Asi Hell

Capítulo 73

"The box is perfectly made, but the location is bad."

"You, how dare you be so disrespectful, this imperial casket—"

"Basically, you've positioned it in the wrong direction. The target is a demon, isn't it? What do you mean by placing the Divine Body at the Ghost Gate!"

Kyogoku-do placed his hand on the box.

"You bastard, stop right now!"

"Do not act rashly!"

Kyogoku-do shouted loudly.

The positions have been completely reversed.

“Mr. Terada, your area is particularly dangerous. You’d better stay seated.”

Kyogoku-do placed the box on the ground.

"Putting it here will only attract bad things to the box."

"You scoundrel, you don't understand why you're placed at the Gate of Hell! Listen carefully, when evil accumulates in the gaps of the mind and the emptiness of the spirit, demons will spring from it—"

"What I'm saying is, this is the wrong direction if you want to subdue the demons."

"Wrong?"

"The Ghost Gate is associated with the Earthly Branches Chou and Yin, right? So it's associated with ghosts."

"ghost--?"

"The gate of the underworld is written as the gate of the underworld. Ox horns paired with a tiger skin belt—the ox and the tiger are exactly the symbols of the underworld. Since the distant Heian period, the bad things associated with the gate of the underworld must be the underworld. The underworld originally refers to the dead spirit, so it is understandable if your target is a vengeful spirit or an evil spirit, but since it is a demon, doing this is completely irrelevant, Mr. Terada."

Kyogoku-do turned around.

"Wangliang, also known as Fangliang. Fangliang—meaning located in the four directions, certainly not just appearing from the northeast corner. In ancient China, there was an expert in subduing Wangliang named Fangxiangshi. It is said that his method of repelling Wangliang emerging from tombs was to strike them in all four directions with a halberd. Fangxiangshi—you should have heard of him, right?"

Heibe did not answer.

Hei was just an ordinary box maker; he probably hadn't heard of this person.

"It is the Fangxiangshi from China, who wears a golden four-eyed mask, a black robe and a red skirt, holds a spear and a shield, and leads a group of 120 children dressed as twelve wild beasts such as Qiongqi and Tenggen, standing before the Great Nuo ceremony to exorcise demons from the palace. This ritual was introduced to Japan at the end of the 7th century and is the Zhuinuo ceremony performed in the palace on New Year's Eve. The so-called Zhuinuo is a ceremony in which the Great Nuo and the Little Nuo chase after the demons dressed as Toneri (Note 1) in the palace. The Great Nuo symbolizes Fangxiangshi, and the Little Nuo are used to replace the 120 children. This ceremony also chases the demons to the four gates of the palace in turn."

Note 1: A lower-ranking official in the palace who served the royal family and nobles and was responsible for miscellaneous tasks.

It's only natural that Bingwei couldn't reply.

“Shrines and temples also hold exorcism ceremonies. In modern times, it became widely popular among the common people and was held throughout the country. I believe you should know this; it is the Setsubun exorcism ceremony.”

"Setsubun is—a ritual to exorcise demons, right? So of course it is—"

"Hehehe, the ghosts are outside (Note 2), right? The bean-scattering ceremony began around the time of Emperor Uda, influenced by the Onmyōdō (the Way of Yin and Yang). The so-called Setsubun originally referred to the time of seasonal change. The night before the beginning of spring, summer, autumn, and winter is called Setsubun, so there should be four times a year. The ancients believed that the night before the beginning of spring was a time of Yin and Yang opposition, which would generate evil spirits and bring disaster. Therefore, the Tsūrai (exorcism) was performed to drive away evil spirits. When the Tsūrai turned into scattering beans, the monsters that were out of step with the times, such as the 'wōrō' (monsters), disappeared and were replaced by ghosts."

Note 2: In the ritual of sprinkling beans to drive away ghosts at the end of the season, one person plays the ghost, while the others throw fried soybeans at him and shout "Ghosts outside, blessings inside" to pray for good fortune.

"ghost--"

Hei forced out the word with great pain.

Kyogoku-do's interest was further heightened.

