Many of you know the game I will mention here today: Shadow Dancer. It was first released for arcades and later for consoles and computers. In this text I will highlight some details of the original version of the game that, so far, have not been reported anywhere else.
Starting with the game's introductory scene, we soon see a detail that catches our attention.
Images of the dog at the beginning of the movie The Thing and in the game Shadow Dancer, respectively.
Click on one of the pictures above to enlarge it
As you can see from the images above, the game's developers have copied exactly six frames from one of the scenes in the first few minutes of the movie The Thing and placed it in the arcade's introduction, presenting the dog from the film as if it were the canine partner of Shadow Dancer's protagonist.
Now we come to the details that nobody has described so far: the mantras. Shadow Dancer was released as the sequel to the game Shinobi. In this first game, the protagonist Joe Musashi uses the so-called "Ninja Magic," an attack that kills all enemies on the screen instantly, except bosses. When you perform this attack, some characters appear around the character; watch the following video:
These characters (four in all, repeating once) do not belong to a common language, i.e. they have no meaning. They are used to represent a mantra being recited by the ninja to evoke the magic that protects him.
It is not uncommon for ninjas to be depicted using mantras, including in video games. Buddhism is closely related to Japan and its culture, but how to explain the relationship between ninjas and the use of mantras? The fifth chapter of the book Ninja vol. II: Warrior Ways of Enlightment (also known as Stephen K. Hayes' Warrior Ways of Enlightment) by Stephen K. Hayes helps us explain some of this connection.
According to him, ninjutsu takes its practitioners to the limit of physical strength and rational thinking, where every detail in the execution of their actions is the result of spiritual strength. Through the practice of mikkyō, Buddhist teachings transmitted by a master to his disciples, Japanese warriors gained awareness of universal and individual powers, leading to the development of the formation of a warrior who would be known as "ninja."
The generation of strength through mikkyō, involves the combined use of mantra, mandala and mudra for the coordination of all the energies of the personality. The force resulting from this harmonious alignment of word, thought, and deed is called sanmitsu (in Japanese: 三密; in English: three secrets).
In Shadow Dancer, as in Shinobi, Ninja Magic is present and there are also three of them, but this time they have more elaborate presentations. The protagonist recites a mantra invoking a deity and this is shown on screen written in Siddhaṃ, writing that in Japan is known as bonji (in Japanese: 梵字; in English: Brahma's characters), used to represent the sounds of mantras.
Hayes' book says that willpower is most firmly established through vows that instill intentions in the physical realm by giving it the reality of vibratory presence. These vibrations have been preserved in shuji (in Japanese: 種子; in English: seed), seed syllables that represent the origin or cause of things. Along with the mantras said in the game, their respective seed syllables appear prominently in the scenes.
Let's take a look at Shadow Dancer's Ninja Magic!
In this first magic, of the Fire Dog, while performing a mudra, the protagonist speaks the Sanskrit mantra namaḥ samanta buddhānāṃ bhaḥ. The Japanese pronunciation is namaku samanda bodanan ba (in Japanese: ナマク・サマンダ・ボダナン・バ), but the ninja mistakenly speaks namaku masanda bodanan ba, changing the position of the syllables. What is written on the screen, in Siddhaṃ, is the following:
As you may have noticed, some characters above look different from those in the game, but they are the same. The font used here is different. At the top, in yellow, is the seed syllable bhaḥ, which is associated with the Buddha Siddhartha Gautama (in Japanese: 釈迦), meaning that he is the one being invoked here. At the bottom, the mantra written in red. One possible translation of it, presented in the book The Vairocanābhisaṃbodhi Sūtra, is "Homage to all Buddhas! Bhaḥ!"
In the second magic, of the tornado, the main character does a mudra and says the Sanskrit mantra oṃ aḥ ra pa ca na, whose Japanese pronunciation is on a ra ha sha na (in Japanese: オン・ア・ラ・ハ・シャ・ナ), however, he seems to say on a ra ha shau na, possibly a different intonation of sha or even because one of the transliterations of this mantra into Japanese is on arahashanou (in Japanese: オン・アラハシャノウ), so, as in the magic shown earlier, there would have been a switch in the position of the syllables, with the final u shifted and ending in na instead of no. The text shown in the magic scene is:
The seed syllable, written in yellow, is maṃ, which is associated with the bodhisattva Mañjuśrī (in Japanese: 文殊菩薩), the invocation this time.
