Box of Demons

Chapter 28

"It refers to knowledge scattered outside the European knowledge system, such as that of Greece, Rome, the East, and the Islamic world. This knowledge was re-evaluated during the Renaissance, but immediately after the revival, it came to the attention of Christianity and was branded as anti-Christian. For a long time afterward, mysticism was always associated with 'anti-Christian knowledge.' But in the nineteenth century, astrology, numerology, and necromancy were conflated by figures like Elifas Reeves. As a result, mysticism became vulgarized and was met with hostility from the burgeoning natural sciences, this time being branded as anti-natural science. And so, everything..." The bizarre and incomprehensible were all stuffed into a box called mysticism. In this century, a conflict arose between natural science and Christianity, and as a result, Christianity, which had once been at the forefront of anti-mysticism, was almost stuffed into the black box of mysticism itself. While this wasn't entirely without merit, mysticism became a convenient dumping ground, tossing in all sorts of strange things, good or bad, and sealing them away tightly, as if afraid of the stench escaping. This attitude has persisted ever since—and now it has traveled a long way to Japan, giving rise to people like you, Sekiguchi, who are completely incomprehensible.

After finishing his long and rambling speech, Kyogoku-do looked at me with disdain.

"Where do I not understand at all! I understand mysticism exactly as you just said, there's nothing wrong with that."

"Of course you're wrong. Didn't you just get confused about what's truly mystical and not like that? If that's the case, I wonder what kind of misunderstanding mysticism will be given when it becomes widely recognized in our country. It's really worrying. Some people are distressed by being thrown into the black box of mysticism, while others use it as a smokescreen, taking advantage of its all-encompassing yet inviolable nature. This black box is very convenient. So if you want to use the word 'mysticism,' or even go further and criticize it, you should at least learn to distinguish between truth and falsehood first."

"The truth or falsehood of mysticism? You mean if it's true, we shouldn't criticize it? That's exactly what I'm talking about."

"It's easy to tell without spying. Didn't we just divide it into four types? I've never thought about it using mysticism as a benchmark. If I had to categorize it, superpowers would be non-mysticism, divination would be quasi-mysticism, psychic powers would be true mysticism, and religion would be hyper-mysticism, something like that. Hmm, how interesting—"

Kyogoku-do seemed quite pleased with the four titles he had just come up with on the spur of the moment.

"For example—magic isn't considered mysticism, is it?"

"Of course, that's just a performance. It looks amazing, but there's a catch behind it all."

"That's right, magic tricks have mechanisms, and we can enjoy them because we know they have mechanisms. Because we know they have mechanisms, we don't criticize them. So what about superpowers?"

"Superpowers—I guess you could call it mysticism. On the surface—they're supposed to be without any mechanisms, but miracles without mechanisms are obviously fake, so it's mysticism."

"Uh—superpowers don't have mechanisms. Superpowers aren't magic, so they shouldn't have mechanisms. Therefore, the origin of superpowers must be revealed; trying to uncover the mechanisms behind them is pointless. Is that what you mean?"

"Yes, so you don't understand? Magic is not mysticism, but superpowers are. The reason is quite clear: it's about whether or not there's a mechanism involved."

Kyogoku-do raised one eyebrow and looked at me with a disdainful expression.

"This is really frustrating. You don't even know the difference."

"What's the meaning?"

"It has nothing to do with whether or not there is a mechanism. When you use that as a distinction, it is no longer the original mysticism. The original mysticism should not consider whether there is a mechanism. That is to say, whether it is magic that is said to have a mechanism or superpower that claims to have no mechanism, it does not qualify as mysticism."

"So—you mean superpowers don't count as mysticism?"

"Need I say it again? I've said before that mysticism is hidden knowledge. The moment it claims to be 'without tricks or schemes,' it must be taken out of the black box of mysticism and made public to the world."

"So, to be considered mystical, it has to be something that 'doesn't matter whether it has mechanisms or not'?"

Toriguchi said—and Kyogoku-do nodded vigorously, much to his dismay.

"Exactly. So things that shouldn't be categorized as mysticism are now lurking in the black box of mysticism, and fake 'cccltists' are appearing, talking about origins that shouldn't be made public. These people are perhaps the ones Sekiguchi should criticize. Because they don't say what should be said, but brazenly talk about what shouldn't be said. Secrets that genuine mediums risk their lives to protect are casually revealed by these second-rate fake mediums. So-called mysticism is about things that can't be spoken of or asked about. In this sense, religion, no, even science, has many mystical elements, and those in the know understand this. True religious figures will preach doctrines, but they will never discuss the reasons for miracles, because that belongs to the realm of God. So religion always has many parables to avoid directly discussing this part. The descriptions of each other in religion are all parables. Those who take these words as truth and explain what lives in the spirit world, how mysterious forces are, etc., are definitely fakes."

