History UsefulNotes / Onmyodo

:'''Shikigami''': Shikigami are spirits called forth to act as servants for the summoner, similar to a {{familiar}} in Western mythology. "Shiki", as they are sometimes known, literally means "equation", "formula" or "style" - a shikigami usually isn't bargained with so much as pulled from the aether and [[FormulaicMagic given exact commands to govern its behaviour akin to programming]], with [[AIIsACrapshoot a misplaced command or drop in power causing it to go berserk and turn on its creator]].
* It's also worth noting that the name can be ''heard'' two ways - one is the "equation spirit" so described. The other meaning? ''Fierce Death God'' - the sort of deities that are usually charged with ensuring the death of humans, either at their appointed time or otherwise. Expect a lot of onmyōdō-rich works to play with this.

The most famous ''onmyōji'' is [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abe_no_Seimei Abe no Seimei,]] a figure roughly analogous to the Merlin of [[KingArthur Arthurian legend]]. Like Merlin, it is said that he was not entirely human, but the offspring of a nobleman and a female {{Kitsune}} deity. Abe no Seimei is a documented historical personage who lived from about 921 CE to around 1005 CE, the middle of the [[JidaiGeki Heian Period]]. A shrine dedicated to him was built in Kyoto soon after his death, and still exists today. His descendants, the [[http://eos.kokugakuin.ac.jp/modules/xwords/entry.php?entryID=366 Tsuchimikado]] clan, were responsible for managing the Bureau of Onmyō for most of its existence.

* The mobile RPG ''[[VideoGame/{{Onmyoji}} Onmyōji]]'' developed by [=NetEase=] Games is ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin.

* Gensokyo is the ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve mystical setting of the ''VideoGame/{{Touhou}}'' series, where many forms of magic co-exist. The {{miko}} Hakurei Reimu and Kochiya Sanae use [=ofuda=] and there are some on Fujiwara no Mokou's pants, probably as flame retardant; Reimu also has her smiting Hakurei Ying-Yang Orbs. Rumia is a {{Youkai}} with a sealing [=ofuda=] in her hair which she can't touch. Patchouli Knowledge prominently uses elemental magic based on Eastern elements (wood, metal, etc.). Yakumo Yukari has a kitsune shikigami named Ran; Ran has her own nekomata shikigami in the form of Chen.
** Many of Sanae's spellcards are also based off of onmyodo, most notably her pentagram-filled cards in ''Mountain of Faith'' and her "Nine Syllable Stabs" card in ''Subterranean Animism''.

* The spells used by ''Konohana wa Otome'' of ''Franchise/LapisReLights'' are heavily inspired by this. They hail from Yamato, a FantasyCounterpartCulture of Japan in all but name, and use several elements like Tsubaki storing her bow in a PaperTalisman when not in use, Kaede being a PaperMaster when fighting with her ''shikigami'' paper puppets, and also Kaede's skill and obsession with divination and fortune-telling.

* Several of the Japanese aircraft carriers from ''VideoGame/KantaiCollection'' are designed as onmyouji where their planes are their shikigami: Ryuujou, Hiyou, Jun'you, Unryuu, Amagi, Katsuragi, and Akitsu Maru (with a Buddhist style while the rest follow the Shinto style).

:'''Gobosei (pentagram)''': In Japanese culture, this is a symbol of magical power, a diagram of the "[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wu_Xing#Overcoming overcoming cycle]]" of the [[ElementalPowers five Chinese elements]] (Wu Xing). A five-pointed star variant (leaving out the outside pentagon) is known as a ''Seiman'', the personal crest of Abe no Seimei.

* ''Magical Suite Prism Nana'' features a German shrine maiden who knows Onmuoji. On the shoulder area of her school uniform lie gobosei on each side respectively.

* ''Magical Suite Prism Nana'' features a German shrine maiden who knows Onmuoji.

* Creator/KenAkamatsu's ''Manga/MahouSenseiNegima'' features onmyoji as well as Western mages.

Onmyōdō (meaning "the Way of Yin and Yang") is Japanese-style [[FunctionalMagic spell-casting]]. Methods range from Yin/Yang, [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godai the Five Elements,]] [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shikigami shikigami,]] and divination to {{ofuda}} and [[AlchemyIsMagic alchemy]]. ''Onmyōdō'', like many Real World magical belief systems, is an eclectic blend; while it can be treated as simple ''rule magic'', it also has elements of ''force magic'' and theurgy.

* Kanetsugu Naoe uses onmyodo in ''VideoGame/SamuraiWarriors''. His [[PaperTalisman Ofuda]] shoot FrickinLaserBeams.

:'''Shikigami''': Shikigami are spirits called forth to act as servants for the summoner, similar to a {{familiar}} in Western mythology. "Shiki", as they are sometimes known, literally means "equation", "formula" or "style" - a shikigami usually isn't bargained with so much as pulled from the aether and [[FormulaicMagic programmed with instructions]], and [[AIIsACrapshoot a misplaced command or drop in power can cause it to go berserk and turn on its creator]].

* Sumeragi Subaru and Sakurazuka Seishirou, from CLAMP's ''Manga/TokyoBabylon'' and ''Manga/{{X1999}}''.
* In ''Manga/ShamanKing'', onmyoji are high-level shamans; most notably, series BigBad Hao Asakura is an onmyoji (and may in fact be partially inspired by Abe no Seimei).

** Yasuaki's {{expy}} Abe no Yasutsugu from ''Haruka 2'' and Kajiwara Kagetoki from ''Haruka 3'' also use onmyodo, though Kagetoki ditches the more traditional MagicalGesture methods in favour of a gun-like thing that produces InstantRunes.
* Ken Akamatsu's ''Manga/MahouSenseiNegima'' features onmyoji as well as Western mages.

