Kamiyomoji Kotodama Calligraphy Art by Tsukiyo Hoshikage

～＊～My Prayer for Your to Live Your Life in Fullest!! ～＊～

Hello, everyone! Thank you for visiting my campaign! I am a Japanese Artist, Tsukiyo Hoshikage.

I hope everyone is well during this challenging time. This coronavirus pandemic has indeed affected so many people’s lives in the world….and it really made me think. It has happened so fast, and to this day, more than 10,000,000 people have suffered from this highly-contagious virus throughout the world and still the number is growing…. So, through this campaign, I hope my arts and this campaign would brighten someone’s lives in some way, and my prayer would reach many people who are still in need. It seems the vaccine is finally on the way…but on the other hand, WHO still warns us that there might not be any silver bullet, or even enough vaccine or something….

Either way, this is the world that we live in, I think we can start making some difference, first by accepting it, and embracing our beautiful day-to-day life with gratitude. And it may not be easy for everyone but I hope we can keep our heads up, get through this challenging time together!

This is my third campaign for Kamiyomoji Kotodama Calligraphy Arts. (Well, my first campaign failed in 2 weeks, hope it doesn’t count, though…)  Initially, I was still planning to take more cultural approach to this project, by introducing the stories(myths) of Kojiki, the oldest history book, along with my arts & traveling to visit the actual places in Japan that show up in the stories etc…. (which I still plan for later. ) But, because of this sudden Coronavirus outbreak, transportation of my Kamyomoji product line has stopped for a while, and my traveling plans also had to be canceled. In the meantime, Coronavirus has become more and more serious all over the world…

In the meantime, since the last campaign, I have been doing more in-depth research on Kamiyomoji. And, I have been amazed with what I have found out. I feel like a lot of little things in my whole life have finally started to connect with each other. So, I will mainly share my new discovery on my Kamiyomoji research in this campaign.

For some of the contents in my research are so spiritual that they might not resonate with everyone. If that is the case, then that is understandable and I do respect that. I hope you just enjoy this campaign as an opportunity to know peculiar part of Japanese cultures! ? I hope that I could spread the words about this Kamiyomoji culture from here to the world and receive some support for my future Kamiyomoji Art projects.

 ～＊～ About Me & Concept for My Arts ～＊～

For those who have encountered this campaign for the first time, let me introduce myself and my art again a little bit. I am a Japanese artist who was born and grow up in Japan. At age 20, I moved to NYC and studied Arts & Design, and worked as a freelance artist for about 15 years in the US. In April of the year 2012, I permanently moved back to Japan due to illness of my dear sister and lost her in early 2013. It hit me hard because it was the second loss in my family after my mother. In deep grieving and despair, I took some time off from everything. I traveled around the country, mostly visiting shrines and temples. That gave me a lot of comfort and healing and helped me rediscover the beauty of Japanese cultures all over again…and it also lead me to know the existence of Kamiyomoji (or Jindai-moji), the ancient Japanese characters. For about a year and a half, I have been creating Kamiyomoji Kotodama Calligraphy Arts using several kinds of Kamiyomoji. I use various mediums and styles along with other traditional Japanese art forms such as Sumi-e, Kotodama, Haiku/Waka/Senryu, etc,.. which often carry positive meaning and are believed to bring good luck. (For more information about my arts, please read the description of my last campaign.)

We are one. We are all whole and complete.

This is my very fundamental belief in myself…And it certainly reflects in my arts. As I mentioned in my previous campaign, my concept for my art-making “the mixture of the old & the new, East & West” comes from it.

I became very spiritual while I was in America, and mixing up with all the spiritual knowledge and experiences that I had in America and the new knowledge & experiences that I gained in Japan, I have reached the following equation:

Love =…ラブ(in Katakana, Japanese)=pronounces “luv”= 0 =〇＝Whole & Complete=Divine=神＝柱＝(its shape holds the same as )I=pronounces “ai”=愛＝I

(As you may already know, in Japan, it is believed that there exist numerous gods(deities) (八百万の神). And in the Japanese language, we use certain units when we count something, and we use the unit “柱”（pole）for gods & deities. )

Therefore, we are one, I am love, so you are love and, we are all whole and complete!!

