🇯🇵 Magic in Japan

80 entries from Japan, best known first, across 45 places of magic.

Onmyōdō is a Japanese system of divination and ritual magic rooted in the Chinese philosophies of yin-yang and the five elements. It evolved from astronomical and calendrical knowledge into a court institution that blended with Shinto beliefs to manage fortune, health, and spiritual protection.

Abe no Seimei is the most famous onmyoji, active in the Heian period
Shikigami are spirit servants summoned and controlled by practitioners
Katatagae involves changing direction to avoid unlucky bearings
The Tensha Shinto Prohibition Ordinance banned the practice in 1870
Onmyoji handled kegare, spiritual pollution, unlike Shinto priests

Overview

This tradition began as an import from China and Korea during the sixth century, combining astronomy, calendar science, and elemental theory. Over time, it merged with indigenous Japanese beliefs, particularly Shinto and the worship of restless spirits known as goryo. The practice shifted from high-level state advisory work to include magical rites for protection and cursing. By the Heian period, it had become a distinct Japanese system that addressed both political decisions and personal well-being through the manipulation of auspicious forces.

Practices and beliefs

Practitioners used complex calculations based on celestial movements and seasonal changes to determine lucky or unlucky times and directions. They performed rituals to ward off evil influences, prevent disasters, and ensure agricultural success. A key feature was the summoning and control of shikigami, which were spirit servants used to carry out tasks or protect the practitioner. Divination helped guide major life events, such as moving capitals or choosing marriage dates, by identifying harmful energies in the environment.

Rites and charms

Rituals often involved purification and specific gestures to align with cosmic forces. Unlike Shinto priests who avoided impurity, onmyoji could handle kegare, or spiritual pollution, allowing them to perform protective ceremonies that others could not. These rites included casting talismans and conducting exorcisms to calm angry spirits. The community also observed strict rules about direction; if a person faced an unlucky bearing, they would change their path to avoid bad luck, a practice called katatagae.

Who practises

The main figures were onmyoji, civil servants appointed by the imperial court to manage these arts. They served as astronomers, diviners, and spiritual guards for the capital. Famous lineages, such as the Abe and Kamo families, dominated the field for centuries. Abe no Seimei remains the most celebrated figure, known for his exceptional skill in divination and magic. Today, while the official role has vanished, the title persists in popular culture as a symbol of occult mastery.

Regions and communities

The practice originated in the imperial capital and was centered around the court aristocracy. Its influence spread from the elite to the general public as the need for personal protection grew. The Abe and Kamo families held monopolies on the highest levels of the art within the capital region. Outside the court, local interpretations may have varied, but the core techniques remained tied to the centralized calendar and astronomical data maintained by the state.

The calendar

Daily life and major events were scheduled according to the onmyodo calendar. Specific days and hours were designated as auspicious or inauspicious for activities like starting a journey, building a house, or holding a funeral. The changing seasons dictated different types of rituals, with particular attention paid to transitional periods believed to be vulnerable to spiritual interference. Festivals and religious observances were often timed to coincide with favorable celestial alignments.

Law and the state

The system was officially part of the government structure under the Taiho Code, which defined the duties of onmyoji. In 1870, the Tensha Shinto Prohibition Ordinance banned the practice, labeling it superstition. After World War II, religious freedom allowed its revival, leading to the formation of modern organizations like Tensha Tsuchimikado Shinto in 1954. The legal status shifted from state mandate to private religious association.

Today

Modern Japan sees onmyodo primarily through popular media, including manga, anime, and novels that romanticize its history. While some groups claim continuity with the ancient traditions, the practice is largely a cultural heritage rather than a widespread religious activity. Scholars study it as a historical blend of science and magic, reflecting how pre-modern societies understood the natural world.

Where this page comes from

The facts in this overview come from the Wikipedia article "Onmyōdō", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence. EveryJaadu rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.

