Ton'ei 遁影: Shadow Shield or Escaped Phantom?

影電話 photo By shokai

Do you know how to use a shadow shield? If you've dropped all your fantasies of being a Ninja and only focus on dojo martial arts, you may have forgotten about what attracted you to being a ninja in the first place. So let's be mysterious Ninja for a moment.

We have a skill, yes, a skill in our training called 遁影 ton'ei. This is sometimes translated as "shadow shield," but there is more subtlety for us to understand. Shadow is not just a nickname for Ninja, it is an aspect of ton'ei no jutsu.

So this is a tactical strategy as well as a mysterious one. For the tactical, you simply fight with the sun at your back so that the opponent is blinded and has trouble seeing you. As Hatsumi Sensei says you are casting your shadow forward. Hiding in the sunlight is the real shadow of budo.

For one mysterious aspect of 遁影 ton'ei, learning this skill can start with kamae. Soke says that even as you stand in any specific kamae, your heart and mind must be in Kage Kamae.  The shadow in this case is what your heart is feeling. From this shadow kamae you may attack hidden targets. One may even use what is called kage no ken or moguriuchi.

In one of the gokui from our Kukishin Ryu Densho we may discover more secrets for this.

月影の　いたらぬ里は　なけれども　眺むる人の　心にぞすむ
Tsukikage no itaranu sato wa nakeredomo nagamuru hito no kokoro ni zosumu.
 

Though the moon shines all over the world

Leaving no corner in darkness,

Only those who gaze upon the moon

Appreciate its serene light.

This gokui no uta suggests to us that that the shadows and light of the moon exist for everyone whether you gaze on it or not. But only a few appreciate its mystery.

Another version of this poem is

月影の照らさぬ里はなけれども眺むる人の心にぞ住む



"The village, illuminated by the moonlight, exists in the heart of he who looks upon it."

So here is a secret. It exists in the heart. Your kage no kamae exists there. But when you project that shadow forward, it will also exist in the heart of "he who looks upon it."

This shadow projection is like a clone that your opponent perceives as a threat. Then he will be haunted by your shadow as if by 後神 Ushirogami which a type of 妖怪 youkai. One depiction of an Ushirogami shows its front and backside are the same. One of its arms faces forward and the other backwards.

This Ushirogami is connected to 臆病神 Okubyô-gami and will produce cowardice and confusion for your enemy. When he thinks you are in front of him, you are behind. So he turns around, and there is nothing.

As you project this escaped phantom 遁影, your opponent's mind is clouded with regret, anxiety, fear, and anger. This is your shield. It is as easy to hide from his mind as the moon hides behind clouds.

But you may trap yourself if you are not careful. In Japan, some fisherman have a legend of 影ワニ a shark that feeds on shadows. There you are... fishing by moonlight. You see a shadow pass under your boat...

You stand to get a better look. Then you see your own shadow fall across the water. CHOMP! the shark eats your shadow and you are dragged down into the sea or die right there in your boat.