"As mentioned before, the word 'oni' originally referred to the soul of the dead. In China, 'oni' refers to the spirits of the dead or ancestors. After it was introduced to Japan, the word was used to refer to anti-government forces—that is, people who refused to submit. For example, the Emishi and Sushen people who opposed the ruling court were called 'demons' by this derogatory term. The term 'demons and spirits that do not submit to the four directions' gradually became popular and fixed in the Nihon Shoki, and the meaning of 'oni' also changed. Finally, the 'oni,' representing filth and evil, was born. So, 'oni' is relatively easy to deal with, as long as you haven't found the 'wangliang,' which is even older than 'oni.'"

That's why I—

"It is the Onmyoji who bring about the birth of Oni. Just as the missionary work of Christianity is inevitably accompanied by the existence of demons, Onmyoji cannot exist without Oni."

Kyogoku-do let out a breath and glanced at the doorway.

Natsukizu stood there.

Then, he continued:

"The ideas of Yin and Yang and the Five Elements were introduced along with Buddhism, so they are quite ancient. However, the maturation and completion of Yin-Yang theory did not occur until several centuries later. It wasn't until the late Nara period that Yin-Yang theory was formally adopted by the imperial court—"

Kyogoku-do spoke as he moved slowly.

"—Kibi Makibi, the powerful figure at the time, was the one who facilitated this. He abolished the Tendokuryo, which was originally responsible for commanding the spellcasters, and combined the magic they used with Onmyōdō, which was based on the latest knowledge of the continent, such as Yin and Yang and the Five Elements. Then came the Heian period, and Onmyōdō was further developed. In the process of shifting from the worship of the Ritsuryō deities to the worship of the dynastic deities, the Four Corners and Four Sakai Festival, which can be said to be the culmination of Onmyōdō ancestral worship, was completed."

Does Heibe really understand this passage? Even I'm having trouble understanding several parts of it.

"The Four Corners Festival is for expelling and purifying the four corners of the palace, while the Four Sacred Grounds Festival is for protecting the four borders of the capital. This is a ritual to drive out impurities from the four corners and four sides of the four-cornered barrier. At this time, the four corners refer to the directions of Qian, Kun, Gen, and Xun, which are also Xu-Hai, Wei-Shen, Chou-Yin, and Chen-Si. The Chou-Yin you mentioned—the Ghost Gate—appears here. But the object expelled by this ritual must be a ghost, not a demon."

"So what?"

"So if you say that the Ghost Gate is an unfavorable location, then the object you want to exorcise must be a ghost."

"Utterly foolish, so incredibly foolish. I don't know how it was done in ancient times, I—"

"Things aren't that simple. You clearly used ancient rituals as well. Mr. Terada, you've crossed the line, haven't you?"

"Anti-gate?"

A disheveled look appeared on Bingwei's forehead.

"What did he tell you? Was it the Fan Yan? Or the Yu Bu? Or did he not tell you the name at all?"

Hyōe remained silent. With things having escalated to this point, no one could stand against Kyogoku-dō.

"It's that movement where you stomp your foot on the floor. I haven't seen you do it in person, but I think that's probably it."

Kyogoku-do's footsteps resembled a strange, four-legged movement (note), making the floorboards thump loudly.

Note: Basic sumo wrestling movement. Hands on knees, alternately raise each foot high and stomp the ground forcefully.

"Tianwu Bo is dead!"

The wooden floorboards made a lot of noise.

"This is called a five-legged reversal; if it were a nine-legged reversal, it would be like this."

Kyogoku-do slashes the floor with the nine-character mantra "Lin Bing Dou Zhe Jie Shu Zu Zai Qian" while chanting the same incantation.

That's the thumping sound from the bird's mouth recording, right? The rhythm is also very similar.

"This is a technique from the Yin-Yang Dao or a curse, a magical footwork that can cross evil directions. What you've learned is very similar to this, and this happens to be the Yin position."

Kyogoku stepped forward with his left foot.

"Tianpeng".

The right foot steps out onto the left foot, then the right foot steps out.

"Within the day."

Kyogoku-do repeated the above actions in a circle.

"Tianchong, Tianfu, Tianqin, Tianxin, Tianzhu, Tianren, Tianying".

