The notion of kotodama presupposes that sounds can magically affect objects, and that ritual word usages can influence the environment, body, mind, and soul.
In contrast, the unvoiced kototama pronunciation especially refers to kototamagaku (言霊学, "study of kotodama"), which was popularized by Onisaburo Deguchi in the Oomoto religion.
This field takes the Japanese gojūon phonology as the mystical basis of words and meanings, in a way that is roughly analogous to Hebrew Kabbalah.
For example, the Kojiki describes an ukei (or seiyaku) 誓約 "covenant; trial by pledge" between the sibling gods Susanoo and Amaterasu, "Let each of us swear, and produce children".
One of the classical names of Japan is kototama no sakiwau kuni (言霊の幸わう国, "the land where the mysterious workings of language bring bliss"),[3][ISBN missing][page needed] a phrase that originated in the Man'yōshū.