may the presiders over warriors be my vanguard
A nine-character Buddhist charm chanted to ward off evil; used in esoteric Buddhist rituals and martial arts contexts. The phrase is a fixed incantation, not productive modern Japanese.
See also: 九字
Esoteric Buddhist practitioners chant 'Rinpyō Tōsha Kai Jin Retsu Zai Zen' to create a protective barrier.
This nine-character spell, written as 'Rinpyō Tōsha Kai Jin Retsu Zai Zen,' was used as a charm against evil.
九字 refers to the nine-syllable mantra itself, while 臨兵闘者皆陣列在前 is the specific phrase chanted.
Standard kanji form of the nine-character Buddhist charm.
Variant with 裂 (split/tear) instead of 列 (row/line).
Variant with 烈 (fierce) instead of 列 (row/line).
This protective formula is the Japanese nine-character incantation 九字, based on a passage in the Chinese Daoist text 『抱朴子』 whose wording begins 臨兵闘者皆陣列前行. The Japanese form ends 在前.