Godai (Japanese philosophy)

"five – great, large, physical, form") are the five elements in Japanese Buddhist thought of earth (chi), water (sui), fire (ka), wind (fu), and void (ku).

Godai attributed to esoteric Japanese Buddhism during the eleventh century CE in relation to the idea of gorin (the "five wheels" or the "five rings").

This godai symbolism is also used to describe the emotional nature of human beings, and to provide a symbolic structure for the teaching of effective physical combat principles in ninjutsu.As such, these may describe an individual's response to direct confrontation, such as in martial arts associations with physical center, footwork.

水 Sui or mizu, meaning "Water", represents the fluid, flowing, and the formless things in the world.

風 Fū or kaze, meaning "Wind", represents things that grow, expand, and enjoy freedom of movement.

In martial arts, particularly in fictional tales where the fighting discipline is blended with magic or the occult, one often invokes the power of the Void to connect to the quintessential creative energy of the world.

The most common representations today of the five elements, outside of martial arts and fictional references, are found in Buddhist architecture.

Five roofs of graceful curves make the towers architectural beauties...of wooden construction built without any nails or bolts.

[9]Japanese gorintō (五輪塔) (from 五 'five', 輪 'ring shape', and 塔 'tower') can be seen in Zen gardens and Buddhist temples, represented as stupas.

A gorintō is composed, from bottom to top, of a cube, a sphere, a pyramid, a crescent, and a shape resembling a lotus flower.

The function of the toro is different from the gorintō: they are intended to illuminate the approach to the temple like lighthouses, with a flame encased in the section representing ka, for Buddhist ceremonies taking place at night.