The mantra in Siddhaṃ, written in red, has no easy translation, as each syllable carries a unique meaning. It begins with Om, the sacred syllable that is the essence of the Absolute, and continues with the first five syllables of the arapacana alphabet. Edward Conze, in chapter I 9.15 of his book The Large Sutra on Perfect Wisdom, describes the significance of each of these:
The third and final magic, that of the Buddhist image, again has the protagonist performing a mudra while saying the Sanskrit mantra oṃ samaya stvaṃ, which in Japanese is pronounced on sanmaya satoban (in Japanese: オン・サンマヤ・サトバン).
The invoked deity is represented by the seed syllable aṃ, associated with the bodhisattva Samantabhadra (in Japanese: 普賢菩薩).
Perhaps you noticed that the last syllable of the mantra written in red is 𑖝𑖿𑖪𑖽 (tvaṃ), but the correct one would be 𑖭𑖿𑖝𑖿𑖪𑖽 (stvaṃ), which means there was a spelling error. A translation for the mantra would be "Om I am united in this vow". There is one other detail; let's look at the Buddhist image during the magic in the game:
Image of a Buddha in Shadow Dancer
Click on the image above to enlarge it
A buddha with a crown and a halo around his head, sitting in padmāsana on a lotus throne, apparently with both hands in abhayamudrā, has before him a sphere, which separates into two waves of eight spheres. These spheres are possibly a reference to the mandala, specifically that of the Diamond Realm.
This mandala has nine panels. Let's imagine that the sphere between the buddha's hands is the circle in the middle of the mandala, in the central panel, and notice that around this circle there are eight circles (in the game, the eight spheres around the central one, the first wave), all within a single circle. Around the central panel, there are another eight panels (the second wave of eight circles), all with circles filled with deities. So these deities would then also assist the ninja in this magic.
In the other versions of the game, the spells are there, but the written mantras do not appear in any of them. However, in the Master System version, it is possible to hear the protagonist reciting the mantra, but unlike the original game, the very same is repeated in all three magic: on sanmaya satoban, the last one shown here. Check out the videos below:
Those were the three magic! One last detail: the deities invoked were Siddhartha Gautama, Mañjuśrī, and Samantabhadra, and this choice was not random. The union of this buddha and the two bodhisattvas is called in Japan the Shakyamuni Triad (in Japanese: 釈迦三尊).
Did you think the information from Shadow Dancer was interesting? Since I couldn't find anything regarding the magic, I decided to be the first to share this knowledge. If you liked it, leave your opinion in the comments! See you next time!
Links
Further reading:
● Hayes, Stephen K. "Warrior Ways of Enlightenment - Stephen K. Hayes - Google Books". Google Books;
● "Mikkyo, Esoteric Buddhism - Japanese Wiki Corpus". Japanese Wiki Corpus;
● "Shingon Buddhist Intl. Institute: Teachings". Shingon Buddhist Intl. Institute: HeavenEarth Net;
● "Siddham : the perfect script for writing Buddhist mantras.". Visible Mantra;
● "Hindu, Hinduism. Before Buddhism in Japan.". Onmark Productions;
● "Bonji – Siddham - Tibetan Buddhist Encyclopedia". Tibetan Buddhist Encyclopedia;
● "Mandara in Japan - Ryokai Mandala, Daimond & Womb World Realms". Onmark Productions;
● "MANTRAS: Special Prayers for Various Deities". Eiko'in (archived);
● "Imēji Mantora" イメージマントラ [Mantras in Images]. Bonnoukun ぼんのうくん [Little Klesha] (in Japanese, archived);
● "Buddha Mudra & Gestures Meaning - RajRAS | RAS Exam Preparation". RajRAS [Rajasthan Administrative Services];
● "Guide to Japan's Ryokai (Two Worlds) Mandala; Schematic Diagrams Included". Onmark Productions;
● "Digital Dictionary of Deities in Japanese Mandala (Mandara)". Onmark Productions.