“I understand all of that, but—”

I actually understood almost everything Kyogoku-do was trying to say, but I was just reluctant to admit it honestly. Kyogoku-do seemed to have noticed this as well.

"It's not that I don't understand your insistence. What you're trying to say is that even if it's not a fake, you can't trust it until you open the box and check it carefully, right?"

"yes."

I answered.

That's what I meant.

"Guankou, listen carefully. A box doesn't lose its value just because it's not opened to check its contents. What's inside isn't that important; the box itself has its value as a box."

Kyogoku-do then added in an even louder voice: "The essence of mysticism is not mystery or enigma, but rather that 'hidden things' have profound significance. If mysticism were merely anti-Christian or anti-scientific, it would likely be given other names. Mysticism is about things that only gain meaning when hidden. Imagine a box labeled 'snacks.' Even if it only contains garbage, it's no different from a box containing real snacks until you open it. When you open the lid to eat the snacks, you'll find it's a lie. But if you believe the label and don't open the lid, in the end, what's inside is still snacks, not garbage. People who know it's garbage don't need to reveal the truth and ruin someone else's expectations."

"I understand now!"

I finally gave up and abandoned my rebuttal, resorting to Kyogoku-do's favorite nonsensical metaphors to express my feelings.

"—To use your favorite analogy, mysticism is like a radio; you can listen to it even if you don't know how it works. It's just that some people, clearly unaware of the principles, try to explain it by saying things like little devils are singing songs inside. If I were to criticize the radio itself in order to attack it, that would be irrelevant. There's no need to criticize the radio itself, nor is there any need to lift the cover and pull out the germanium from the transistor to refute the fallacy. It's enough to prove that the claim of little devils is utter nonsense. Lifting the cover and pulling out the transistor might easily prove that little devils don't exist, but once you know that the singing actually comes from the operation of electricity, your original dream would be shattered. So there's no need to touch the radio itself—right?"

Kyogoku-do had a rare smile on his face while I was speaking, but he burst into laughter as soon as I finished.

"Guankou, your condition is quite good. What good deeds have you done during this time we haven't seen each other? Your analogy is not only spot on, but also very clever. That's right, making random criticisms without understanding the reasoning is not necessarily a good thing."

"That's just misleading."

"That's not all. Sekiguchi, are you familiar with the Fukuga incident that occurred at the end of the Meiji era?"

"Ah, I've heard of it—"

The answer was from a bird's beak.

"—I remember Mr. Fu Lai was an associate professor at Imperial University, researching telekinetic photography and superpowers like telekinesis and clairvoyance. He lost his position in a public experiment because he cheated. I'm sure I'm right?"

"Mostly correct. Professor Tomokichi Fukurai was an associate professor at Tokyo Imperial University and one of the founders of hypnotic psychology. Through his friend, Professor Takahashi of Kumamoto Higher Technical School, he met a woman named Chizuru Mifune, who claimed to have clairvoyance, and sensed the possibility of unknown abilities. After numerous communication experiments, he confirmed that her abilities were real, and demonstrated new abilities such as telekinesis and telekinesis in the experiments. Later, through the famous 'Fourteen Doctors Public Experiment' in Meiji 42 (1893), women with clairvoyance, such as Ikuko Nagao and Sadako Takahashi, were discovered. However, in the end, he still could not overcome the thick wall of criticism and attacks, and was ostracized by the academic community—"

Kyogoku-do paused for a moment, changing from his kneeling position to a relaxed sitting posture.

"—Whether, as Toriguchi said, the public experiments were fabricated is unknown. If you ask me whether Associate Professor Fukuro is someone who wants to gain fame by creating fraudulent superpowered individuals, my answer is no. He genuinely wants to study unexplained superpowers from a research perspective. If my understanding is correct, his exile can be considered unjust. But the real tragedy of this series of Fukuro incidents is that two of the three superpowered women died from the shock."

Is he dead?

"Mifune committed suicide, while Nagao died of illness as a result of long-term mental strain. Both of them couldn't withstand the criticism and slander from the public, which ultimately led to tragedy. Decades have passed since then, and everything has been buried in darkness, but what if these two deceased ladies were actually psychics?"

"That's truly a tragedy. So you believe that proper testing wasn't conducted at the time, and that failing to conduct proper testing shouldn't be criticized—right?"

