About the Nichigetsukai
Purpose
The Nichigetsukai was founded on October 7th, 2002 in the state of California, to act primarily as an administrative branch and financial supplement to the efforts of the Tsuki Kage dojo, as well as any future related branch dojo. The intent of founding this organization was to separate business and commerce from the day to day dojo affairs. The organization will manage and coordinate the administrative efforts of the dojo, and offer financial support as needed. A traditional dojo is not best served when run as a "business", however, income and monies must still be managed legally (taxes reported and a business license/insurance established). Thus, all purchases, services, film related projects, specialized product/equipment sales, investments and various administrative actions shall be made under the umbrella of the Nichigetsukai organization.
Structure
Because of the nature of the organization, it is not necessary (at this time) to formalize a rijikai or other such officer administrative structure. For the time being, there is simply a Director of General Affairs (Nathan Scott), consultants and advisors on an as-needed basis, and a modest membership base.
Meaning
Nichigetsukai (
) translates literally as the "sun and moon organization". This name was selected for a number of reasons, one of which was to keep in following with the dojo nomenclature already established with the Tsuki Kage dojo, which means "moon shadow". The moon above must cast down its light in order to create a shadow. The moon is in turn illuminated by the sun, and as such, the moon is reliant on the sun for its own illumination. It is this interaction and continuous cycle (harmony) of the sun and moon that creates Tsuki Kage. As such, this basic concept seemed appropriate for the supervisory/overseeing organization.
Mon
The Nichigetsukai mon (crest) is of the sun and moon nestled within lotus leaves (see the image at the top of this page). Nichigetsu symbolically carries with it the principle of in/yo (yin and yang). The sun and moon represent light and darkness (night and day, positive and negative), which was a core part of the early Japanese Shinto belief system as well as Confucianism and other Eastern philosophies. The manipulation and harmonization of In/Yo is also an important principle and tactic in Japanese martial arts, such as in the principle of "aiki" (harmonized energy). The sun and moon illustrate this symbolic relationship.
Lotus leaves are a popular symbol of Buddhism as well (Buddha was born on lotus leaves, and is sometimes shown in a similar fashion), and are also included from the influence of the Wago no Kami illustration.
Wago no Kami
In the Shinto belief, there is a legend of Izanami-no-Mikoto and Izanagi-no-Mikoto, a female and male set of deities respectively that were believed to be responsible for the creation of the Japanese islands. Izanami is a female deity (In/Yin), typically shown holding a crescent moon spear ("gekken") and sometimes shown with the moon above her. Izanagi is a male deity (Yo/Yang), typically shown with a sun spear ("hiboko"), and is sometimes shown with the sun above him.
Research into documenting early references to the principle/concept of "aiki" has led to the possibility of a relationship between this principle and the Izanami and Izanagi mythical tradition (and others), which were originally recorded in documents such as the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki (two of Japans oldest known writings). These two deities are sometimes referred to collectively as "Wago no Kami", or, the "deities of harmony". Ueshiba Morihei Sensei, Founder of Aikido, was fond of the Wago no Kami as one of his symbols of harmony, and referred to it from time to time in his writings and various doka (songs of the way).
The image of the Wago no Kami shown at the bottom of this page is adapted from a reproduction from an old densho (transmission document) of the Shinkage ryu, one of the founding classical martial traditions of Japan.
©2003, Nichigetsukai