References:
Texto:
● "Eiga YU" 映画 ゆ [Movies YU]. Gendai Yōgo no Yobichishiki 現代用語の予備知識 [Preliminary Knowledge of Modern Terminology] (in Japanese);
● Hayes, Stephen K. (1983) [1st pub. 1981] Griflesh, Bill; Lee, Gregory (ed.). Ninja vol. II: Warrior Ways of Enlightenment (5th ed.). Burbank, California: Ohara Publications, Incorporated. pp. 143–153.;
● "Thirteen Buddhas - Wikipedia". Wikipedia;
● "Shaka (Siddhartha, Gautama) - Historical Buddha, Japanese Buddhism Photo Gallery". Onmark Productions;
● Giebel, Rolf W. (2017) [1st pub. 2005] The Vairocanābhisaṃbodhi Sutra (PDF). Moraga, California: BDK America, Inc. p. 66.;
● "Monju Bosatsu (Bodhisattva) - Japanese Buddhist Deity of Wisdom and Education". Onmark Productions;
● "Manjughosha and Manjusri mantras and seed syllables.". Visible Mantra;
● Conze, Edward. (1984) [1st pub. 1975] The Large Sutra on Perfect Wisdom. Los Angeles, California: University of California Press. p. 160.;
● "Sanskrit Dictionary". Sanskrit Dictionary;
● "Sanskrit Dictionary". Sanskrit Dictionary;
● "Sanskrit Dictionary". Sanskrit Dictionary;
● "Sanskrit Dictionary". Sanskrit Dictionary;
● "Sanskrit Dictionary". Sanskrit Dictionary;
● "Sanskrit Dictionary". Sanskrit Dictionary;
● "Fugen Bosatsu (Skt. = Samantabhadra Bodhisattva) - Japanese Buddhist Deity of Faith & Practice". Onmark Productions;
● "Visible Mantra Blog: A couple of stray mantras". Visible Mantra;
● "Shingon Buddhist Intl. Institute: The Daily Shingon Service". Shingon Buddhist Intl. Institute: HeavenEarth Net;
● "Shaka Sanzon - Wikipedia" 釈迦三尊 - Wikipedia [Shakyamuni Triad - Wikipédia]. Wikipedia (in Japanese);
Images:
Japanese arcade game flyer:
● "The Arcade Flyer Archive - Video Game Flyers: Shadow Dancer, Sega". The Arcade Flyer Archive;
Diamond Realm mandala scroll:
● "File:Kongokai.jpg - Wikimedia Commons". Wikimedia Commons.
Legal information
© 1989 SEGA. All the pictures from the video game Shadow Dancer™ shown here are property of their respective owners.
© 1982 Universal City Studios, Inc. All the pictures from the film The Thing™ shown here are property of their respective owners.
© 1987 SEGA. All the pictures from the video game Shinobi™ shown here are property of their respective owners.
Promotional flyer for the Japanese version of the arcade game Shadow Dancer (in Japanese: シャドー・ダンサー; romanized: Shadō Dansā)
Click on the image above to enlarge it
Click on the image above to enlarge it
Starting with the game's introductory scene, we soon see a detail that catches our attention.
 |  |
 |  |
 |  |
 |  |
 |  |
 |  |
Click on one of the pictures above to enlarge it
As you can see from the images above, the game's developers have copied exactly six frames from one of the scenes in the first few minutes of the movie The Thing and placed it in the arcade's introduction, presenting the dog from the film as if it were the canine partner of Shadow Dancer's protagonist.
Now we come to the details that nobody has described so far: the mantras. Shadow Dancer was released as the sequel to the game Shinobi. In this first game, the protagonist Joe Musashi uses the so-called "Ninja Magic," an attack that kills all enemies on the screen instantly, except bosses. When you perform this attack, some characters appear around the character; watch the following video:
Click here to watch the video on YouTube website |
These characters (four in all, repeating once) do not belong to a common language, i.e. they have no meaning. They are used to represent a mantra being recited by the ninja to evoke the magic that protects him.