* The anime and manga ''OnmyouTaisenki'' revolves almost completely around onmyodo.
* ''Manga/AskDrRin'' features an onmyoji named Tokiwa Takashi.

* ''Manga/DescendantsOfDarkness'' involves a considerable amount of onmyodo-style magic, including extensive use of shikigami and o-fuda.
* Sakura Yamazaki from ''Manga/BlueSeed'' is an onmyoji (translated to "faith healer" in the English subs).

* Isumi of ''Manga/HayateTheCombatButler'' can do nearly anything related to exorcism via this method.
** [[spoiler:Isumi also enchanted Tama via this method to enable him to become a TalkingAnimal.]]
* In ''Anime/{{K}}'', the Gold King came from a family of onmyouji, which is why he was able to control and understand the power-giving Slates more than any of the other characters.
* Nakahito in ''Anime/SteelAngelKurumi'' is an aspiring onmyoji, hoping to one day be as good as his older brother. His latent power is given as the reason for his being able to activate Kurumi in the first episode.

* [[HenshinHero Rei Hino/Sailor Mars]] from ''Franchise/SailorMoon'' can use this whether transformed or not, and in particular chooses {{ofuda}} to expel demons with "Evil spirits, disperse!" ''("Akuryo Taisan!")''

* [[spoiler:Tsuchimikado Motoharu]] of ''LightNovel/ACertainMagicalIndex'' is a highly-skilled onmyoji, and is even descended from a famous clan of them. However, having undergone the Power Development Curriculum, using these abilities causes a backlash in his body, and is potentially fatal for him. Luckily, his ability, Level 0 Auto-Rebirth, allows him to bypass this for a limited number of times.

* [[spoiler:Abe no Seimei himself]] and [=ofuda=] magic (used by the Octobrist Organisation) also appear in ''Manga/{{Drifters}}''.
* It's a very large part of ''Manga/InuYasha,'' as pretty much the main form - if not only form - of magic used by humans. Even BigBad Naraku sends doppelgangers of himself pretty much by the Shikigami method (if you actually manage to beat him, you'll probably be left with a small wooden doll around which the doppelganger was built.)
* This is the form of magic used by Nanami, and by most supernaturally empowered human characters we see, in ''Manga/KamisamaKiss''. Nanami tends to get very creative with her tailsmans, even using one concerning ''traffic safety'' to kill a a couple of demonic thugs.
* ''Manga/LaughingUnderTheClouds'':
** Ashiya Mutsuki is a practicing onmyoji, complete with shikigami, paper dolls and various techniques. It's a family tradition, and his ancestor Ashiya Mangetsu is shown to have been formidable as well.
** Descendants of Abe no Seimei also seem to still be practicing onmyodo, and employ the gobosei (pentagram) as their family crest, but the only important character of that line, Abe no Sosei, has chosen the sword instead.

* Abe no Seimei appears as a villain in ''Oniwakamaru the Visitor'', by Creator/TetsuyaSaruwatari

* Akari Ichijo from ''VideoGame/TheLastBlade'' is a BunnyEarsLawyer example, who uses her [[ZigzagPaperTassel gohei]] as a weapon, can summon a variety of youkai to attack her opponent and uses her shikigami basically to cheat death (whenever she's hit with a finisher, she replaces herself with it). For bonus points, the home port of the first game has also an alternate version of Akari which is actually a tanuki impersonating her.

Onmyōdō (meaning "the Way of Yin and Yang") is Japanese-style [[FunctionalMagic spell-casting]]. Methods range from Yin/Yang, [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godai the Five Elements,]] [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shikigami shikigami,]] and divination to [=ofuda=] and alchemy. ''Onmyōdō'', like many Real World magical belief systems, is an eclectic blend; while it can be treated as simple ''rule magic'', it also has elements of ''force magic'' and theurgy.

* ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder'' has Murasaki Shikibu (the author of Literature/TheTaleOfGenji) as a secret onmyodo practitioner taught by Abe no Seimei himself, which she primarily uses in her magic writing.

* Keikain Yura of ''Manga/NurarihyonNoMago'' come from a onmyouji family specialising in shikigami and hunting youkai.

:'''Shikigami''': Shikigami are spirits called forth to act as servants for the summoner, similar to a {{familiar}} in Western mythology. "Shiki", as they are sometimes known, literally means "equation", "formula" or "style" - a shikigami usually isn't bargained with so much as pulled from the aether and [[FormulaicMagic programmed with instructions]], and [[AIIsACrapshoot a misplaced command or drop in power can cause it to go berserk and turn on its creator]]. In modern representation, shikigami come in three main varieties:
** A paper doll [[EyeOfNewt used as a focus]] to generate a short-lived [[MadeOfMagic magical construct]] shaped like a living creature, with varying levels of realism, power and intelligence depending on the amount of skill and/or magical energy used in its creation. The doll itself is left behind if the shikigami is dispelled, and can often be reused.
** A pre-existing creature (usually an animal or a low-level {{Youkai}}) into which a shikigami spirit is summoned, granting it enhanced power and intelligence in exchange for [[BondCreature becoming bound to servitude]]. More powerful servants are harder to control; Abe no Seimei's use of [[{{Youkai}} oni]] shikigami was a mark of his great skill.
** A specially prepared object into which a shikigami spirit is summoned as an animating force, creating something similar to a {{Golem}}. Rarer than the other two varieties, and usually consigned to roles that don't require them to move around.