 ～＊～ What is Kamiyomoji? ～＊～

Let me explain what is Kamiyomoji a little bit again. As I mentioned in my previous campaign, Kamiyomoji, which writes 神代文字 in Japanese, is the ancient Japanese characters which were found in the old documents and were kept at some shrines or certain individual clans for generations. The word “Kamiyo” means “the age of gods,” “moji” means “character(s)“. Hence, it literally means the characters that were used in the era where gods exited, before modern Japanese characters, Kanji, Hiragana, Katakana were used …. something like that.

The number of Kamiyomoji currently discovered in Japan is as many as 30. As far as I know, famous & popular ones are 4 or 5 from them. It is said that some of the Kamiyomoji are as old as the early Jomon period (about 10,000 BC, Stone Age). And some look very similar to cuneiform, Hebrew characters, Hangul characters, etc… Thinking of all those facts…I cannot help but think we are all coming from “one.”

To this day, many people have studied Kamiyomoji, and it seems the information of Kamiyomoji has been more exposed to the public in recent years. Many books are also published, and many of them say that there are miraculous healing powers in Kamiyomoji. As a matter of fact, some licensed doctors and health practitioners in Japan use Kamiyomoji in their treatment methods. Miraculous results, such as that incurable diseases were cured, that chronic conditions were improved, that a bully stopped, that the crime rate was decreased, or that gray hair were lessened…etc…various cases are being reported.

On the other hand, let me also mention that Kamiyomoji and Kamiyomoji Documents are not recognized as official. The oldest official history books, “Kojiki” (Records of Ancient Matters) & “Nihonshoki” (The Chronicles of Japan), are written in 6th century CE. The stories in Kojiki and Nihonshoki are often fantastical and considered as myths. Many of them have become like children’s stories. They are written in Kanji (Chinese characters) which is believed to have come from China, and at school, we are taught that it is the origin of Japanese language. So, academically speaking, Kamiyomoji and the Kamiyomoji documents are not acknowledged as valid. Although the contents of the Kamiyomoji documents cover a lot about para-history of Japan, which is often more detailed and realistic than the stories in Kojiki or Nihonshoki, still the information is often considered as counterfeit as history books. Well, in my opinion, especially from a political point of view, I think it was better off being kept as myths for many reasons. Whether I agree with it or not, I would say… it is understandable.

～＊～ Discoveries from My Kamiyomoji Research ～＊～

Kamiyomoji for Better, Healthier Life??!!

As my research on Kamiyomoji gets deeper and deeper, I started to feel like, “Japanese people might be very fortunate.” I felt like “Japanese people, in general, might be receiving a lot of blessings and protection without even consciously realizing it. You might already know that Japanese national religion, Shinto, has neither founder nor scriptures. Because there is not so much restriction, the majority of Japanese people don’t even consider themselves as religious even though they regularly participate in Shinto’s religious rituals or annual festivals. Without a doubt, living with Shinto has become a way of life for the people in Japan. It seems that Japanese traditional cultures are really helping Japanese people receive blessings through daily customs of praying, expressing gratitude, as well as just enjoying cultural events, etc… And at the same time, I started to feel that the ancient wisdom of Kamiyomoji might have so much to do with it.

～＊～ Mysterious 48 Syllable Songs ～＊～

“In the beginning was the word” John 1:1

There are a lot of cultures in the world that seem to know the power of the words already…As it is said that “In the beginning was the word” in John 1:1 in Bible, I have come to believe that the words are more than just a verbal communication tool. Like affirmations, psalms, incantations, mantras…and Kotodama that I am using a lot in my current project…etc… it could even emit the artistic, and divine energies that also create bonds among people where they don’t even share the same language or cultures.

As I proceed with my Kamiyomoji research, so far, I have come across 4 songs (or poems) that are made of 48(or 47 without counting “n” sound.) non-duplicated Japanese syllables.

You know, in English, there is the sentence, “The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.” which uses all 27 letters of the alphabet without duplicating. Well, it is the same on the part that songs use each letter only once. But its concept is probably very different.

