The [a vi ra hum kham] is considered the goji shingon (the Five-Syllable Mantra) of the Taizo (Womb Realm) Dainichi Nyorai and has been strictly passed on through shishi sosho or generation-to-generation instruction from master to disciple in Shingon Esoteric Buddhism. On the other hand, the goji shingon has also been transmitted privately and used as a kind of majinai or incantation that cures illnesses and injuries and wards off disasters. In this paper, we examine how the goji shingon came to be believed and propagated among the common folk, focusing on each prefectureʼs various “prefectural history” publications. Specifically, we organized the various case studies and categorized them by functions such as 1) avoiding poisoning (a. wards and antidotes against snakes, b. wards and antidotes against bees); 2) curing wounds and illnesses (a. burns, b. toothaches, c. preventing and stopping bleeding, and d. other wounds and illnesses); and 3) other effects, and discussed their origins. Often, the goji shingon became distorted as it spread among people, consequently words with additional meaning and nuances were added to the front and back of the mantra. However, we noticed a certain regularity in the added words and their functions, for example, warabi (bracken) or namekuji (Japanese native slugs) for charms against snakes, “orochi or giant serpents of the Sarusawa Pond” for treatment of burns, and “blood is the blessing of parents” for stopping the flow of blood.
