Samurai and Ninja: The Real Story Behind the Japanese Warrior Myth That Shatters the Bushido Mystique (17 page)

The Five Types of Heads

The decapitated head of a victim normally falls into one of five categories. However some heads—those that are grotesque and evil-looking—are considered as malevolent.

右眼

Ugan

Right-eyed

The eyes of the dead stare to the right.

左眼

Sagan

Left-eyed

The eyes of the dead stare to the left.

天眼

Tengan

Heaven-eyed

The eyes of the dead stare up at the heavens.

地眼

Jigan

Earth-eyed

The eyes of the dead stare down to the earth.

仏眼

Butsugan

Buddha-eyed

The eyes of the dead are half closed in a Buddha-like position.

Divination and Heads of Evil

Being a head cult, the samurai had rituals prescribed for the heads they collected. This included divination through heads and the exorcism of those that were deemed evil.

To divine the future through a decapitated head the samurai would look at the mouth by lifting the upper lip:

1. If the lower jaw protruded forward past the upper teeth, then it was good luck for the side who had taken the head.

2. If the upper teeth protruded past the lower jaw then it was bad luck for the side which had taken the head.

3. If the teeth were flush together then the result of the situation would be a stalemate or end in an agreement of peace.

Respect had to be shown to this head—if it was an auspicious head then a monk would chant the correct formula to appease the soul of the dead, and if a head of evil intent the correct exorcism would be performed.

If a head (see image on the following page) has its eyes wide open, its teeth exposed, and the hair along the side of the face and sideburns sticking out and upward, then it is an evil head. This head should not be shown to a lord-commander. The man who killed this enemy and took the head must undergo an exorcism—people should be respectful around the head and it should be treated properly. The ideogram as seen in the image should be written on the head and then it should be taken to a place where it is to be buried. The direction that it should be buried is the “direction of inviting death” while the person burying it should stand in the “direction of life.” The man performing this rite must stand with hands together in prayer and incant a specific spell seven times, then holding his left hand on his chest and his index finger of the right hand pointing to the sky, he should move to write the following ideograms on the ground:

They must next cut the kuji grid of protection in the air with their finger and take seven steps backwards and then trace the following Sanskrit mark in the air:

The person who should deal with this head does not have to be the person who killed; this should be done by a person of great skill, a technician.

Gibbeting the Heads

A samurai, with head in hand who has finished presenting it to the lord and has received his reward, has to dispose of the trophy. Unlike some other head cultures, the samurai do not keep the heads as a normal rule, but tend to return them to the families of the fallen warrior; or they gibbet them on wooden beams that have spikes to hold them firmly in place.

These stands—being made of the correct wood—are erected and the heads are placed upon the spikes and left to rot in the wind. Sometimes the heads are wrapped in cloth—normally in an arrow cape if it is an important warrior—or they are returned to the family. If they are returned then they are presented in a box container with the correct spells and prayers provided.

Head-taking was not only a factor of the warring periods but also in times of peace. It would not be unheard of to see a man on a mission of vengeance and a duel between the pursuer and the pursued as they battled in the streets or fields of peacetime Japan. The result would be the victor walking down the street with a bloody head in his hands while the authorities tried to discover if the killing was legal or not. Overall, the samurai is a taker of heads; his victory count, prestige and employment often depend upon the heads taken in battle.