🇯🇵 Magic in Japan

184 entries from Japan, best known first, across 80 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

Places of magic in Japan

Kyoto 3 Asakusa 2 Mount Ōmine 2 Nagano Prefecture 2 Sendai 2 Shikoku 2 Shimane Prefecture 2 Akita 1 Aomori prefecture 1 Asagaya 1 Bodai-ji 1 Dōtonbori River 1 Edo 1 Fudarakusan-ji 1 Fushimi 1 Fushimi Inari Shrine 1 Gōtoku-ji Temple 1 Gunma Prefecture 1 Hagi 1 Harima Province 1 Himeji Castle 1 Hiratsuka 1 Hiroshima Prefecture 1 Hiyoshi Taisha 1 Imado Shrine 1 Imperial Sanctuary 1 Ishikawa Prefecture 1 Iwaki 1 Izu 1 Izumo Province 1 Izumo Shrine 1 Izumo Taisha 1 Izu Ōshima 1 Kantō region 1 Kashima 1 Kifune Shrine 1 Kii mountain range 1 Kinkaku-ji 1 Kishi village 1 Kōchi Prefecture 1 Kumano Sanzan 1 Kyoto Rokkaku-dō 1 Lake Biwa 1 Mii-dera 1 Minatogawa Shrine 1 Miyoshi District 1 Mount Hiei 1 Mount Hiko 1 Mount Iizuna 1 Mount Ishizuchi 1 Mount Katsuragi 1 Mount Kōya 1 Mount Ontake 1 Mount Tsurugi 1 Mount Yoshino 1 Mt. Futarasan 1 Mt. Osore 1 Nara Prefecture 1 Nasu field 1 Nikkō 1 Nikkō Tōshō-gū 1 Ōji Inari 1 Okinawa 1 Osaka 1 Otowa no taki 1 Rinnō-ji 1 Sado Island 1 Sefa-utaki 1 Semboku 1 Shimokita Peninsula 1 Shōjuin temple 1 Shorinzan Daruma Temple 1 Shuri Castle 1 Takasaki 1 Takayama 1 Tokyo 1 Toyama Prefecture 1 Tsukuba 1 Yamaguchi Prefecture 1 Yoshino 1

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

🇨🇳 China and 5 moreGuanyin觀音 (Guānyīn) The Bodhisattva of compassion, worshipped across East Asia as a listener to human sufferingBeing · Protection · Healing 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

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

🇹🇭 Thailand and 3 moreThai Buddha amuletsพระเครื่อง (phrakhrueang) Sacred Buddhist images and relics worn for protection, merit, and fortune in Thailand.Charm · Protection · Luck and prosperity Living

🇯🇵 JapanYōkai妖怪 A vast class of supernatural spirits and entities in Japanese folkloreBeing · Cursing and harm · Luck and prosperity Historical

🇯🇵 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

🇮🇳 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

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

🇮🇳 India and 4 moreVajrayanaVajrayāna A Buddhist path using rituals and mantras for rapid awakeningTradition · Change and initiation Living 🇫🇷 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

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

🇮🇪 Ireland and 5 moreFairy ring A natural ring of mushrooms surrounded by folklore about dancing spirits and witches.Belief · Wonder and entertainment Living

🇯🇵 JapanTsukumogami付喪神 Household objects that gain a spirit after reaching their hundredth year in Japanese folklore.Being · Cursing and harm Historical

🇮🇳 India and 3 moreDakiniḍākinī A goddess figure in Hinduism and Buddhism, ranging from flesh-eating demoness to enlightened energy.Being · Cursing and harm · Power and authority Historical

🇷🇴 Romania and 5 moreVampire folklore Global legends of blood-drinking spirits and undead revenantsBelief · Cursing and harm · Protection Historical

🇪🇬 Egypt and 5 moreTalisman An object believed to channel specific forces for protection, healing, or influence.Charm · Protection · Healing Historical

🇨🇳 China and 2 moreOnomancy Divination based on the letters, numbers, or written strokes of a person's nameOracle · Seeing and foretelling · Luck and prosperity Living

🇺🇸 United States and 5 moreSatanism A modern set of beliefs using the figure of Satan as a symbol or deity.Tradition · Power and authority · Cursing and harm Living 🇯🇵 Japan and 1 moreKuji-in九字印 A system of nine syllables and hand gestures used for protection and spiritual alignment in Japanese esoteric traditionsRite · Protection · 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

🇮🇪 Ireland and 2 moreTriquetra A three-arc knot used in medieval art and modern pop culturePower and authority Living