"The actual situation is unclear. Perhaps they really are fraudulent, or perhaps the criticism is correct. But if you ask me whether the academic community and the public are viewing this matter with a calm and objective perspective, my answer is no. Sentimental and clichéd reporting has incited the public. Hypnosis was very popular in society at the end of the Meiji period, with dubious techniques like 'fire-bending tongs' (to demonstrate the magic of hypnosis, the hypnotized subject is often given suggestions to bend normally difficult-to-bend fire tongs) being displayed everywhere. These trends naturally became targets of criticism. Coupled with the rapid Westernization and modernization policies at the time, suppression..." The superstitious movement was in full swing, and institutions of higher learning like Imperial Universities should have been at the forefront of promoting modernization. In this climate, it's easy to imagine that the clairvoyance experiments conducted by hypnotic psychologists were viewed with prejudice from the very beginning. But I hope everyone will consider this carefully: superpowers are not superstition. The very name "superpower"—its very purpose—was intended to avoid using terms like "spiritual power"—it was intended to explain things that current science cannot account for, rather than relying on explanations like "spiritual possession." Therefore, it is actually the furthest removed from superstition.

After he said that, I realized it was indeed true. Calling it a superpower indicates that it has science as its foundation; otherwise, it should be called magic or sorcery. The dividing line is science that aligns with modern thinking. When it is claimed that this is not magic but a superpower, it indicates that there is a hidden will to eliminate mysticism—to break away from the superstitious background of modern times.

"Just because terms like hypnosis and clairvoyance sound suspicious, people blindly bury superpowers in the black box of mysticism. But neither academia, news agencies, nor the general public feel any guilt or doubt about this behavior, which is truly a great ignorance. This ignorance has killed people who may not have committed any crimes at all. All the faults stem from ignorance."

Kyogoku-do, who was originally in a good mood, looked a little stiff—though he still appeared quite unhappy on the surface.

"Speaking of which, Torikochi, I'd like to ask you, who is your opponent?"

Kyogoku-do finally revealed his true intentions.

So that's how it is. So that's what he meant.

This guy is always like this; everyone who consults him gets led into a maze of winding paths, only to be brought back to the starting point after all that trouble. But after this process, they usually only have one option left to consider—to follow Kyogoku-do's advice.

Toriguchi and I have lost the will to write those articles that casually criticize mysticism. Kyogoku-do knew our purpose the moment we arrived; he was simply patiently waiting for us to be able to discuss this issue from his perspective.

We were discussing the topic from the very beginning.

Toriguchi carefully chose his words: "The people I want to interview are spiritual mediums. Before coming here, I casually referred to them as fortune tellers or charlatans, but they should not belong to any cult or make prophecies. What they do is help people expel misfortune, that is, provide relief. They themselves have never claimed to have superpowers, so they are not superpowered."

Kyogoku-do's mood seemed to have improved again.

"Furthermore, I haven't heard of anyone complaining, nor has anyone reported them to the police or taken them to court. There are many believers. This should also indicate that many people have actually been saved. Therefore, according to the argument above, they should not be the targets of denunciation and attack."

I admire Kyogoku-do's persuasive skills, and I also admire Toriguchi's comprehension abilities.

Now that the two have reached a consensus, I believe they will not argue over pointless issues.

at this time--

Something came to mind. Kyogoku-do was often indignant about the general public's lack of knowledge about mysticism.

Whether it was personal resentment or public vengeance, this friend's anger targeted a wide range of areas. But this is understandable—I doubt most people would normally think as clearly about these kinds of things as he does. Even if someone did, they'd probably be a rather eccentric individual. The reason is simple: these things are, in a sense, insignificant. Most people probably don't care whether there's a difference between fortune tellers and mediums. But even if they think it's insignificant, the public often makes baseless judgments about these things. That's probably why Kyogoku-do is angry.

In that sense, I often suffer collateral damage. He is particularly sensitive to mass media such as magazines and newspapers, while I am quite oblivious to such things, often unintentionally writing clichéd articles, and he always lectures me for it.

The reason I usually get lectured comes from articles I write for lowbrow magazines, and Toriguchi is precisely the kind of editor who specializes in lowbrow magazines. In that sense, we make a rather formidable pair, since Kyogoku-do is practically the nemesis of lowbrow magazines. A two-month hiatus made me completely forget my friend's personality.

It's only by sheer luck that these two can now have a conversation based on mutual understanding.

After what Toriguchi just said, he will most likely realize the seriousness of using mysticism as a subject and stop interviewing Mihako-no-Kami. That's for the best. Considering the social responsibility of the publishing industry, it's wise to stay away from such irresponsible topics. Especially after hearing Dr. Fukuro's little story at the end, even someone who has basically no connection to me has to reflect on it.

So this topic ends here, and I can finally discuss with Kyogoku-do the purpose of my visit—the order in which the works will be collected.

But—my expectations were completely dashed.

“Mr. Chuzenji, but I still want to expose this medium, so I would like to borrow your wisdom.”

I was probably the only one there who didn't know what was going on, because I noticed that Kyogoku did smile knowingly.

“Tell me your reasons, Bird Mouth—”

I was once again completely excluded from the conversation.

Bird Mouth began to speak without looking at his notes, it seems he had memorized everything.

