Ame-no-Ukihashi, a term that means “the floating bridge of heaven,” as found in the Japanese creation myth, is also the name of the esoteric martial art among practitioners of the Art of Ninzuwu. We find the following passage in The Ivory Tablets of the Crow:
“It is said tha the name of this place is called Vasuh and Ut, the twin cities of water and fire, recorded in the histories of men, as a life tree.”
Much has been written about Vasuh and the Vasuh language. In regards to Ut, however, we find that the mysteries and meanings thereof come in the alchemy of fire and water, the knowledge of Ame-no-Ukihashi.
Cultivation of Ame-no-Ukihashi and the esoteric knowledge of its martial form is found in the book entitled Ame-no-Ukihashi: The Ancient Martial Art of the Ninzuwu. Practice of this dance leads to the development of astral abilities and a deeper understanding of the movement of chi energy. Each form is patterned a hiragana and how it is written.
The basis of the Ame-no-Ukihashi martial art form is found in the Soul of Fire Prayer, as depicted in the picture below:
Stance of the Soul of Fire Prayer meditation. (Nzu-Zhee-Nzu, Shki-Zhee-Phe)
The Soul of Fire Prayer opens up the Ame-no-Ukihashi practice. The text describes the Soul of Fire as the foundation of the Art of Ninzuwu practice. Later, we are provided with how the Soul of Fire Prayer position corresponds to what is written in the Nihon Shoki:
“Of old, Heaven and Earth were not yet separated, and the In and Yo not yet divided. They formed a chaotic mass like an egg which was of obscurely defined limits and contained germs.”
The Initiate opens up the Ame-no-Ukihashi practice with the Soul of Fire Prayer, as described in The Ivory Tablets of the Crow. The Soul of Fire Prayer position and the esoteric knowledge connected with such is discussed in the Book of Mirrors section in the Ame-no-Ukihashi book.
After the Initiate has opened their Ame-no-Ukihashi practice with the Soul of Fire Prayer, they would then proceed to move on to the first hiragana form:
First form in Ame-no-Ukihashi is identical to how the first hiragana is drawn.
The movements of the first form is identical to how the first hiragana is drawn:
The meaning of the first hiragana in the Ame-no-Ukihashi system corresponds to the following section of the Nihon Shoki:
“The purer and clearer part was thinly drawn out, and formed Heaven, while the heavier and grosser element settled down and became Earth….The finer element easily became a united body, but the consolidation of the heavy and gross element was accomplished with difficulty….Heaven was therefore formed first, and Earth was established subsequently. Therefore Divine Beings were produced between them.”
When one begins to practice Ame-no-Ukihashi they can begin to see how the first sign in hiragana is equal to the Heaven trigram, Qian, in the Yi Jing:
Some may wonder how does the Heaven trigram equal the first sign in hiragana? Qian (the Heaven trigram) consists of three lines. The top line is the Will of Heaven. The Will of Heaven is like someone sitting ashore and watching a boat pass them by. They can see how the boat (celestial body, or invisible law) causes an increase in the incoming tide. The water that is affected by the boat’s movement represents etheric forces, chi, and the invisible principles that manifest in physical form once they reach Earth. This is the second line of the trigram. The third line is the physical manifestation of the heavenly cause. This comparison with Qian (Heaven trigram) easily applies to the first hiragana form. Take a look at it again:
The first form in the Ame-no-Ukihashi martial art teaches us how to discover the cause of the physical form and the the meaning of the flow of chi energy. I am reminded of an excerpt from The Demon’s Sermon on Martial Arts by Issai Chonzanshi:
“Listen, forms follows ch’i, and ch’i follows the mind. When the mind does not move, there is no movement of ch’i; when the mind is at peace and there is nothing to agitate it, the ch’i is in harmony.”
Video instructions on the movement from the Soul of Fire stance to the first hiragana form are available on the video below:
I love this video, it’s like being in a class with you.
@Ankhara…thanks! it all in the same dream.
Thank you, Warlock Asylum. This is awesome in it’s translation and practicum!
your welcome