Market Oracle Sacred site Trial site or memorial School or museum Town known for a tradition Centre of practice

KindTradition Rite Charm Oracle Substance Being Figure Text Illusion Belief

PurposeProtection Healing Seeing and foretelling Luck and prosperity Love and attraction Cursing and harm Cleansing and purification Speaking with spirits and the dead Change and initiation Binding and oaths Power and authority Wonder and entertainment

WhoShamans Folk healers Priests and ritual specialists Witches, sorcerers and cunning folk Diviners and readers Mediums and the possessed Ceremonial magicians and alchemists Households and ordinary people Stage magicians Scholars and sceptics

BeliefHindu and Tantric Buddhist Jain Muslim and Sufi Jewish Christian Sikh Zoroastrian Shinto and Taoist Indigenous and shamanic African and Afro-diasporic Pagan and Neopagan Esoteric and occult Folk and village custom Secular and stage Other traditions

OccasionWeddings and betrothal Festivals Birth and childhood Death and remembrance Harvest, farming and weather New year Initiation and coming of age Illness and misfortune Journeys and voyages Everyday use

StandingLiving Revived Fading Historical Legendary Performed

OrderBest known A to Z Newest Living first

🇮🇳 India and 5 moreAstrology A divinatory practice that reads human fate through the positions of celestial bodies.Belief · Seeing and foretelling · Luck and prosperity Living

🇨🇳 China and 3 moreChinese dragon龍 A legendary water deity and imperial symbol in East Asian cultureBeing · Protection · Luck and prosperity Historical

🇸🇩 Sudan and 5 moreIncense Aromatic plant materials burned to release fragrant smoke for ritual, scent, or timekeeping.Substance · Protection · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living

🇮🇳 India and 4 moreTantraतन्त्र An esoteric yogic tradition from India focusing on ritual, mantra, and body-based spiritual practices.Tradition · Power and authority · Change and initiation Living

🇮🇳 India and 5 morePretaप्रेत A suffering spirit of insatiable hunger found in Asian religious traditionsBeing · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living 🇪🇬 Egypt and 1 moreBook of Thoth A collection of ancient Egyptian texts attributed to the god of writing and knowledge.Text · Power and authority · Seeing and foretelling Historical

🇯🇵 JapanBaku獏 A Japanese spirit said to eat bad dreams and protect sleepersBeing · Protection Living

🇨🇳 China and 5 moreKau chim求籤 A divination practice using numbered bamboo sticks to seek answers from deitiesOracle · Seeing and foretelling · Power and authority Living

🇯🇵 JapanOnmyōdō陰陽道 A Japanese system of divination and calendar science rooted in yin-yang philosophyTradition · Seeing and foretelling · Protection Revived

🇮🇳 India and 1 moreLakshmiलक्ष्मी A Hindu goddess of wealth, prosperity, and beauty, worshipped as the consort of Vishnu.Being · Luck and prosperity · Power and authority Living

🇮🇳 India and 2 moreHomaहोम A fire ritual found across Asian religions where offerings are burned as a votive exchange with the divine.Rite · Protection · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living

🇯🇵 JapanOmikujiおみくじ Paper fortunes drawn at Japanese shrines and temples to reveal luck and life adviceOracle · Seeing and foretelling · Luck and prosperity Living

🇨🇳 China and 1 moreFulu符籙 Taoist talismans with cryptic symbols used for healing and protectionCharm · Healing · Protection Living

🇫🇷 France and 3 moreReliquary A container for sacred remains or objects, crafted across many faithsCharm · Protection · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living

🇨🇳 China and 5 moreGhost FestivalZhongyuan Festival; Yulanpen Festival A festival to feed wandering spirits and guide them home during the seventh lunar month.Tradition · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Protection Living

🇲🇽 Mexico and 5 moreObsidian Volcanic glass used for sharp tools, mirrors, and ritual divinationSubstance · Cursing and harm · Seeing and foretelling Historical 🇨🇳 China and 3 moreQi氣 / 气 A vital force in Chinese philosophy and medicine, believed to flow through all living things.Substance · Healing · Power and authority Living