Actually, 2 songs out of 4 were already mentioned in my previous campaign. One is “Iroha-Uta” (Song of Iroha), and the other one is “Hifumi Norito” (Hifumi Ritual Prayer).” Both are created with 47 (48 including “n” sound in the end) non-duplicated syllables. Their lyrics don’t really make sense in modern Japanese, but in a way, they have almost become like children’s songs. As a matter of fact, come to think of it, though I do remember the existence of these two songs even after living in America for 19 long years, I cannot remember when or how I learned these songs. It seems they somehow hold a special place in Japanese.

And the rest of 2 songs are “Katakamuna Utahi” (Songs of Katakamuna) & “Awa (no) Uta” (Song of A & Wa) written in Kamiyomoji. Both of them are included in the Kamiyomoji documents, “Hotsum Tsutae” and “Katakamuna Document.”

The following is the list of four 48-syllable songs:

1. Iroha-Uta (Song of Iroha)

2. Hifumi Norito (Hifumi Ritual Prayer)

3. Awa-(no)-Uta (Song of A & Wa) originally written in Woshite characters in “Hotsuma Tsutae”

4. Katakamuna Utahi Capter５＆６(Songs of Katakamuna) originally written in Katakamuna characters in “Katakamuna Utahi”

…So, in Japanese language, there are not just 1, but 4 songs of 48 syllables (with counting “n” sound), and some of them don’t even make sense in modern Japanese as if there were some forces that want to repeat and emphasize the importance of the sounds of 48 syllables…. And…it is said that all 4 songs have healing powers and it is good to sing aloud & write them like transcribing sutras. Hmm…Very weird…but interesting, isn’t it?

As I continued my research on Kamiyomoji, I noticed the things in common among those 4 songs.

Which are…:

1. All songs are written in (3), 5, 7 rhythms.

2. Each letter, or character, or sound carries its own meaning.

3. Each song contains energy movement in a form of vortex, as well as Yin&Yang energies.

Just looking at the list of the things in common among 4 songs makes you think there is something there, doesn’t it?

As for No.1, as mentioned in my last campaign, 5 and 7 syllable rhythm is used in Haiku/Senryu/Waka. On “Omikuji” which is a little fortune-telling strip that you can get at shrines, the message is written in the form of 5.7.5.7.7 Waka as the message from the gods. In some channeling information, I have also heard that 5,7 rhythm is the rhythm of rotation of the earth. As I mentioned in my last campaign, I personally believe that the magical power of 5.7 rhythm made Haiku very popular around the world.

For No.2, each letter of all 4 songs has its own meaning. One song has a name out of 48 Japanese gods (deities) on each letter. One song gives out the meaning to each letter to explain all things in the universe（森羅万象）, etc…Do you remember what I said in the last campaign? When you say Japanese “Kotodama,” you don’t even have to mean or believe the meaning of the words. Well, if each letter, each sound was given its own positive meaning, then it makes sense, doesn’t it? In other words, the sound of each syllable itself becomes much more powerful just by saying it aloud.

As for No.3, if you were already into spirituality, then you may understand what that means and how it affects the energy of our bodies. Though I don’t think I can explain in details in this campaign, please take a look at the illustrations below. 

 From left to right, the illustrations show how the energy could move in the energy field. The spiral energy form on the left is what you often see and hear when Kamiyomoji is explained. It seems that each letter, each sound of these 48 syllable songs were designed to create the energy flow of vortex, the energies of Yin & Yang.

In one of Kamiyomoji documents, “Hotsuma Tsutae” it is written that one of Amateru (Amaterasu-oomikami, one of the most powerful deities, the main deity of Ise Grand Shrine) would sing Awa (no) Uta every morning and would teach the Japanese language to his (or her) citizens. Considering all the good things that were put into 48 letters of Japanese, even though you don’t sing the 48 syllable songs aloud, you are already blessed and could attract lots of positive energy just by speaking Japanese in our daily life. That’s probably why many people have become healthier by starting to sing these 48-syllable songs every day, and there is such a case that the average grades of the high school students who read Japanese textbooks aloud in Japanese class turned out to be higher than the students who didn’t. In addition to that, I personally think that this is one of the biggest reasons why the death rate of the Coronavirus pandemic in Japan is so low, compared to other countries. As a matter of fact, we are now going through the second Corona outbreak after the self-restraint period is relaxed in June. But despite the increasing number of infected, the death rate is even lower than the first outbreak.

