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(also read as ) is the term for a being from
(also read as ) is the term for a being from Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
ese folklore
Folklore is the body of expressive culture shared by a particular group of people, culture or subculture. This includes oral traditions such as Narrative, tales, myths, legends, proverbs, Poetry, poems, jokes, and other oral traditions. This also ...
. According to the Shinto
, also called Shintoism, is a religion originating in Japan. Classified as an East Asian religions, East Asian religion by Religious studies, scholars of religion, it is often regarded by its practitioners as Japan's indigenous religion and as ...
scholar Inoue Nobutaka, it is thought to be some sort of , represented by a small ghost
In folklore, a ghost is the soul or Spirit (supernatural entity), spirit of a dead Human, person or non-human animal that is believed by some people to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely, from a ...
. The belief of ''shikigami'' originates from ''Onmyōdō
is a technique that uses knowledge of astronomy and calendars to divine good fortune in terms of date, time, direction and general personal affairs, originating from the philosophy of the yin-yang and the five elements.
The philosophy of yin an ...
''. According to the tradition of ''Onmyōdō'', ''shikigami'' is a symbol of '' onmyōji''s power because ''onmyōji'' can freely use ''shikigami'' with magical powers. It has been associated with "curses" since the 1000s of the Heian period
The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kammu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means in Japanese. It is a ...
, and was often depicted as a bird or a child in Japanese literature
Japanese literature throughout most of its history has been influenced by cultural contact with neighboring Asian literatures, most notably China and its literature. Early texts were often written in pure Classical Chinese or , a Chinese-Japa ...
and ''Emakimono
Illustrated handscrolls, , or is an illustrated horizontal narration system of painted handscrolls that dates back to Nara-period (710–794 CE) Japan. Initially copying their much older Chinese counterparts in style, during the succeeding H ...
''.
Description
''Shikigami'' are conjured beings, made alive through a complex conjuring ceremony. Their power is connected to the spiritual force of their master, where if the invoker is well introduced and has much experience, their ''shiki'' can possess animals and even people and manipulate them, but if the invoker is careless, their ''shikigami'' may get out of control in time, gaining its own will and consciousness and can even raid its own master and kill them in revenge. Usually ''shikigami'' are conjured to exercise risky orders for their masters, such as spying, stealing and enemy tracking. ''Shikigami'' are said to be invisible most of the time, but they can be made visible by binding them into small, folded and artfully cut paper manikins. There are also ''shikigami'' that can show themselves as animals. In the ''Izanagi-ryū'' ()folk religion
Folk religion, traditional religion, or vernacular religion comprises, according to religious studies and folkloristics, various forms and expressions of religion that are distinct from the official doctrines and practices of organized religion. ...
, the most elite ''onmyōji'' could also conjure an exceptionally powerful type of ''shikigami'' called a ''shikiōji'' () to ward off disasters or demons that cause sickness. Regular mystics could not attempt to summon it without risking losing control of it due to its oni
An ( ) is a kind of ''yōkai'', demon, orc, ogre, or troll in Japanese folklore. They are believed to live in caves or deep in the mountains or in hell. Oni are known for their superhuman strength and have been associated with powers like th ...
-like nature.
In popular culture
Within the realm of the manga and anime series ''Jujutsu Kaisen
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Gege Akutami. It was serialized in Shueisha's Shōnen manga, manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from March 2018 to September 2024, with its chapters collected in 30 volumes. The ...
'', shikigami play a pivotal role in the arsenal of jujutsu sorcerers, notably Megumi Fushiguro. The supernatural entities are conjured through the manipulation of cursed energy, typically facilitated by talismans and summoning magic.
See also
*Dogū
are small humanoid and animal figurines made during the later part of the Jōmon period (14,000–400 BC) of prehistoric Japan. ''Dogū'' come exclusively from the Jōmon period, and were no longer made by the following Yayoi period. There are ...
* Familiar
* Haniwa
The are terracotta clay figures that were made for ritual use and buried with the dead as funerary objects during the Kofun period (3rd to 6th centuries AD) of the history of Japan. ''Haniwa'' were created according to the ''wazumi'' technique ...
* Hōko (doll)
* Kokeshi
are simple wooden Japanese dolls with no arms or legs that have been crafted for more than 150 years as a toy for children. Originally from the Tohoku region in northern Honshu, ''kokeshi'' are handmade from wood, having a simple trunk and h ...
* Paper doll
* Pelesit
* Poppet
* Spirit animal (disambiguation)
* Totem
A totem (from or ''doodem'') is a spirit being, sacred object, or symbol that serves as an emblem of a group of people, such as a family, clan, lineage (anthropology), lineage, or tribe, such as in the Anishinaabe clan system.
While the word ...
* Ushabti
* Voodoo doll
A voodoo doll is an effigy that is typically used for the insertion of pins. Such practices are found in various forms in the magic (paranormal), magical traditions of many cultures around the world.
Despite its name, the voodoo doll is not prom ...
* Zuijin
References
{{Japanese folklore long Japanese folklore Japanese ghosts Shinto kami Onmyōdō