🇮🇹 Italy and 5 morePrecious coral A marine skeleton harvested for jewelry and worn as a protective charm in several culturesSubstance · Protection · Healing Living

🇯🇵 JapanOni鬼（おに） A horned demon of Japanese folklore known for strength and evil deedsBeing · Cursing and harm · Luck and prosperity Legendary

🇯🇵 JapanSetsubun節分 A Japanese seasonal rite to drive away bad luck and welcome spring with roasted beansRite · Protection · Luck and prosperity Living

🇯🇵 Japan and 1 moreMisogi禊 A Shinto rite of full-body purification using cold waterRite · Cleansing and purification · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living

🇯🇵 JapanOmamori御守/お守り Japanese amulets from shrines and temples for luck and protectionCharm · Protection · Luck and prosperity Living

🇯🇵 JapanShinto shrine神社 (jinja) A structure housing kami deities within the Shinto tradition of JapanTradition · Protection · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living

🇯🇵 JapanOfudaお札/御札 (ofuda) Paper and wooden talismans from Japanese Shinto shrines and Buddhist templesCharm · Protection · Cleansing and purification Living

🇰🇷 South Korea and 3 moreKorean shamanism무속 A Korean folk religion centered on ritual specialists who mediate between humans and spiritsTradition · Protection · Healing Living

🇨🇳 China and 2 moreNaming taboo避諱 A cultural rule against speaking or writing the names of rulers and ancestors in East AsiaBelief · Protection Historical 🇯🇵 JapanKuda-gitsune管狐 (kuda-gitsune) A small spirit kept in a tube or sleeve to aid fortune-telling and cursing in Japanese folklore.Being · Seeing and foretelling · Cursing and harm Legendary 🇯🇵 JapanKitsunetsuki狐憑き A Japanese folk belief in which a fox spirit enters and controls a human host.Belief · Cursing and harm · Speaking with spirits and the dead Historical

🇯🇵 JapanKitsunebi狐火 Atmospheric ghost lights in Japanese folklore, often linked to foxes and natural phenomena.Belief · Wonder and entertainment · Luck and prosperity Historical

🇯🇵 JapanInugami犬神 A Japanese spirit of dog possession and folk sorceryBelief · Cursing and harm · Power and authority Historical

🇨🇳 China and 5 moreTetraphobia The avoidance of the number four due to its similarity to the word for death in East Asian languagesBelief · Luck and prosperity Living

🇨🇳 China and 2 moreXiezhi獬豸 A one-horned beast from East Asia that separates the guilty from the innocentBeing · Cursing and harm · Protection Legendary

🇳🇿 New Zealand and 5 moreFace tattoo Marks inked on the face for spiritual protection, identity, rank, and rite of passageTradition · Protection · Power and authority Living

🇨🇳 China and 1 moreLuoshu Square洛書 An ancient Chinese three-by-three magic square linked to geomancy and numerologyTradition · Power and authority · Wonder and entertainment Historical 🇫🇷 France and 3 moreBardo Thodolབར་དོ་ཐོས་གྲོལ (bar do thos grol) A Tibetan Buddhist guide for navigating the intermediate state between death and rebirth.Text Living

🇯🇵 JapanHyakumonogatari Kaidankai百物語怪談会 An Edo period Japanese parlour game where ghost stories extinguish candles one by oneRite · Cursing and harm · Wonder and entertainment Historical

🇯🇵 JapanHyakki Yagyō百鬼夜行 A Japanese folklore concept of a night parade of supernatural creaturesBelief · Cursing and harm Legendary

🇯🇵 JapanGazu Hyakki Yagyō画図百鬼夜行 A 1776 Japanese woodblock book of yōkai illustrations by Toriyama SekienText · Wonder and entertainment Historical

🇯🇵 JapanEn no Gyōja役小角 A legendary Japanese ascetic and founder of Shugendō mountain practiceFigure · Power and authority · Protection Historical