Basically, all four 48-syllable-songs can be written in any Japanese characters, including any Kamiyomoji. In Japanese, the word “uta,” which is translated into the word “song” in English, could also mean “Waka” (the shortest form of poems with 5.7.5.7.7 rhythm), and it doesn’t always have to come with melodies, like regular songs. And, it is said that you can sing (or read aloud) all these 4 48-syllable songs in any way you like! As I said earlier, you don’t have to be able to speak or understand Japanese language. A lot of words in 4 48-syllable songs don’t even make sense to Japanese people anyway, so all you have to say it clearly, being careful with its pronunciation.

～＊～Free Gift to Everyone!! ～＊～

As I mentioned on my video above, I  am preparing a Free Gift for all of you! I have included the image files of the artwork “Healing Kamiyomoji”, and two 48-syllable song lyrics and its instruction of how you can practice Kamiyomoji and start receiving the benefit of it all by yourself.I will show you how you can receive it on my future update soon! So, please stick around!!

〜＊〜Kamiyomoji Kotodama Calligraphy Arts – Thank You Rewards〜＊〜

My prayer for you to live your life in fullest!

Since it is said that Kamiyomoji itself carries miraculous powers and could represent one’s higher self when the name is written in Kamiyomoji, like the last campaign, I will write your names in Kamiyomoji, in various Kamiyomoji characters as “Thank-You” rewards. Please take a look at the video to see more details.

Currently, I am using Kanji, Hiragana, Katakana, and 5 Kamiyomoji characters in my arts. I am still planning to add 2 more in the future. The below is how I convert your name into Kamiyomoji. I need to know the correct pronunciation of your name (the sounds) for converting. 

For you to easily pick your favorite Kamiyomoji character, let me add a bit more info for each 48 syllable songs along with Kamiyomoji characters that I use in my arts.

1. Iroha Uta (Song of Iroha)

The author of this 48(47＋n-sound)song is unknown. As mentioned in my last campaign, when you say, “you learn I.Ro.Ha”, it means you learn the basics. According to Mr. Kouki Yamamoto, who specializes in Iroha-Uta, also who introduced me to the world of Kamiyomoji, each letter of Iroha-Uta and “Hifmi-Norito” is given the name out of Yosoya-shin (48 Japanese gods or deities).

It is said that it works better when you sing with Hifumi-Norito, which has more Yang-energy in the song, for it seems that Iroha-Uta work with Yin-energy, which is closer to the energies of Buddhist sutras.

2. Hifumi-Norito (Hifumi Ritual Prayer)

The author of Hifumi-Norito is also unknown. Though Hifumi-Norito has also become like a children’s song, it is still used as “Norito” (Ritual Prayer) at Ishinokami Shrine in Nara prefecture. First 12 letters are the old ways of counting numbers and these 12 letters contain Yin-Yang energies already. Especially the first 10 letters out of 12 are important, and they are used in other 48 syllable song, Katakamuna-Utahi, as well as Hurube-Norito which is believed to be very powerful, and with special instruments, it was even believed to be able to resurrect the dead.

Each letter of Hifumi-Norito also has its own meaning. And they explains 森羅万象which means “all the things in the universe”.

3. Awa (no) Uta (the song of A and Wa)

This 48-syllable song is originally written in Woshite characters in the Kamiyomoji Document called “Hotsuma Tsutae.” It is believed to have strong healing powers and its document, “Hotsuma Tsutae” is, so-called, much more detailed version of “Kojiki” or “Nihonshoki.” As for Woshitecharacter, it is simply a magical character, in my opinion. They are very systematically and conceptually created. It shows in Woshite 48-syllable table. Its shape explains 5 elements of the earth, which is very closer to the ones in FengSui from China, as well as the cycle of life and death. And the vowel sounds are also divided into YinYang energies. And this Awa Uta is also very magical. When the lyric of this song is lined up in a certain way, its shape also creates the energy movement of Yin & Yang vortexes, and it also becomes like modern Japanese 50 syllable table that is used in the present. That means, the modern Japanese 50-sound table “A I U E O~…” was already existed in antient time. It is very hard to explain everything just by words like this, but you would be amazed if you once understand how carefully designed these characters are.

