The warrior does not fight alone
In Western popular culture, the warrior is often depicted as a lone figure — the self-reliant hero who needs no help. The Japanese warrior tradition sees it differently. From the historical samurai to the Yamabushi to the Ninja of Iga, the warrior moves accompanied by protective beings. The connection is real, the protection is real, and the practice of staying in touch with these beings is part of what made the older traditions so deep.
This is not weakness. It is not naive piety. It is the recognition that the spirit-dimension is real and that aligning oneself with the right beings is a strategic and spiritual necessity.
Five protective beings, five qualities
Fudō Myō-ō — the Immovable Wisdom King. Sword in one hand to cut through illusion, lasso in the other to bind delusion. The classical protective deity invoked by samurai and esoteric Buddhists before any threshold. Brings groundedness and clarity under pressure.
Kokūzō Bosatsu — the Bodhisattva of infinite space, namesake of this Dojo. The source of the Akashic field. Opens the connection to deeper knowing and the mediumistic dimension over years of practice.
Bishamon-Ten — guardian of the North, one of the Four Heavenly Kings. The deity of warrior fortune and protection in battle. Often invoked by samurai before campaigns.
Marishiten — the deity of invisibility and protection in combat. Often associated with the warrior path because of the function: to remain unseen by hostile forces, to move without being targeted.
The Tengu of Kurama (and other mountain spirits) — the bird-warrior beings who taught Yoshitsune and who, in the older traditions, still teach. The mountain itself is the temple. The Tengu are the teachers.
How the connection forms
You do not "decide" to connect with a protective being and then it happens. The connection forms over time through three movements:
1. Acquaintance. You learn the iconography, the stories, the place this being holds in the tradition. You read the sutras, see the images, visit the temples and mountains. The being becomes a familiar presence in your inner world.
2. Invocation. Through Kuji Kiri, mantras, or formal ritual, you invite the being into your practice. You begin to address them with the correct forms, at the right times, with sincere intention.
3. Response. Over months and years, the being responds. Not necessarily in dramatic visions — often in small ways. A clearer mind before a decision. A sudden insight in training. The feeling of presence at a critical moment.
Protective beings and the mediumistic dimension
For practitioners who develop the mediumistic dimension that the Taguchi Lineage carries, protective beings are not abstractions. They are encountered. The connection becomes operative — the being is there when needed, the practice is informed by their presence.
This is not psychological projection. It is what serious warrior traditions across cultures have always reported when the practice goes deep enough.
For the practitioner today
To begin engaging with the protective beings of the warrior tradition:
- Learn the iconography. Look at images of Fudō Myō-ō, of Kokūzō, of Marishiten. Let the images work on you.
- Visit the sacred places when possible. The Shikoku 88-Temple route, the Tengu mountains, the Shingon temples.
- Receive transmission from someone who has the connection. The connection is contagious through direct contact.
- Maintain a regular practice — Kuji Kiri, meditation, or another form that opens the inner space.
For English-speaking practitioners interested in deeper engagement with the protective beings of Kuji Kiri and the Shingon tradition, the Japanese Grimoire Society is the community where this work is shared.