🇯🇵 Japan and 2 moreTamamo-no-Mae玉藻前 A nine-tailed fox spirit from Japanese legend who possessed emperors and concubines across Asia.Figure · Cursing and harm · Power and authority Legendary

🇯🇵 Japan and 1 moreKūkai空海 Founder of Shingon Buddhism who brought Vajrayana esoteric practices from China to Japan.Text · Power and authority · Protection Historical

🇨🇳 China and 2 moreJiang Ziya姜子牙 A historical strategist and war god who helped establish the Zhou dynastyFigure · Power and authority · Cursing and harm Historical 🇯🇵 JapanKamo no Yasunori賀茂保憲 A Heian-era onmyōji and teacher of Abe no Seimei in Japanese esoteric artsFigure · Seeing and foretelling · Cursing and harm Historical

🇯🇵 JapanAshiya Dōman蘆屋道満 A legendary Heian onmyōji known for his rivalry with Abe no Seimei and his use of cursesFigure · Cursing and harm · Power and authority Legendary

🇺🇸 United States and 3 moreSandpainting A ritual art of pouring colored sand to create temporary images for healing or spiritual teachingTradition · Healing · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living 🇯🇵 JapanZashiki-warashi座敷童子 A parlor spirit from northern Japan that brings fortune or ruin to a household.Being · Luck and prosperity · Protection Living

🇨🇳 China and 2 moreFox spirit狐狸精 A shapeshifting creature from Chinese folklore that can take human form and live for centuries.Being · Cursing and harm · Love and attraction Legendary

🇰🇷 South Korea and 1 moreJangseung장승 Wooden or stone poles that guard Korean villages and temples from evil spiritsTradition · Protection · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

Homa: Vyacheslav Argenberg, CC BY 4.0, source
Luoshu Square: An unknown Tibetan artist, Public domain, source
Gazu Hyakki Yagyō: Toriyama Sekien, Public domain, source
Precious coral: Géry PARENT, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Preta: Temple, Richard Carnac, Sir, Public domain, source
Astrology: Wilfredor, CC0, source
Incense: nakimusi, CC BY 2.0, source
Chinese dragon: Unknown author, CC0, source
Tantra: William Clark, Public domain, source
Baku: Momotarou2012, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Omikuji: C121749n, Public domain, source
Fulu: Youle26, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Reliquary: Attributed to Jean de Toul, also written Jehan de Touyl in one source, CC0, source
Ghost Festival: Chong Fat, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Obsidian: Krassotkin, CC0, source
Lakshmi: Raja Ravi Varma, Public domain, source
Kau chim: No machine-readable author provided. 9old9 assumed (based on copyright, Public domain, source
Oni: Katsushika Hokusai 葛飾北斎 (1760-1849), Public domain, source
Setsubun: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Misogi: Ds13 at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Omamori: Leongboy1, Public domain, source
Shinto shrine: No machine-readable author provided. Fg2 assumed (based on copyright c, Public domain, source
Ofuda: 教派研究 (Sectarian research), CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Korean shamanism: Steve46814, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Naming taboo: Haruno Akiha, Public domain, source
Kitsunebi: Abasaa, Public domain, source
Inugami: Sawaki Suushi (佐脇嵩之, Japanese, *1707, †1772), Public domain, source
Tetraphobia: Halowand, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Xiezhi: Carty239 at English Wikipedia, Public domain, source
Face tattoo: Gottfried Lindauer, Public domain, source
Hyakumonogatari Kaidankai: Katsushika Hokusai, Public domain, source
Hyakki Yagyō: Unknown author, Public domain, source
En no Gyōja: Wmpearl, CC0, source
Tamamo-no-Mae: ウィキ太郎 Wiki Taro, Public domain, source
Kūkai: Unknown author, CC BY 4.0, source
Jiang Ziya: Wang Qi, Public domain, source
Ashiya Dōman: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Sandpainting: Mnolf, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Fox spirit: Chen Menglei, Public domain, source
Jangseung: Yoshiaki Sano, CC BY-SA 2.0, source