of the small door (= mouth?) is the divine sword of Ame no Murakumo, which is an eloquent tongue. It is said that word-spirit can be used freely to kill people and give life. Kotodama is the divine sword. One's tongue is filled with the spirit. The word spirit that is full of energy is said to be able to stop the waza of the opponent—we can say that these are mysterious waza.
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What is the divine waza of the small door? I am assuming that (=mouth?) is your addition. From the description it is kotodama. Or possibly kiai? There are all those mythical stories of birds being taken out of the air by a well timed kiai.
I was also curious about the eloquent tongue, as if someone is charismatic enough to stop someones waza. Or that it takes some skill with the tongue to use kotodama?
I have been trying to find another reference in another doka but sadly all I own are the Stevens translations and my Japanese ability is not enough to hold decent a conversation let alone go searching on Google. I was hoping you had some more insight into the matter or that you know of a source that discusses it. I already looked through Gleason's first book to no avail and Amazon still hasn't delivered his second.
Thank you again for you time and effort. As well as your candor in contrast to the deification of O sensei and his heirs espoused by some.