Tenji (jo) Tonko
-- Somakuri, Choosing a Day and Way
-- Knowing the Gogyo of a Day
-- Choosing a Day and Way According to Sosho and Sokoku

There is no need to use [Tenji] for choosing a day, hour, and way. On the other hand, there is no need to ignore it. The reason for that is that day and time are the realmﾕs day and time, which means that a good day for an ally is also a good day for the enemy. Therefore, the Hike sutra states that ﾒthere are no good and bad days in the Buddhist Law.ﾓ

*"Tenji" refers to the Chinese theory of divination, fortune telling, and future prediction. "Gogyo" are the five elements included in the "Gogyo setsu" ("Theory of the Five Elements"). These are Wood, Metal, Water, Earth and Water. The relationships among these elements are divided into two sets--In and Yo.

In this prologue to the topic of Tenji, the author breaks away from a common practice of choosing auspicious day and hour for engaging in battle. To support his view he quotes from a relatively obscure sutra and from one of the most well known ones (Nehan kyo). The use of Buddhist scriptures reinforces the authors view according to which victory is possible regardless of whether the day is auspicious or not.

Also, it is stated in the Nehan sutra that ﾒthere is no selection of auspicious days in the Nyorai Law.ﾓ Furthermore, in regards to the reason for not using a selected way, Moshi states: ﾒcircling a three ri fortress or a seven ri palace and than attacking it will not result in victory. That is, [in the matter of] circling and attacking, it is certain that those who adhere to Tenji will loose. This is because Tenji is unlike geography.ﾓ A skillful [warrior] will win even if it is an inauspicious day, and an unskilled warrior will loose even if it is an auspicious day. Consequently, one should not say not to use [Tenji]. The reason is that military strategy is deception. When ignoring auspicious and inauspicious day, time and way, cowardice becomes valor. Nejimin said: ﾒ[either] use it appropriately [or] know without using it.ﾓ Therefore, what is most important is to conduct oneﾕs life correctly.

*According to the author, even choosing a direction should not be the result of divination. Here he clearly states that skill supersedes luck. Nevertheless, knowledge of Tenji is important because it would allow its use in some cases. Also, it would help us understand what the enemy might plan. The key note is that warfare and military strategy rely on deception, and knowledge of Tenji is necessary to be able to deceive the enemy.