Sekai-teki Daima-jutsu (世界的大魔術), translated as The World of Great Magic, is a rare Taishō-period Japanese work devoted to a remarkable range of esoteric and psycho-physical practices. The title identifies four principal subjects: Ninjutsu (忍術), Kiaijutsu (氣合術), Hypnotism (催眠術), and Clairvoyance (千里眼).

The work attributes its teachings to Dr. Yamaguchi Sannosuke (山口三之助) and was authored by Ubukata Ken’ichirō (生方賢一郎), who is identified in the book as 会長 (President/Chairman) of the Teikoku Saimin-gaku Kai (帝國催眠學會), the Imperial Society of Hypnotism, which published the volume.

The book contains an unusually extensive 15-page table of contents, revealing the breadth of its subject matter. The contents cover hypnotism and suggestion, mental concentration, physical and psychological phenomena, therapeutic applications, clairvoyance, demonstrations and experiments, and numerous unusual techniques. Of particular interest to the study of Japanese martial and esoteric traditions, the contents explicitly include 忍術 (ninjutsu) and 忍術の秘法 (Secret Methods of Ninjutsu), alongside material concerning kiaijutsu.

The volume also contains a full-page photographic portrait of Ubukata Ken’ichirō, providing a rare contemporary image of the author and President/Chairman of the Imperial Society of Hypnotism.

Rather than viewing the work simply as a book about “magic,” it is better understood as a document of the Taishō-era fascination with the relationship between mind, body, suggestion, extraordinary perception, and traditional Japanese esoteric practices. Its unusual combination of ninjutsu, kiaijutsu, hypnotism, and clairvoyance makes it an especially interesting source for researchers studying the presentation of these subjects in early twentieth-century Japanese literature.

Rare & Unusual Facts

• Remarkably rapid reprinting: This copy is the 17th printing, dated April 18, 1919, only about fifteen months after the first printing.
• An unusual combination of subjects: The title explicitly brings together ninjutsu, kiaijutsu, hypnotism, and clairvoyance, making the volume an unusual example of the period’s interest in combining traditional Japanese esoteric practices with contemporary studies of the mind.
• Extensive table of contents: The book contains 15 pages of contents, demonstrating that this was an extensive instructional compendium rather than a short treatment of a single subject.
• Ninjutsu material: The contents specifically include 忍術, including 忍術の秘法, making the book a valuable early printed source for studying how ninjutsu was presented in Taishō-period literature.
• A rare portrait of the author: The volume contains a full-page photographic portrait of Ubukata Ken’ichirō, identified as 会長 (President/Chairman) of the Imperial Society of Hypnotism.
• Ubukata’s earlier hypnotism publications: Ubukata was already publishing works on hypnotism before Sekai-teki Daima-jutsu. His 催眠術秘書 (Saiminjutsu Hisho) had reached an expanded 18th edition by 1917.
• Continued publication: The title continued to appear in later editions, demonstrating that Sekai-teki Daima-jutsu remained in circulation beyond the period represented by this 1919 copy.