The 5 Elemental Codes: Seeing Your World Through the Eyes of Universal Understanding (Part 1)

This article is the 1st part of an open response to a question that I encountered online a few years ago in one of the many Martial Arts Ninjutsu forums. The question (paraphrased) was:

"What are the 5-elements (earth, wind, water, wood and metal) about that I have seen mentioned in books on ninjutsu?"

As is so often the case when dealing with multiple personality types, egos, and the need for instructors to justify their positions and philosophies, the question went unanswered. What followed for several days was a sidebar discussion about the "rightness" or "wrongness" of a particular teaching model. In short, the poor student's question went unanswered.

What follows began as a brief attempt to help the student resolve his dilemma and, eventually, turned into a three-part series.The metaphysical lore of the East is, quite logically, intertwined with the arts associated with the Shadow Warriors of Japan. Often, the influences are obvious, as in the use of the Shinto ceremony of respect and acknowledgment used to open and close classes; others, like the 5-element classification systems are not as apparent.

Many of the books on ninjutsu, as well as the over-abundance of "New Age" tomes on the market, written by less-than-knowledgeable individuals, make reference to a system of classifying all that exists in the universe. This system of 5 Elements is actually 2 systems; each used to describe a different process. Unfortunately, the information is often offered in one of three ways. They are:

1. Light-heartedly, in an erroneous comparison with something else with a similar name

2. Incorrectly listed, as with this student's listing, combining the two into one

3. Juxtapositioning the symbolic meanings

The first system, dealt with in this article, is known as the Godai or "Five Great Elemental Manifestations." The elemental codes, in ascending order are...

...chi "earth"...
...sui "water"......ka (or hi) "fire"......fu "wind", and......ku the "void"

This is a system based on, and leading up to, the rokku-dai "Six Great Elements" as used in esoteric Buddhist study.

The elements of the Godai are often, quite erroneously, confused with the elements that make up the Periodic Table used in the study of chemistry in Western science. I even remember a time when I was in school and one of my science teachers, who was covering the base elements at the time, laughed quite condescendingly about how the people of the Orient believe that there are only "Five" elements and, naming the above, pointed out the "real" 81 (at the time).

In fact, the Godai elements are not meant to be used in such a detailed and destructive way as the ones of Western science. "Things" are not broken down so far that they become indistinguishable from their real form. The 5-Element code is actually a means of cataloging and grouping like concepts, aspects, strategies, energies, etc. In fact...

...the Western system can actually be reorganized and classified using the Godai system.

The Elements as Classifications of "Groups"

The five elements of the Godai, their symbolic representation, their appearance in the human being, and their use, by some instructors, in the teaching of the ninja's arts are:

Chi"Earth" - represents the firm, hard objects that appear in existence. Rocks are probably the best symbol of the earth element in nature in that they are incapable of change, movement or growth, without the help of the other elements.

In the human being, the "earth" element shows up in the body as the bones, muscles, and other tissues. In the mind, it is confidence; and emotionally it is a desire to have things remain as they are; a resistance to change. When under the influence of this chi or earth mode or 'mood,' we are aware of our own physicality and sureness of action.

As a means of self-protection, which is based, as are all of the strategies of the ninja's art of operating with natural laws, on the student's emotional level or mood when the attack starts. "Earth," as a code for Enlightened Self-Defense action, represents our desire to hold our ground and 'crush' the assailant's attack with our strength. We are calm and unbothered by their threats and we firmly resolve to stop them