It is not uncommon for ninjas to be depicted using mantras, including in video games. Buddhism is closely related to Japan and its culture, but how to explain the relationship between ninjas and the use of mantras? The fifth chapter of the book Ninja vol. II: Warrior Ways of Enlightment (also known as Stephen K. Hayes' Warrior Ways of Enlightment) by Stephen K. Hayes helps us explain some of this connection.
According to him, ninjutsu takes its practitioners to the limit of physical strength and rational thinking, where every detail in the execution of their actions is the result of spiritual strength. Through the practice of mikkyō, Buddhist teachings transmitted by a master to his disciples, Japanese warriors gained awareness of universal and individual powers, leading to the development of the formation of a warrior who would be known as "ninja."
The generation of strength through mikkyō, involves the combined use of mantra, mandala and mudra for the coordination of all the energies of the personality. The force resulting from this harmonious alignment of word, thought, and deed is called sanmitsu (in Japanese: 三密; in English: three secrets).
In Shadow Dancer, as in Shinobi, Ninja Magic is present and there are also three of them, but this time they have more elaborate presentations. The protagonist recites a mantra invoking a deity and this is shown on screen written in Siddhaṃ, writing that in Japan is known as bonji (in Japanese: 梵字; in English: Brahma's characters), used to represent the sounds of mantras.
Hayes' book says that willpower is most firmly established through vows that instill intentions in the physical realm by giving it the reality of vibratory presence. These vibrations have been preserved in shuji (in Japanese: 種子; in English: seed), seed syllables that represent the origin or cause of things. Along with the mantras said in the game, their respective seed syllables appear prominently in the scenes.
Let's take a look at Shadow Dancer's Ninja Magic!
Click here to watch the video on YouTube website |
In this first magic, of the Fire Dog, while performing a mudra, the protagonist speaks the Sanskrit mantra namaḥ samanta buddhānāṃ bhaḥ. The Japanese pronunciation is namaku samanda bodanan ba (in Japanese: ナマク・サマンダ・ボダナン・バ), but the ninja mistakenly speaks namaku masanda bodanan ba, changing the position of the syllables. What is written on the screen, in Siddhaṃ, is the following:
| 𑖥𑖾 bhaḥ | ||||||||
| 𑖡 na |
𑖦𑖾 maḥ |
𑖭 sa |
𑖦 ma |
𑖡𑖿𑖝 nta |
𑖤𑖲 bu |
𑖟𑖿𑖠𑖯 ddhā |
𑖡𑖯𑖽 nāṃ |
𑖥𑖾 bhaḥ |
As you may have noticed, some characters above look different from those in the game, but they are the same. The font used here is different. At the top, in yellow, is the seed syllable bhaḥ, which is associated with the Buddha Siddhartha Gautama (in Japanese: 釈迦), meaning that he is the one being invoked here. At the bottom, the mantra written in red. One possible translation of it, presented in the book The Vairocanābhisaṃbodhi Sūtra, is "Homage to all Buddhas! Bhaḥ!"
Click here to watch the video on YouTube website |
In the second magic, of the tornado, the main character does a mudra and says the Sanskrit mantra oṃ aḥ ra pa ca na, whose Japanese pronunciation is on a ra ha sha na (in Japanese: オン・ア・ラ・ハ・シャ・ナ), however, he seems to say on a ra ha shau na, possibly a different intonation of sha or even because one of the transliterations of this mantra into Japanese is on arahashanou (in Japanese: オン・アラハシャノウ), so, as in the magic shown earlier, there would have been a switch in the position of the syllables, with the final u shifted and ending in na instead of no. The text shown in the magic scene is:
| 𑖦𑖽 maṃ | |||||
| 𑖌𑖽 oṃ |
𑖀 aḥ |
𑖨 ra |
𑖢 pa |
𑖓 ca |
𑖡 na |
The seed syllable, written in yellow, is maṃ, which is associated with the bodhisattva Mañjuśrī (in Japanese: 文殊菩薩), the invocation this time.
