Curses

"You wanna dig out my tush crystal, Yukine?!" This article contains manga spoilers. Read at your own risk.

Curses (呪 (しゅ) , Shu^?) are a class of enchantments that can be used for a diverse set of purposes, such as entrapment, tracking, or weapon enhancement. They can be used by shinki or gods.

Description

Unlike songs or spells, there does not appear to be a standardized method of casting or reversing curses, as each curse has its own unique effects, rules, or rituals. Two curses, Arrest and Kagome, involve the use of an incantation. Others require behavioral rituals (such as writing for the Name Concealment Curse) or an activating medium (such as blood for Minonawa or Migawari) to enact the curse.

Some curses can be reversed by the target. For example, Kagome enforces the rules of a children's game, and the target can lift the curse if they successfully act according to those rules.^[1] Curses used for entrapment can be broken using a strong enough force. Although Kugaha's sealing curse couldn't be broken by borderlines or melee attacks from a half-ayakashi, it could be destroyed by a cursed weapon;^[2] likewise, the entangling strings of Arrest were forcefully destroyed by Bishamonten and Nana.^[3]

It is stated by Kazuma that using a curse corrupts shinki.^[4] There appears to be be at least one exception, although it is unclear whether this is due to the nature of the curse itself or the shinki who cast it.^[5]

With the exception of Arrest, which has been used by gods,^[3] all known curses have been used by shinki.

Known Curses

Arrest

Arrest (拘 (こう) , Kou^?) is an ancient curse used by Heaven to capture rebels. It creates a large number of thin strings that snare the target, digging into their flesh and injuring them in the process. It seems to require at least two individuals on opposite sides of the target to perform it successfully. If the target is strong enough, they may be able to break free by destroying the strings.^[3]

Controlling Ayakashi

See also: The Word

Shinki can control ayakashi by using one's name to enact a curse. This effect can be spread across a large number of ayakashi.^[6] The cursed ayakashi that have appeared in the series are shown to be contained inside a jar marked with the mask, but it has not been specified whether this curse's power is directly related to the Word.

Kagome

Kagome (かごめ, Kagome^?) is a curse that can be used to entrap and weaken other shinki. Under certain circumstances, it can be used as an interrogation technique. Enacting the curse requires a group of child shinki, who are too young to know good and evil, to stand with joined hands in a circle. They then sing an incantation that prevents those inside the circle from using borderlines. The curse can be lifted if the casters stop singing, or if the casters' linked hands are separated. The curse can also be lifted if the last remaining target contained in the circle calls out the name of the shinki standing directly behind them.^[1]

Migawari

Migawari (身 (み) 代 (が) わり, Migawari^?, lit. "person substitution") is a curse that disguises the target as another person. It has only been used on an unconscious target, so it is unclear whether it would also disguise non-physical attributes such as voice, scent, etc. It is unknown exactly how the curse is enacted, but it can be lifted if the target is injured or killed by a third party.^[7]

Minonawa

Minonawa (みのなわ, Minonawa^?, lit. "rope on the body") is a curse that alerts the user when the target is within a certain proximity.^[8] Enacting this curse requires the use of blood. The blood does not have to belong to either caster or target, demonstrated by the usage of Kugaha's blood to place the curse between Kazuma and the Stray.^[7]

Name Concealment

The Name Concealing Curse hides the kanji imprint of a shinki's name. The casting sequence, described by the Stray as long and mind-numbing, involves writing one's name repeatedly.^[9] The curse is undone if the shinki's master calls the hidden name.^[5] When Kugaha uses this curse, Tenjin is immediately aware that a name of his has disappeared. Strangely, this occurs without any feelings of pain that typically appear when a god loses a shinki.^[9]

Sealing

An unnamed curse can be used to seal off a space, forcibly separating it from the outside world. The seal is strong enough to withstand attacks from shinki and half-ayakashi. To the extent of Kazuma's knowledge, there is no way to escape such a prison from the inside.^[4][10] However, the seal can be broken from the outside using a cursed weapon.^[2][11]

Weapon Enhancement

It is possible to imbue objects with a curse using one's name, but the exact process for doing so remains unrevealed.^[6] According to Yato, these types of weapons are unusual and more dangerous than ayakashi. The byakujō (百 (びゃく) 丈 (じょう) , byakujō^?) staff wielded by Aiha has been the only example of cursed weaponry. The byakujō is capable of firing energy blasts that are powerful enough to start a Near Shore fire, damage a god,^[4][12] and destroy cursed seals.^[2]

References

Navigation

Abilities
Items	Divine Covering • The Word
Curses	Arrest • Migawari • Kagome • Name Concealment • Minonawa
Other	Bell • Divine Possession • Jungle Savate • Soul Summoning • Pacification Ring
Shinki Techniques
Songs	Cloudburst • Counter-Incantations • Crimson Bloom • Firefighting Incantation • Fire Summoning Incantation • Lightning Ward Incantation
Spells	Bakufu • Inko • Rakusui • Rourou
Vessel-only	Bore • Cloudburst • Crimson Bloom • Goodness Net • Liberation • Rend • Sunder
Other	Ablution • Borderline • Purgatory