The spirit of words

Today, and March 18th annually, is Spirit Day 精霊の日 (seirei no hi) in Japan. "Spirit Day" honors the memory of three celebrated poets—Kakinomoto no Hitomaro, Ono no Komachi, and Izumi Shikibu—whose death dates are said to fall on March 18th by the traditional calendar. 

The day invites reflection on the Japanese belief that words carry spirit, called "kotodama" (言霊) in Japanese. "Koto" (言) means word and "tama" (霊) means spirit or soul, expressing the idea that language is alive with energy. In ancient belief, words could bless, curse, protect, or harm depending on how they were spoken. This is why early Japanese rituals emphasized purity of speech, and why poetry was considered a sacred act rather than just an artistic one.

"Spirit Day" encourages people to revisit classical poetry and appreciate the emotional depth these poets brought to the literary world. The photo in this post is just of a poem, at the love bell in Shizuoka, and not - as far as I am aware - by any of the poets mentioned in this post.