The mantra in Siddhaṃ, written in red, has no easy translation, as each syllable carries a unique meaning. It begins with Om, the sacred syllable that is the essence of the Absolute, and continues with the first five syllables of the arapacana alphabet. Edward Conze, in chapter I 9.15 of his book The Large Sutra on Perfect Wisdom, describes the significance of each of these:
1. The syllable A is a door to the insight that all dharmas are unproduced from the very beginning (ādy-anutpannatvād); 2. RA is a door to the insight that all dharmas are without dirt (rajas); 3. PA is a door to the insight that all dharmas have been expounded in the ultimate sense (paramārtha); 4. CA is a door to the insight that the decease (cyavana) or rebirth of any dharma cannot be apprehended, because all dharmas do not decease, nor are they reborn; 5. NA is a door to the insight that the Names of all dharmas have vanished; the essential nature behind names cannot be gained or lost.Each syllable would then have come from each concept presented: A for ādy-anutpannatvād (in Sanskrit: आद्य् अनुत्पन्नत्वाद्; in English: unproduced from the very beginning), RA for rajas (in Sanskrit: रजस्; in English: dirt), PA for paramārtha (in Sanskrit: परमार्थ; in English: the best sense), CA for cyavana (in Sanskrit: च्यवन; in English: dying) and NA for nāma (in Sanskrit: नाम; in English: name).
Click here to watch the video on YouTube website |
The third and final magic, that of the Buddhist image, again has the protagonist performing a mudra while saying the Sanskrit mantra oṃ samaya stvaṃ, which in Japanese is pronounced on sanmaya satoban (in Japanese: オン・サンマヤ・サトバン).
| 𑖀𑖽 aṃ | |||||
| 𑖌𑖽 oṃ |
𑖭 sa |
𑖦 ma |
𑖧 ya |
𑖝𑖿𑖪𑖽 tvaṃ | |
The invoked deity is represented by the seed syllable aṃ, associated with the bodhisattva Samantabhadra (in Japanese: 普賢菩薩).
Perhaps you noticed that the last syllable of the mantra written in red is 𑖝𑖿𑖪𑖽 (tvaṃ), but the correct one would be 𑖭𑖿𑖝𑖿𑖪𑖽 (stvaṃ), which means there was a spelling error. A translation for the mantra would be "Om I am united in this vow". There is one other detail; let's look at the Buddhist image during the magic in the game:
Image of a Buddha in Shadow Dancer
Click on the image above to enlarge it
A buddha with a crown and a halo around his head, sitting in padmāsana on a lotus throne, apparently with both hands in abhayamudrā, has before him a sphere, which separates into two waves of eight spheres. These spheres are possibly a reference to the mandala, specifically that of the Diamond Realm.
The Diamond Realm mandala
Click on the image above to enlarge it
Click on the image above to enlarge it
This mandala has nine panels. Let's imagine that the sphere between the buddha's hands is the circle in the middle of the mandala, in the central panel, and notice that around this circle there are eight circles (in the game, the eight spheres around the central one, the first wave), all within a single circle. Around the central panel, there are another eight panels (the second wave of eight circles), all with circles filled with deities. So these deities would then also assist the ninja in this magic.
In the other versions of the game, the spells are there, but the written mantras do not appear in any of them. However, in the Master System version, it is possible to hear the protagonist reciting the mantra, but unlike the original game, the very same is repeated in all three magic: on sanmaya satoban, the last one shown here. Check out the videos below:
Click here to watch the playlist on YouTube website |
Those were the three magic! One last detail: the deities invoked were Siddhartha Gautama, Mañjuśrī, and Samantabhadra, and this choice was not random. The union of this buddha and the two bodhisattvas is called in Japan the Shakyamuni Triad (in Japanese: 釈迦三尊).
Did you think the information from Shadow Dancer was interesting? Since I couldn't find anything regarding the magic, I decided to be the first to share this knowledge. If you liked it, leave your opinion in the comments! See you next time!
