Shikigami on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
(also read as ) is the term for a being from
(also read as ) is the term for a being from Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
ese folklore
Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, ranging ...
. According to the Shinto scholar Inoue Nobutaka, it is thought to be some sort of , represented by a small ghost
A ghost is the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that is believed to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to rea ...
. The belief of ''shikigami'' originates from ''Onmyōdō
is a system of natural science, astronomy, almanac, divination and Magic (supernatural), magic that developed independently in Japan based on the Chinese philosophies of yin and yang and Wuxing (Chinese philosophy), wuxing (five elements). The p ...
''. According to the tradition of ''Onmyōdō'', ''shikigami'' is a symbol of ''onmyōji
was one of the official positions belonging to the of the Ministry of the Center under the ritsuryō system in ancient Japan, and was assigned as a technical officer in charge of divination and geomorphology based on the theory of the yin-a ...
''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 Kanmu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means "peace" in Japanese. ...
, 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-Japanes ...
and ''Emakimono
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 Heian (794–1185) and Kamak ...
''.
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'' ( ja, いざなぎ流)folk religion
In religious studies and folkloristics, folk religion, popular religion, traditional religion or vernacular religion comprises various forms and expressions of religion that are distinct from the official doctrines and practices of organized re ...
, the most elite ''onmyōji'' could also conjure an exceptionally powerful type of ''shikigami'' called a ''shikiōji'' ( ja, 式王子) 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. Oni are mostly known for their fierce and evil nature manifested in their propensity for murder and cannibalism. Notwithstanding their evil reputation, oni possess i ...
-like nature.
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 spirit
In European folklore of the medieval and early modern periods, familiars (sometimes referred to as familiar spirits) were believed to be supernatural entities that would assist witches and cunning folk in their practice of magic. According to re ...
* 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, ...
* Hoko 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 northeastern region ( Tōhoku-chihō) of Japan, they are handmade from wood, having a simple trunk ...
* Pelesit
Pelesit () is a type of familiar spirit in Malay folklore. It is generally a cricket, or occasionally a grasshopper. The term literally means "buzzer" from the root word ''lesit'' meaning to buzz or whizz, as an insect does. They are also called ...
* Poppet
In folk magic and witchcraft, a poppet (also known as poppit, moppet, mommet or pippy) is a doll made to represent a person, for casting spells on that person or to aid that person through magic. They are occasionally found lodged in chimneys ...
* Totem
A totem (from oj, ᑑᑌᒼ, italics=no 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, or tribe, such as in the Anishinaabe clan system.
While ''the wo ...
* Ushabti
The ushabti (also called shabti or shawabti, with a number of variant spellings) was a funerary figurine used in ancient Egyptian funerary practices. The Egyptological term is derived from , which replaced earlier , perhaps the nisba of "' ...
* Voodoo doll
The term Voodoo doll commonly describes an effigy into which pins are inserted. Such practices are found in various forms in the magical traditions of many cultures around the world.
Despite its name, the dolls are not prominent in Haitian Vodo ...
* Zuijin
In Shinto, - are ''Kami'' or supernatural warrior-guardian figures, ''Kami'' that guard over shrine gates are considered to be ''Kado-Mori-no-Kami'' or ''Kadomori-no-Kami'', the gods who watch over the gates. They're often depicted as holding Bo ...
References
{{reflist Japanese folklore Japanese ghosts Shinto kami Onmyōdō