"I'll start by stating the enemy's name. The sign reads 'Sealed Hakogami,' but the 'hako' isn't the usual 'box' character; it's a 'hako' with the bamboo radical and the 'lü' radical (in Japanese, 'hako,' 'box,' or 'box' is all pronounced 'HAKO'). I didn't know the pronunciation at first. This 'Hakogami' isn't a title for the medium; the followers call the medium 'Master.' The location is in Mitaka, in a small factory converted into a dojo-like building. 'Hakogami' is the building's name. The Master didn't mention himself..." He possesses divine power, claiming only to be a follower of the all-powerful Mikoto God. Therefore, outwardly, the buildings are the main focus, and the leader is merely a believer. However—he doesn't require believers to worship Mikoto God. I think this is why it's not called the Mikoto Cult. The leader primarily guides believers to improve their lifestyles and relinquish impure possessions, during which time he performs the aforementioned 'secret insight'. Furthermore, when all efforts fail to improve, he performs blessings and prayers for believers. All of this is free; he doesn't charge for prayers, appraisals, or anything else.

"free?"

Kyogoku-do hardly speaks, so I asked him a question.

But regardless of whether it is effective or not, helping people avert disasters and misfortunes for free is the act of a saint, and there is no reason for it to be complained about.

"It's free! No money required!"

Torikochi only reverts to his usual silly and funny tone when he speaks to me.

"—However, even if it's free, there are still many hidden mechanisms—"

I even remembered homophonic jokes (Toriguchi loves to be funny and often adds homophonic witty remarks to his sentences).

"Simply put, they imply that believers should abandon unclean possessions and live a pure life so that happiness will come. These defiled riches are then kept by the cult leader and placed in a sacred casket to be cleansed for a period of time. In this way, unclean wealth will become pure wealth. To put it bluntly, it's like a laundromat for money."

"What a clever design, but wouldn't it be nice if it could bring happiness? That's the conclusion we reached just now. And since it's only being held temporarily, shouldn't we be able to ask for it back? If we can't get it back, we can just tell him."

"That's right, that's what ordinary people think, right? But they've designed it so that you don't dare to ask for it back, and the believers—will become more and more unhappy."

"Becoming unhappy?"

"That's right. Believe it or not—you'll become unhappy whether you like it or not."

"This...this is not a form of salvation at all. Why would any believers follow him?"

If the number of believers continues to increase, there really isn't a more profitable business than this.

At this moment, Kyogoku-do finally opened his mouth.

"Is the increasing unhappiness referring to economic aspects or psychological aspects?"

Are you suggesting that even if one is poor in economic terms, it is not unfortunate as long as one can find peace of mind? But that is not the case.

"Isn't that so?"

"The cult leader would never ask anyone to hand over all their possessions. He would only say to give as much as you can, and even if it's only five or ten dollars, he wouldn't say anything. However, the first time, everyone will definitely only give a little bit. He'll say it doesn't matter how much you give, but of course, no one will give a large sum of money at the beginning. These believers will go home happily, probably thinking: 'I made a profit; he truly is an effective medium, unlike those who just try to make money.' Generally speaking, giving a large sum of money at once would arouse suspicion, as you just said, right? People would think it's cheap here and believe first. But believers are originally people who come seeking help; their misfortunes are mostly..." The current practice involves simply listening to talk about changing one's attitude towards life and maintaining integrity. Paying a small amount of money—what can that change? It might bring a couple of days of a refreshed feeling, but soon things will revert to the same unhappiness. If you think the medium is ineffective, that's one thing, but most people initially believe that this is why their bad luck wasn't driven away. At the same time, the leader will deliberately say things that lead people to this association the first time, so believers will think—the more money they give, the happier they will be. Once they give, it's like an addiction; they keep giving more and more, while the amount that can buy happiness decreases, and the resulting unhappiness naturally multiplies, eventually creating a vicious cycle.

It was indeed a clever design, which I couldn't help but admire. But Bird Mouth gave me a sidelong glance.

"You shouldn't feel admiration for this—"

He said.

"In short, there are many who want to exploit the wealth of kind people, using methods that are both clever and crude, and their numbers are as numerous as the stars. The clever thing about this Mikoto God is that even if believers donate their entire fortune, it won't end there. Because no matter what, believers still have to work to make a living, and no matter how much they give out, they will soon have some money again. Even the poor will have some money left over, so the rich will naturally keep giving out money endlessly. Celebrities have income easily, so they think, 'Oh no, the root of troubles and misfortunes has accumulated again.' So the wealthy want to divide their wealth, and when they hear that others have given away so much money, they feel they can't lose, so they sell their houses and clothes to try and win. Even if they have no money left, as long as they don't become beggars, it will never end. Celebrities, of course, would never actually become beggars, so it's like they're giving out money without any limit; as for the poor, they are almost no different from beggars."

What an astonishing truth.