Read, reflect, pray
Kōshin mantra: documented form
庚申の真言
A Buddhist Kōshin mantra quoted in a 1956 study from a Shōmen Kongō invocation. The source’s syllables are preserved; it is not called Sarutahiko’s exclusive mantra.
English sound explanations and source text
English sound explanations
About this English rendering
This site’s English rendering of the Japanese meaning guide, aligned with this edition. It is separate from the source words for recitation and is not an official liturgy. Sacred sounds are explained where possible, not given speculative literal translations. Historical beliefs, royal authority, illness and protection claims belong to the text; they are not present-day judgments, medical advice or guarantees of results.
The sounds ‘on kōshinrai kōshinrai’ form the first half of a sacred formula transmitted in Kōshin devotion. The source cites it as a traditional Shōmen Kongō formula, but the individual meanings of these sounds have not been established.
The source establishes a transmitted sound form and its designation as a Shōmen Kongō sacred formula. Unconfirmed Sanskrit has not been reconstructed from those sounds.
It concludes ‘maitari maitari sowaka.’ This preserves the sounds in the source. Since the original language and word-for-word meaning have not been confirmed, it has not been replaced with a sentence expressing a particular wish.
The original language and literal meaning of the whole remain unconfirmed. This explains phonetic transcription rather than translating the full formula as prose.
Source text and reading aid
Roman letters are provided for every line of this source text.
How to use the Roman letters
Roman letters follow the kana displayed in this site’s Japanese reader; some readings are editorial additions documented on the Japanese page. These are a reading aid, not restored Sanskrit or a recording of a temple’s chanting. Historical spellings (such as wo, wi, we and ha used as a particle) are kept. Double vowels and repeated vowels mark the written kana; rhythm and pronunciation can differ by tradition.
You can simply read the meaning or sit quietly. No recitation is required. For a temple or shrine’s own recitation, follow that tradition’s published guidance.
オン コウシンライ コウシンライ
on koushinrai koushinrai
マイタリ マイタリ ソワカ
maitari maitari sowaka
Connected kami and buddhas
These connections include figures addressed, mentioned, or associated by tradition. They do not assign a universal recitation practice.
Sources and edition (1)
English explanations on this page were prepared by Inori no Mori from the cited text and its Japanese explanations. They are not an official translation or a prescribed liturgy.