4. Katakamuna Utahi (Songs of Katakamuna) chapter 5 & chapter 6

This 48-syllable song is originally written in Katakamuna characters in the Kamiyomoji Document called “Katakamuna Utahi“. In my opinion, this is one highly magical Kamiyomoji document, to say the least. And it is my favorite! As you can see in the artwork above, all 80 chapters of Katakamuna Utahi  are written in a form of spiral.  Katakamuna characters are also very systematically designed, and it is created on the base, the shape of Yata-no-Kagami(sacred mirror), which is one of the three sacred treasures. The document is made in 80 chapters altogether, written in the form of spiral, with a rhythm of 5.7.5, containing numerous names of Japanese deities that show up in Kojiki. But, the contents of it are not really about history, more about science, explaining how the world is created.

Ms. Nobuko Yoshino, who has studied Katakamunahas discovered the deciphering method of Japanese language using Katakamuna. She has found out the meaning of each sound of Japanese 48 syllable as well as the numbers corresponding to each syllable. According to her Katakamuna method, when the word, “Arigatou” is deciphered by Katakamuna numbers, its calculation is as follows…

１８(A)＋８(Ri)－２５(Ga)＋１７(To)＋１９(U)＝３７

So, the total number corresponding to the word, “Arigatou” is 37, which means that “the feelings of gratitude that emit from me integrate with you.” It sounds a little funny in English, but it explains the ever-expanding energy movement of the feelings of gratitude. And when the number is multiplied by the multiples of 3 which means “light” in Katakamuna, it becomes 111, 222, 333…consecutive numbers which you might also call “Angel numbers”. So, the word “Arigatou” also means “the light that keeps radiating outward”.Isn’t it amazing?  Her study shows there is no such thing as “coincidence”.

After the discovery of the meanings of Katakamuna, she also studied the Bible in Katakamuna and has found many connections between ancient Japan & Judea. In her latest book, 『カタカムナの時代がやってきました』（The Age of Katakamuna has come!）, she suggests a fascinating theory as well. For example, the name “John” in the Bible is translated into the name “Yohane” of which sound can also be translated into “48 sounds” in Japanese. In the Bible, John says, “First, there were the words that we all understand, and they were lost.” She suggests that these words might be the 48 syllable sounds that are picked to create the Japanese language. Isn’t it interesting? Like the fact that the word “live” becomes “evil” when it is read backward, if you are someone like me who believes that there is no such thing as coincidence, this theory is quite conceivable.

5. Other Kamiyomoji Characters Used in My Arts

•  Ryutai Characters (龍体文字)which means “(The Body of Dragon Character).” It is believed to be created by one of Japanese deities, Umashishikabihikoji, who is believed to be the deity of life-force energy. said that it is one of the most potent Kamiyomoji characters, and is very popular, in my opinion. Ms. Michiyo Mori, who is a specialist of Ryutai Character, has an amazing experience of her intractable disease being cured by using it. She is a doctor/healer herself, and after recovering from her intractable disease, Spinocerebellar degeneration, she has actually become a living miracle who keeps her healthy body by taking only one-vegetable juice a day for the last 20 years. On her way of recovering, her psychic ability has been developed, and she received the meanings for the words written in “Futomani” chart in automatic writing. Many people love her books of Ryutai-moji and fasting, and many good luck incidents are being reported as well.
•  Akiru-kusa Characters is the character that I first learned as Kamiyomoji. There are several kinds of Akiru-kusa characters, depending on regions or clans, and the majority of Kamiyomoji Documents kept at Ise-Grand Shrine is written in this character. To be more exact, the character that I first used in my previous campaign is one of Akiru-kusa-characters, named “Hinawokadoukizamikoji” which was found at “Akiru-shrine” in Tokyo. In my opinion, I think this character has one of the most beautiful and sophisticated shapes in Kamiyomoji.
•  Homemi Characters  It is believed that it was created by one of the Japanese deities, Amenooshiho-no-mikoto who is the deity of agriculture. Mr. Takao Katano who is a oriental-medicine-based Qi-gong therapist using various Kamiyomoji characters, uses the Arigatou Mandala for healing. According to his O-ring test that showed its frequency was higher than other Kamiyomoji, he suggests that Homemi Character is the most powerful Kamiyomoji character for healing.

～＊～ My Future Plan for Kamiyomoji Kotodama Calligraphy Art Project ～＊～ 

 Here is the list of my plan of Kamiyomoji Art Project. I hope you see its potential and support me in spreading this incredible culture of Kamiyomoji to the world!

