Post by Kaji on Aug 23, 2006 14:30:57 GMT -5
Hand seals are as important as Chakra in Naruto. All GenJutsu and NinJutsu need hand seals to be performed, but TaiJutsu doesn't because it simply needs no Chakra. The main function of a Hand Seal is similar to that of magic words. Instead of speaking of words to activate a spell, Hand Seals are used to activate the technique, and release all the gathered Chakra. Hand Seals stand out for animals, specifically the animals found in the Oriental Zodiac signs. That's why there are 12 seals, one for each of the 12 years found in Oriental zodiacs.
This is because if the hand seals in a NinJutsu are not performed correctly, the Chakra will be released wrong and a different effect will occur, probably failing the Jutsu. As a result, Hand Seals need a lot of concentration, which is why techniques in Naruto cannot be interrupted, or the technique will definately fail. In the lines below, we have gathered images of all of the most frequent hand seals.
The hand seals in the Naruto series are based off of the Oriental Zodiac system. As you may have heard when someone talks about what year they are born in, they may say year of the Dragon, which means they would have been born in 1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976 or 1988. Below we have organized the hand seals in order of when they appear in the Chinese zodiac, from one to twelve.
Chinese Zodiac Guide
The Chinese have named years after animals for thousands of years. In fact, the Chinese zodiac system is extremely complex, based on an ancient agricultural calendar. In addition to the twelve animals, there are the elements (Water, Wood, Fire, Earth and Metal), hours (12 two hour periods), directions, stones, months and seasons. Add to this the influence of Ying and Yang, representing male and female forces and you will see that there is much more to the Chinese Zodiac than first meets the eye.
The origins of the twelve animals which are honoured with a year each is rich in legends and myths. A commonly held belief is that the Buddha decided to invite all the animals of the earth to visit him on New Years Day. However, despite preparing for the biggest party since the disembarkation of Noah's Ark, only 12 animals arrived. They were the Rat, the Ox, the Tiger, the Rabbit, the Dragon, the Snake, the Horse, the Ram, the Monkey, the Rooster, the Dog and the Pig.
The Buddha decided to honour his guests by awarding each a year of its own. The system is influenced by Yin (female) and Yang (male) cosmic force which is said to be an interpretation of universal harmony and balance.
According to Chinese legend, the twelve animals quarreled one day as to who was to head the cycle of years. The gods were asked to decide and they held a contest: whoever was to reach the opposite bank of the river would be first, and the rest of the animals would receive their years according to their finish.
All the twelve animals gathered at the river bank and jumped in. Unknown to the ox, the rat had jumped upon his back. As the ox was about to jump ashore, the rat jumped off the ox's back, and won the race. The pig, who was very lazy, ended up last. That is why the rat is the first year of the animal cycle, the ox second, and the pig last.
This is because if the hand seals in a NinJutsu are not performed correctly, the Chakra will be released wrong and a different effect will occur, probably failing the Jutsu. As a result, Hand Seals need a lot of concentration, which is why techniques in Naruto cannot be interrupted, or the technique will definately fail. In the lines below, we have gathered images of all of the most frequent hand seals.
The hand seals in the Naruto series are based off of the Oriental Zodiac system. As you may have heard when someone talks about what year they are born in, they may say year of the Dragon, which means they would have been born in 1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976 or 1988. Below we have organized the hand seals in order of when they appear in the Chinese zodiac, from one to twelve.
Chinese Zodiac Guide
The Chinese have named years after animals for thousands of years. In fact, the Chinese zodiac system is extremely complex, based on an ancient agricultural calendar. In addition to the twelve animals, there are the elements (Water, Wood, Fire, Earth and Metal), hours (12 two hour periods), directions, stones, months and seasons. Add to this the influence of Ying and Yang, representing male and female forces and you will see that there is much more to the Chinese Zodiac than first meets the eye.
The origins of the twelve animals which are honoured with a year each is rich in legends and myths. A commonly held belief is that the Buddha decided to invite all the animals of the earth to visit him on New Years Day. However, despite preparing for the biggest party since the disembarkation of Noah's Ark, only 12 animals arrived. They were the Rat, the Ox, the Tiger, the Rabbit, the Dragon, the Snake, the Horse, the Ram, the Monkey, the Rooster, the Dog and the Pig.
The Buddha decided to honour his guests by awarding each a year of its own. The system is influenced by Yin (female) and Yang (male) cosmic force which is said to be an interpretation of universal harmony and balance.
According to Chinese legend, the twelve animals quarreled one day as to who was to head the cycle of years. The gods were asked to decide and they held a contest: whoever was to reach the opposite bank of the river would be first, and the rest of the animals would receive their years according to their finish.
All the twelve animals gathered at the river bank and jumped in. Unknown to the ox, the rat had jumped upon his back. As the ox was about to jump ashore, the rat jumped off the ox's back, and won the race. The pig, who was very lazy, ended up last. That is why the rat is the first year of the animal cycle, the ox second, and the pig last.