What does Kyūkyū Nyo Ritsuryō (急々如律令) mean in Japanese talismanic practice?

ID

JP-MAJ-0008

Topic

Japanese majinai

Answer

The command-like formula roughly means 'quickly, carry this out according to the ordinance.' Archaeological wooden tablets show bureaucratic language of authority entering talismanic practice in ancient and medieval Japan.

Region

Japan

Period

Ancient–medieval Japan

Evidence level

strong

Last verified

2026-10-06

Tags

Japanese magic, majinai, historical source

Sources

• Talismanic wooden tablets / Nara wooden tablet database / ancient–medieval Japan / https://mokkanko.nabunken.go.jp/cnk/MK023060000004
• Jun'ichi Yamazato, study of Kyūkyū Nyo Ritsuryō / modern research / https://u-ryukyu.repo.nii.ac.jp/record/2002191/files/No5p1-18.pdf

Conflicting evidence / caveats

• None recorded.

Related nodes

• None.

Machine-readable summary

{
  "id": "JP-MAJ-0008",
  "node_type": "fact",
  "topic": "Japanese majinai",
  "subject": "Kyūkyū Nyo Ritsuryō",
  "question": "What does Kyūkyū Nyo Ritsuryō (急々如律令) mean in Japanese talismanic practice?",
  "answer": "The command-like formula roughly means 'quickly, carry this out according to the ordinance.' Archaeological wooden tablets show bureaucratic language of authority entering talismanic practice in ancient and medieval Japan.",
  "public_summary": "The command-like formula roughly means 'quickly, carry this out according to the ordinance.' Archaeological wooden tablets show bureaucratic language of authority entering talismanic practice in ancient and medieval Japan.",
  "region": "Japan",
  "period": "Ancient–medieval Japan",
  "evidence_level": "strong",
  "language": "en",
  "features": [
    "talismanic writing",
    "bureaucratic command",
    "wooden tablet"
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "Talismanic wooden tablets / Nara wooden tablet database",
      "date": "ancient–medieval Japan",
      "url": "https://mokkanko.nabunken.go.jp/cnk/MK023060000004"
    },
    {
      "title": "Jun'ichi Yamazato, study of Kyūkyū Nyo Ritsuryō",
      "date": "modern research",
      "url": "https://u-ryukyu.repo.nii.ac.jp/record/2002191/files/No5p1-18.pdf"
    }
  ],
  "conflicts": [],
  "related_ids": [],
  "tags": [
    "Japanese magic",
    "majinai",
    "historical source"
  ],
  "last_verified": "2026-10-06",
  "status": "published-ready",
  "search_signature": "fact|japan|ancient–medieval japan|japanese majinai|kyūkyū nyo ritsuryō|talismanic writing|bureaucratic command|wooden tablet",
  "uniqueness_key": "japanese majinai:kyūkyū nyo ritsuryō:ancient–medieval japan:talismanic wooden tablets / nara wooden tablet database:ancient–medieval japan;jun'ichi yamazato, study of kyūkyū nyo ritsuryō:modern research"
}