• Book Publishing
• Workshops for writing your own name in Kamiyomoji, as well as for how to practice daily Kamiyomoji songs by writing & singing, etc. Planning a small group workshops (such as on meet-up.com) in Tokyo & Kanagawa area, for the foreign travelers or the people who currently reside in Japan.
• Exhibition of Kamiyomoji Artworks
• Introduction of Kojiki Stories though my arts & travel reports.
• Creating videos for Kamiyomoji practice and travel reports.
• Setting up a more established Kamiymoji product line. (Branding, etc)

I hope you can see the cultural value of Kamiyomoji culture and the artistic value of my Kamiyomoji Kotodama Calligraphy Arts. Your generous support for the potential of my Kamiyomoji Project will be highly appreciated!!

 ～＊～ Conclusion～＊～

 Thank you so much for reading this long description of my campaign! I really mean it. Through this campaign, I hope my arts and my Kamiyomoji project would add light to someone’s life. I hope you find the campaign interesting as well. 

I understand that the information about Kamiyomoji that I shared in this campaign is just a fragment of the world of Kamiyomoji.  It may not have been easy for some of you to understand. So, please feel free to ask me any question you have. 

This global Corona pandemic has been very difficult for many people in the world, including myself. Even to me, who have lost two of my family members to cancer, it has been another wake-up call to realize how important it is to stay healthy both mentally & physically all over again. And at the same time, I think it has also allowed me to reevaluate my life and helped me to become true to who I really am. For that, I am very very grateful.

We all witnessed how lifeless the cities could become without the activities of people…which means, we need each other… we need to corporate to live our lives in fullest. On the other hand, it also means how powerful human powers are…As we realize how powerful we all are all over again by believing our divine-self within each of us, I think the world would start shining brightly again like never before. That’s what I believe.

About the spiritual information that I shared in this campaign, please take what resonates with you, and leave the rest. I totally understand everybody is different, and is going through their lives with different lessons, and each of us is growing at a different rate as well. In my case, after going through ups & downs, various life experiences both good and bad, making some mistakes, learning from them… I have learned that spirituality is not really about believing in some divine beings or invisible stuff or honing psychic abilities and predicting future or getting some healing skills or spiritual knowledge, or even manifesting your desired reality in your life…They are part of it though…But, it is more about the journey of knowing who you are…and… this journey is never-ending process and basically anything goes! It doesn’t mean you can ignore morals or intentionally do bad things…but what is important is how you perceive what happens in your life, learn something from them, keep growing as a person, and live your life in fullest. When you know that, the more you learn and gain knowledge and experiences, the more you start to feel humble, not toward others, but more with yourself. And you cannot help but be grateful for a lot of small things in your life…. Well, I think that’s where I am at in my life.

Through Katakamuna research and art-making, I feel like I have been able to heal myself as well. Looking around, especially during this challenging time, we have noticed the things that seem so unfair, the problems that we knew but overlooked for a long time have become hard to ignore anymore. It could be endless to point out the things  that are not going right around us. But, the opportunity to learn about Kamiyomoji made me realize how fortunate I already am just for being as what I am. So, honestly, I am very very grateful for being able to share the information about Kamiyomoji to you, at this time of my life.

I am probably going to share some of my new works and more info about Kamiyomoji on my updates. So stick around! If there is any of you who are interested in how you can practice Kamiyomoji (by singing and writing) by yourself, etc…, please let me know by leaving comments.

Again, Thank you SOOO much for visiting my campaign! I hope to see you soon at one of my updates!!

May all the good fortunes be with you always!!

Love, Hoshikage

〜＊〜Recommended Book〜＊〜

During my research, I have come across an excellent book called “The Sacred Science of Ancient Japan,” written by American author, Mr.Avery Morrow. He covers not only major Kamiyomoji characters that I share here but also the contents of the Kamiyomoji documents and other para-history documents and often shared his knowledge of other religions or philosophies, which I found very interesting. I really appreciate his respect & dedication for ancient Japanese cultures, as well as his point of view, which I felt close to ours, through the eyes of Japanese. Through his book, you would probably be able to find why I felt that we come from one same place, too. Highly recommended!!