What is Kotodama?

 In Japan, there is a popular myth about the spirit of language called Kotodama, the belief that a certain supernatural force inhabits the Japanese language. This ideology originally comes from ancient times as part of a Shinto ritual, but the concept has managed to survive through Japanese history, and the word kotodama is still frequently quoted in public discussion. The kotodama concept has a strong link with Japanese language identity and the kotodama narrative has been repeatedly redefined based on the non-linguistic factors surrounding Japan and the changing concept of "purity" in the language.

Historically, it is thought that Kotodama's belief dates back to the Nara period (710–794). It appears throughout the compilation of poems Manyoshu, in which the phrase "the land where Kotodama brings bliss" is used to define Japan. Its origins are found in Shinto, the animism religion of Japan. It is believed in Shinto that not only individuals but also animals and all items do have a soul. It is not unusual, in this sense, that words are also assumed to have a soul. In prehistoric times, the spells and incantations of the kami [Shinto divinities] have been seen as carrying some supernatural abilities, especially if they were spelled in a certain way. Shinto priests willingly avoided using words that came from Chinese, believing that kotodama lies only in the Japanese language of provenance.

Even within the recent era, kotodama has been connected to the notion of "pure" Japanese language as compared to other languages. This faith has political consequences that were particularly visible mostly during the Second World War. In our current era of globalization, kotodama is sometimes the argument used by people who feel that the Japanese language and culture are threatened by Western influences. Ideologies have been seen in other cultural regions similar to Kotodama. The Old Testament refers to the Holy Spirits, while in the New Testament such spirits are referred to as "Pneuma" in Greek. The term "pneuma" is derived from the verb "pneo" (to blow) and pertains to the breath of a powerful being. It's not recognized where the wind came from and where it's going. In particular, noise or sayings were assumed to have the effect of chasing away evil creatures or spirits. It was conducted at cultural events, festivities, or to get rid of evil spirits all over the globe. Examples of sound power include drum beats used in Shinto rituals and clarinets, bells, and synth used during county fairs.

Even the spiritual power of quotes was used as an invocation or authority of the emperor. Although there are, various versions of what the primary 'koto' is. For example, a few presumed that "truth is a great stone upon which church could be built," whereas others argued that if you seek out the truth, gaze at someone’s reflection in the mirror, and all must therefore be revealed," that the truth was something that could be understood or grasped; yet both suggested that the "koto" itself is not something that human beings can ever know. This varied significantly depending on culture, age, and individuals.

The multiculturalism of Japanese society goes hand in hand with the diversity of its vocabulary, as we've seen from the massive rise in Japanese borrowing words. At the very same time, although this increases the sense of uncertainty about Japan's cultural and linguistic identity. As a consequence, the old Kotodama myth was reinvented by the idea of a pure language as a means of manifesting Japanese linguistic identity. Kotodama has no fixed definition and begins to convert as Japanese society changes. It is questionable whether the Japanese still really believe mostly in the spiritual power of words the myth of linguistic purity continues in the minds of Japanese through the term kotodama.