Fudo Myoo — the Warrior Protector

If you visit temples in Japan, you'll soon come across a figure who looks anything but gentle. He stands or sits in front of a halo of flames, holding a sword in his right hand and a rope in his left, with a fierce look on his face. This is Fudō Myōō 不動明王, the Immovable Wisdom King. Over the centuries he became one of the most important protectors for warriors and for the mountain ascetics of Shugendō.

His wrath isn't human anger, though. It's the wrath of clarity against delusion, and in this sense it's a very sharp form of compassion. His flames don't burn people. They burn fear, delusion and everything that keeps the mind in chains.

The name 不動

So Fudō is the one who can't be moved, not by fear, not by doubt and not by the temptation to retreat. Among the Five Great Wisdom Kings (godai myōō 五大明王) he stands at the center. In Shingon he's understood as a wrathful manifestation of Dainichi Nyorai, who takes on this fierce form for those who can't be reached by gentle means.

Fudō and the warriors 武士

It's easy to understand why warriors in particular felt drawn to Fudō. What a warrior needs most is an immovable mind, a mind that doesn't tremble at the decisive moment. Fudō's veneration spread widely from the Heian period onward, and the samurai and later the martial arts traditions took up his image. In the 17th century the Zen monk Takuan Sōhō wrote a text on swordsmanship for the sword master Yagyū Munenori with the title Fudōchi shinmyōroku 不動智神妙録, "The Mysterious Record of Immovable Wisdom." In it he explains the immovable mind directly with the image of Fudō Myōō.

The mountain ascetics (yamabushi) of Shugendō also have a particularly close relationship with Fudō. For them he's the central protective figure, and they invoke him in their rituals and in the fire ritual goma. It's through these circles that his practice is also linked with Kuji Kiri and with the traditions that are later associated with the ninja.

The sword Kurikara 倶利迦羅

In his right hand Fudō holds a sword, which is often shown as the Kurikara-ken 倶利迦羅剣, a sword around which a dragon wrapped in flames coils. This sword doesn't cut flesh. It cuts through delusion. For a warrior that had a very practical meaning, because the most dangerous opponent is often doubt and hesitation in your own head.

It's no coincidence that many Japanese sword blades carry engravings (horimono) of the Kurikara dragon or of Fudō himself. The warrior's blade and the blade of the Wisdom King were connected in this way.

The rope 羂索

In his left hand Fudō holds a rope, the kensaku 羂索, with which he binds the demons. Buddhism understands these above all as the demons of one's own mind, the three poisons of greed, hatred and delusion. At the same time, the rope is understood as a lifeline with which Fudō pulls beings out of their suffering. In other words, the sword stands for seeing clearly and the rope for holding on and pulling out. Together they're a complete practice.

The flames 火焔

Behind Fudō blazes a halo of flames, which is called karura-en 迦楼羅炎, "Garuda flames," because the flames are said to take the shape of the mythical bird Garuda. These flames stand for the fire of wisdom, which burns up the passions and obstacles. That's why the goma fire ritual is so closely connected with Fudō.

Fudō Myōō in Kuji Kiri and Shingon Reiki 真言

In Kuji Kiri as I practice it, Fudō Myōō is the main power of Kuji Kiri 2. Here his sword and flames come together with the actual ritual of the nine cuts. In Kuji Kiri 3, the nine hand seals (kuji-in) are added, together with Fudō Myōō and Marishi-ten. And in Kuji Kiri 9, his great flame contemplation stands at the center.

In Shingon Reiki, Fudō Myōō belongs to the advanced practice, and on the Shingon Reiki Master Path he's one of the initiations. His middle mantra, Naumaku sanmanda bazaradan senda makaroshada sowataya un tarata kan man, is one of the best known mantras of Shingon. How it's practiced is passed on in the initiation.

My Ninjutsu grandmaster, Taguchi Sensei, whose successor I am, also never separated martial art from spiritual practice. For me, Fudō Myōō stands at the point where the two meet.

What Fudō can mean for you

You don't have to be a samurai, a ninja or a monk to know the demons Fudō binds, like the fear of change, the doubt about whether you're strong enough, or clinging to something that's long gone. Fudō doesn't offer a soft embrace. He offers fire, and in this fire lies the possibility of letting go of what keeps you small. The next time you stand in front of a Fudō statue, take a look at his eyes. Traditionally one eye looks up and the other down, and his teeth bite the upper lip on one side and the lower lip on the other. Can you spot it?