Links
Further reading:
● Hayes, Stephen K. "Warrior Ways of Enlightenment - Stephen K. Hayes - Google Books". Google Books;
● "Mikkyo, Esoteric Buddhism - Japanese Wiki Corpus". Japanese Wiki Corpus;
● "Shingon Buddhist Intl. Institute: Teachings". Shingon Buddhist Intl. Institute: HeavenEarth Net;
● "Siddham : the perfect script for writing Buddhist mantras.". Visible Mantra;
● "Hindu, Hinduism. Before Buddhism in Japan.". Onmark Productions;
● "Bonji – Siddham - Tibetan Buddhist Encyclopedia". Tibetan Buddhist Encyclopedia;
● "Mandara in Japan - Ryokai Mandala, Daimond & Womb World Realms". Onmark Productions;
● "MANTRAS: Special Prayers for Various Deities". Eiko'in (archived);
● "Imēji Mantora" イメージマントラ [Mantras in Images]. Bonnoukun ぼんのうくん [Little Klesha] (in Japanese, archived);
● "Buddha Mudra & Gestures Meaning - RajRAS | RAS Exam Preparation". RajRAS [Rajasthan Administrative Services];
● "Guide to Japan's Ryokai (Two Worlds) Mandala; Schematic Diagrams Included". Onmark Productions;
● "Digital Dictionary of Deities in Japanese Mandala (Mandara)". Onmark Productions.
References:
Texto:
● "Eiga YU" 映画 ゆ [Movies YU]. Gendai Yōgo no Yobichishiki 現代用語の予備知識 [Preliminary Knowledge of Modern Terminology] (in Japanese);
● Hayes, Stephen K. (1983) [1st pub. 1981] Griflesh, Bill; Lee, Gregory (ed.). Ninja vol. II: Warrior Ways of Enlightenment (5th ed.). Burbank, California: Ohara Publications, Incorporated. pp. 143–153.;
● "Thirteen Buddhas - Wikipedia". Wikipedia;
● "Shaka (Siddhartha, Gautama) - Historical Buddha, Japanese Buddhism Photo Gallery". Onmark Productions;
● Giebel, Rolf W. (2017) [1st pub. 2005] The Vairocanābhisaṃbodhi Sutra (PDF). Moraga, California: BDK America, Inc. p. 66.;
● "Monju Bosatsu (Bodhisattva) - Japanese Buddhist Deity of Wisdom and Education". Onmark Productions;
● "Manjughosha and Manjusri mantras and seed syllables.". Visible Mantra;
● Conze, Edward. (1984) [1st pub. 1975] The Large Sutra on Perfect Wisdom. Los Angeles, California: University of California Press. p. 160.;
● "Sanskrit Dictionary". Sanskrit Dictionary;
● "Sanskrit Dictionary". Sanskrit Dictionary;
● "Sanskrit Dictionary". Sanskrit Dictionary;
● "Sanskrit Dictionary". Sanskrit Dictionary;
● "Sanskrit Dictionary". Sanskrit Dictionary;
● "Sanskrit Dictionary". Sanskrit Dictionary;
● "Fugen Bosatsu (Skt. = Samantabhadra Bodhisattva) - Japanese Buddhist Deity of Faith & Practice". Onmark Productions;
● "Visible Mantra Blog: A couple of stray mantras". Visible Mantra;
● "Shingon Buddhist Intl. Institute: The Daily Shingon Service". Shingon Buddhist Intl. Institute: HeavenEarth Net;
● "Shaka Sanzon - Wikipedia" 釈迦三尊 - Wikipedia [Shakyamuni Triad - Wikipédia]. Wikipedia (in Japanese);
Images:
Japanese arcade game flyer:
● "The Arcade Flyer Archive - Video Game Flyers: Shadow Dancer, Sega". The Arcade Flyer Archive;
Diamond Realm mandala scroll:
● "File:Kongokai.jpg - Wikimedia Commons". Wikimedia Commons.
Legal information
© 1989 SEGA. All the pictures from the video game Shadow Dancer™ shown here are property of their respective owners.
© 1982 Universal City Studios, Inc. All the pictures from the film The Thing™ shown here are property of their respective owners.
© 1987 SEGA. All the pictures from the video game Shinobi™ shown here are property of their respective owners.
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