JAPANESE POEMS AS MAGICAL FORMULAS: UNVEILING THE CONNECTION TO FEMALE PHYSIOLOGY
JAPANESE POEMS AS MAGICAL FORMULAS: UNVEILING THE CONNECTION TO FEMALE PHYSIOLOGY

Summary/Abstract: This paper explores the reinterpreted use of early Japanese short poems tanka (henceforth referred to as waka) as magical formulas, particularly examining Moto yori chiri ni majiwaru..., a pseudo-classical waka attributed to Izumi Shikibu (976–1031) (also to Ono no Komachi, a ninth-century court poetess) and Naniwazu ni saku ya..., a poem recorded in Kokin wakashū [Collection of Ancient and Modern Japanese Poems]. These examples, which are well- founded in literature, illustrate how waka were repurposed for supernatural applications. The focus is on their practical role in female physiology, particularly as magical formulas to regulate menstrual cycles and ward off impurity caused by menstrual blood. The paper argues that these waka endured through their incorporation into talismans (gofu), and the study includes examples of talismans from the author’s private collection. Through this exploration, it sheds light on the dynamic interplay between waka, Buddhism, and ritualistic purity.

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