Kotodama:
the multi-faced Japanese myth of the spirit of language
In Japan, there is a common myth of the spirit of
language called kotodama (言霊, ことだま); a belief that some divine power resides in the
Japanese language. This belief originates in ancient times as part of Shintoist
ritual but the idea has survived through Japanese history and the term kotodama
is still frequently mentioned in public discourse. The notion of kotodama is
closely linked with Japanese linguistic identity, and the narrative of kotodama
has been repeatedly reinterpreted according to non-linguistic factors
surrounding Japan, as well as the changing idea of ‘purity’ of language in
Japan.
Ancient
face
The term kotodama literally means ‘the spirit of
language’ (koto = language, dama (tama) = spirit or soul). It is a belief based
on the idea of Shintoism, the indigenous religion of Japan which worships
divinity in all natural creation and phenomena. In ancient Japan, language was
believed to have a spirit, which gives positive power to positive words,
negative power to negative words, and impacts a person’s life when his or her
name is pronounced out loud. Wishes or curses were thus spelled out in a
particular manner in order to communicate with the divine powers. According to
this ancient belief, the spirit of language only resides in ‘pure’ Japanese
that is unique and free from foreign influence. Therefore, Sino-Japanese
loanwords, which were numerous by then and had a great impact on the Japanese
language, were eschewed in Shintoist rituals and Japanese native vocabulary,
yamatokotoba, was preferred. Under the name of kotodama, this connection
between spiritual power and pure language survived throughout Japanese history
as a looser concept and was reinvented multiple times.
War-time
face
One of the most significant historical moments in which
the myth of kotodama was reinvented was during the Second World War. In order
to strengthen national solidarity, the government reintroduced the idea of
kotodama, coupling it with the idea of kokutai (国体, こくたい, koku = country or nation, tai = body), the Japanese
national polity. The government promoted the idea that the use of ‘pure’ and
traditional Japanese language was at the core of the national unity and social
virtue that is unique to Japan, while failing to use the right language would
lead to violation of the national polity. Under the belief of kotodama,
proposals to abolish or reduce the use of kanji (Chinese characters), which had
been introduced since the modernization of the country in the second half of
the nineteenth century, were fiercely rejected. Instead, the use of kanji as
well as traditional non-vernacular orthographic style was encouraged.
Furthermore, based on the kotodama myth, the use of Western loanwords was
strictly banned as they belonged to the language of the enemy (tekiseigo) and
those words were replaced by Sino-Japanese words. For example, the word ragubî,
which is the loan from the English word ‘rugby’, was replaced by tôkyû, a
Sino-Japanese word meaning ‘fight ball’. The word anaunsâ, which is the loan
from the English word ‘announcer’, was replaced by hôsôin, a Sino-Japanese word
meaning ‘broadcasting person’.
It is interesting to note that the kotodama myth was
reinvented to encourage the use of Sino-Japanese elements, whereas in the
ancient belief the myth promoted the Japanese native elements and eschewed
Sino-Japanese elements. In other words, Sino-Japanese was redefined as the
essential element of the ‘pure’ and ‘traditional’ Japanese language. Even the movements
to simplify the Japanese orthographic system by abolishing the use of Chinese
characters and using only kana (phonetic syllabaries) to write Japanese were
considered to be violations of kotodama, despite the fact that kana was
invented in Japan. This complete reversal of the position of Sino-Japanese
elements can be explained by the belief that the increasing use of Western
loanwords was creating a new threat to the Japanese linguistic identity. The
idea of kokutai, along with other militarist propaganda, was stigmatized in
post-war Japanese society and faded away. However, the idea of kotodama
survived through the post-war democratisation period into contemporary Japan
with yet another face.
Contemporary
face
You still hear the word kotodama today. A song titled “Ai
no Kotodama [Kotodama of Love] – Spiritual Message” performed by a Japanese pop
rock band, Southern All Stars, is a well-known hit which has sold over a
million since it was recorded in 1996. Above all, one frequently sees the term
kotodama used in public debates on the subject of foreign loanwords (gairaigo,
which excludes Sino-Japanese loans). For example, an article from a nationwide
newspaper stated that “loanwords are threatening the country of kotodama”. Thus
the idea of kotodama is still linked to the purity of language in contrast to
Western loanwords but, unlike the link between kotodama and political identity
of the country made during World War Two, it seems that the myth is now linked
to its cultural and social identity while recent waves of globalization have
increased the diversity within the contemporary Japan.
The diversity of Japanese society goes hand in hand with
the diversity of its vocabulary, which we can see from the rapid increase of
loanwords in Japanese. However, at the same time, this increases a sense of
insecurity in relation to the linguistic and cultural identity of Japan. As a
result, the ancient myth of kotodama has been reinvented as a way to manifest
Japanese linguistic identity through the idea of a ‘pure’ language. Kotodama
has no fixed definition, and continues to transform as Japanese society
undergoes changes. It is questionable if the Japanese still really believe in
the spiritual power of language – however, the myth of linguistic purity
persists in the mind of the Japanese through the word kotodama.
Hrvatska, Domovina prve kravate
The homeland of the First Tie
The homeland of the First Tie
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