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These days, people are experiencing a lot of stress and work problems due to the coronavirus pandemic. Many seem to be suffering from severe or borderline severe stress and anxiety. In such a tough environment, it’s not surprising that people are looking for ways to let off steam. One of the many manifestations of this is a rise in cursing, which isn’t limited to simply muttering, “Chikusho!” (“Dammit!”) under your breath, but instead includes the type of horrible hexes mostly reserved for the most terrifying horror movies.
Join us as we go on a tour of the accursed side of Japan.
1. A curse for cutting ties
One of the most common and cheapest curses are shrine curses, which are usually performed at enkiri (separation, severing of relations) shrines, such as Kyoto’s Fushimi Inari Taisha, Ashikaga’s Kadota Inari, and Tokyo’s Enkiri Enoki. These shrines are used to call on the enshrined deities to use their power to help the worshiper cut ties with (mostly) unpleasant people. If you’ve ever thought that you could stop bad habits, such as alcohol, cigarettes, drugs or gambling, if a certain someone stopped coming around, this curse is for you.
2. A curse that lasts generations
Of course, simply cutting a tie with someone is not such a strong curse. For some people, this simply isn’t enough. Instead, they may wish to hold a grudge even after death. In Japan, many people still believe in onryou, or malevolent spirits called back from the grave to continue a grudge, not just against a person but also their ancestors.
Onryou attracted attention in 2007 when Shigenaga Tomioka used the word to coerce the people in charge of shrines in Japan to remove his sister from her role as head priestess, and appoint his son instead. In Shigenaga’s case, he threatened the descendants of the people with a kind of curse called a tatari, which guarantees generations of misfortune and woe.
Unfortunately, Shigenaga turned out to be just as terrifying in the flesh as was unable to wait for the next world and was arrested for killing his sister with a samurai sword.
3. Japanese dolls for jilted lovers
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- External Link
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3 Comments
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BakabonPapa
Yes, it's fascinating. By the way, the word "fascinating" comes from the Latin noun "fascinum." These were little divine penis amulets that people of the Roman Empire would carry on them for protection from the evil eye (a well-known type of curse). Large versions - serving the same purpose - often appeared on Roman houses.