影の誓い - The Oath of the Shadow
A mystical symphonic metal piece infused with ancient Japanese spirit and shadowed intensity. The song begins with solemn taiko rituals and ghostly shakuhachi whispers, as distant strings rise like mist. Distorted guitars emerge like hidden blades, driven by pulsing double-kick rhythms. Koto motifs shimmer beneath choral chants and low brass, evoking secret oaths and unseen battles. Soaring male vocals echo with reverence, carrying the weight of unseen sacrifice. A fusion of East and West, myth and steel — where every note is both prayer and strike. Intro whispered Haiku.
影の誓い - The Oath of the Shadow
A mystical symphonic metal piece infused with ancient Japanese spirit and shadowed intensity. The song begins with solemn taiko rituals and ghostly shakuhachi whispers, as distant strings rise like mist. Distorted guitars emerge like hidden blades, driven by pulsing double-kick rhythms. Koto motifs shimmer beneath choral chants and low brass, evoking secret oaths and unseen battles. Soaring male vocals echo with reverence, carrying the weight of unseen sacrifice. A fusion of East and West, myth and steel — where every note is both prayer and strike. Intro whispered Haiku.
Lyrics
English translation⬇️
Intro – Echoes of wind and distant taiko, with shakuhachi breathing softly like spirits. Slow koto notes begin to form a ritual motif. A whispered haiku opens the rite
鈴の音
刃を濯ぐ夜
祈りひとつ
Verse 1 – Whispered male vocals over sparse koto and low droning strings. Ambient textures drift like incense smoke.
しのびのこころ 風にとけ
その名を問ふな 影のまま
いのちの糸 切ることなく
たましひ導く 刃なり
Bridge – Guitars rise with ritual chants; taiko becomes steady, heartbeat-like. Shakuhachi echoes fade into stormy strings.
つきのした しじまにまいり
いのちのさだめ さかしまに
まことの義は あらはれず
ただ君が 命をまもる
Chorus – Soaring clean vocals over distorted guitars, double-kick drums, and orchestral brass. Choir chants in background, evoking a sacred battlefield.
なむあみだ くもをぬへ
あめつちへと ちりとなれ
うまれかわるも いのちあらば
また君の 影となりて
Breakdown – Sudden silence, then soft spoken-word prayer layered over ritual percussion and koto.
ただ つかのまの いのちならば
君のために きえむこと
いとわじ。
Final Chorus – Everything returns in full power, vocals layered with chant, koto glides, and strings in crescendo.
ほとけのまに うてやまわれ
そのてに血ありとも
わがこころ きよらかなり
いくさのない よをのぞむ
Outro – Fading koto plucks, shakuhachi sigh, wind returns — as if the shinobi vanishes once more.
しらぬまに しのびよりきて
あやめず、さばかず
ただまもる
これぞ、はんぞうが ちかひなり
……これぞ、しのびの まことなり
English translation:
The sound of bells —
a blade cleansed in the night,
a single prayer.
The spirit of the shinobi dissolves into the wind,
never ask his name – he remains a shadow.
Without severing the threads of life,
he guides the soul with his blade.
Beneath the moon, he dances in silence,
reversing the fates of mortal lives.
True justice never reveals itself –
he simply protects your life.
Namu Amida – pierce through the clouds,
become dust and return to heaven and earth.
Even if reborn time and again,
I shall become your shadow once more.
Within the realm of Buddha, let me strike.
Though blood stains my hands,
my heart remains pure –
I long for a world without war.
Unseen, a shinobi draws near.
He does not slay, nor does he judge –
he simply protects.
This is the oath of Hanzō…
…this is the true path of the shinobi.