🇳🇿 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

🇮🇳 India and 3 moreSpirit An invisible force or soul found in many cultures, linked to gods, humans, and nature.Being · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Power and authority Living 🇰🇷 South Korea and 1 moreFan death선풍기 사망설 A South Korean urban legend that running a fan in a sealed room causes fatal suffocationBelief Fading

🇯🇵 Japan and 1 moreTennin天人 Heavenly beings in Japanese Buddhism, often depicted as beautiful women with feathered scarves.Being · Luck and prosperity Historical

🇻🇳 Vietnam and 2 moreVietnamese numismatic charmsBùa Việt Nam Coin-shaped charms used for protection, luck, and ritual in Vietnamese cultureCharm · Protection · Luck and prosperity Historical

🇨🇳 China and 5 moreMoon rabbit月兔 (yuètù) A mythical figure seen in lunar markings, pounding elixirs or rice cakes across Asia and the Americas.Being · Wonder and entertainment Living

🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreNew Thought A spiritual philosophy linking mental states to physical health and prosperityTradition · Healing · Luck and prosperity Living

🇷🇸 Serbia and 5 moreWolves in folklore, religion and mythology A global survey of how cultures view the wolf as symbol, spirit or threatBelief · Power and authority · Cursing and harm Historical

🇯🇵 Japan and 4 moreHousehold deity A spirit or minor god believed to guard a home and its family members.Being · Protection · Speaking with spirits and the dead Historical

🇯🇵 JapanAllocer A duke of demons in grimoires who teaches sciences and commands legionsBeing · Power and authority Historical

🇯🇵 JapanAosaginohi青鷺火 A Japanese will-o'-the-wisp attributed to the glowing flight of herons at nightBelief · Wonder and entertainment Historical

🇯🇵 JapanAkuma悪魔（あくま） An evil spirit in Japanese folklore, later used for Satan in ChristianityBeing · Cursing and harm Historical

🇰🇷 South Korea and 1 moreDaejongism대종교 A Korean faith system centred on the ancestral king Dangun and national identity.Tradition · Power and authority Living

🇮🇳 India and 1 moreDeity yoga A Vajrayana meditation on embodying a chosen Buddha figure to realize emptinessTradition · Change and initiation · Power and authority Living 🇵🇭 Philippines and 3 moreMy Way killings Fatal disputes in the Philippines sparked by singing Frank Sinatra's song at karaoke barsBelief · Cursing and harm Historical

Photo credits on this page

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

Thai Buddha amulets: User:Mattes, Public domain, source
Guanyin: JL Cogburn, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Luoshu Square: An unknown Tibetan artist, Public domain, source
Gazu Hyakki Yagyō: Toriyama Sekien, Public domain, source
Aosaginohi: Koikawa Harumachi ja:恋川春町 (1744-1789), Public domain, source
Obake: Utagawa Kunisada (歌川国貞), Public domain, source
Astrology: Wilfredor, CC0, source
Chinese dragon: Unknown author, CC0, source
Tantra: William Clark, Public domain, source
Tennin: Unknown author, Public domain, source
En no Gyōja: Wmpearl, CC0, source
Jiang Ziya: Wang Qi, Public domain, source
Fairy ring: User:Mrs skippy, Public domain, source
Tsukumogami: Unknown author, Public domain, source
Dakini: Didier Descouens, Public domain, source
Vampire folklore: Dick Thomas Johnson, CC BY 2.0, source
Talisman: Sasha India, CC BY 2.0, source
Onomancy: Unknown author, Public domain, source
Satanism: Alexandre Cabanel, Public domain, source
Kitsunebi: Abasaa, Public domain, source
Triquetra: Wiglaf at English Wikipedia, Public domain, source
Face tattoo: Gottfried Lindauer, Public domain, source
Yōkai: Kyosai Kawanabe (河鍋暁斎), Public domain, source
Kūkai: Unknown author, CC BY 4.0, source
Vajrayana: Jean-Pierre Dalbéra, CC BY 2.0, source
Spirit: Jastrow, Public domain, source
Vietnamese numismatic charms: Jean-Michel Moullec, CC BY 2.0, source
Moon rabbit: An artist, Public domain, source
New Thought: Nyttend, Public domain, source
Wolves in folklore, religion and mythology: Unknown author, CC0, source
Household deity: Claus Ableiter, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Allocer: Louis Le Breton, Public domain, source
Daejongism: Berghendorf, CC0, source
Deity yoga: Anonymous Unknown author, CC0, source