Returning to the position of Yin – northeastern east.

"This was originally meant to be performed at the altar in the center, repeating the movements four times—this footwork is recorded in the 'Zunxing Dulan Yu Bu Zuo Fa,' and it's quite similar to your footwork, isn't it?"

"It must look very similar," Bingwei said without replying.

"The prototype of this walking technique can be found in Taoism, and it is also a kind of incantation related to direction. You used this incantation, which is inherited from Yin-Yang Taoism, without your knowledge."

Kyogoku-do walked to the front of Hyōe.

"If you ask why the Onmyoji were able to monopolize the palace rituals, which originally belonged to the priests, it's because the original practice was to expel impurities, but the Onmyoji, like you, took all the impurities upon themselves; because they themselves became impurities, people noticed their existence. Later, the Onmyodo was expelled from the center, and they themselves became demons. Most of the famous Onmyoji in legends are descendants of other races, the same kind as demons. The Onmyoji who created demons—ultimately became demons themselves, thus creating even greater chaos."

Hearing this, Bingwei was truly thrown into utter confusion. This was understandable, as he was being attacked by a strange man who had suddenly barged in, spewing incomprehensible arguments.

"What did the Hosangji become in popular folklore? — You already know. You yourself just said it, it became a demon. In the ancient Setsubun Oiran ritual held in shrines and temples, the Hosangji was distinguished from demons, but in folklore, the Hosangji itself became a symbol of demons, and the pursuer became the pursued. However, Onmyōdō gained power by creating demons in the 10th century, while the Oiran ritual had already been introduced to our country as early as the late 7th century. Therefore, this was actually collateral damage. The Hosangji's original duty was to drive away evil spirits. But the so-called 'evil spirits' here, under the influence of Onmyōdō, unknowingly became the name of demons. As Onmyōdō lost ground in the central government and became more popular, the Hosangji himself was replaced by demons. Thus,"

Kyogoku-do laughed, a cruel laugh.

"Then we thought of another folk belief that was also caught in the crossfire. Because there were no suitable words to describe it, things that were not originally ghosts were also called ghosts under the influence of Yin-Yang philosophy."

Hyōe stepped back, and Kyogoku-dō took a step forward.

“I know a ghost in a folk art who, like you, walks on a zither and sings the same blessings. It’s the Yangtong Ghost from the Flower Festival.”

"Yang Tonggui—"

Hyōe's only reaction was to repeat Kyogoku-dō's words like a parrot. Kyogoku-dō took another step forward.

"The Yangtong Oni appearing in Kagura (note) has different names and lines in different places. However, it is of noble status, and in some places only members of specific families can play the role. As its name suggests, this oni carries a Yangtong tree on its back. Because it lost a question-and-answer contest with a priest, it is responsible for pacifying the five directions. The so-called five directions refer to the four cardinal directions plus the center. Next, even more interesting than this Yangtong Oni are the oni from the western country called Arahei, Daiban, and Shiba Onijin. I believe they are an older form of the Yangtong Oni. In some places, you know, this oni, which is clearly a demon, actually wields a sword and cuts through the five directions to drive away demons. Isn't this the same as what the ancient Fangxiangshi did before the oni that transformed into bean-sprinkling oni did?"

Note: Japanese folk ritual dances and songs performed to appease the gods.

Kyogoku-do lowered his body and stared at Hyōe face to face.

"Whether it's Yang Tonggui or Arahira, they are both called 'Oni' now, but they weren't originally 'Oni'. So, what are the monsters that Yang Tonggui pacifies or Arahira drives away with his sword? When they pacify or drive away monsters, they chant the names of deities that appear in the Kojiki. It's unclear whether it's for prayer or for pacification."

Just as their faces were about to touch, Kyogoku-do suddenly stood up straight without making a sound.

"For example, there is a kind of spell called Evil Cut that guards the four directions, like this."

Kyogoku-do slashed in all directions with his hand as if dancing.

In the East, wood is hard to eradicate; the ancestral guardian of wood, each phrase is its driving force.

In the south, fire is difficult to extinguish; the ancestor of fire, Ke, suddenly possessed wisdom.

In the West, the gold is difficult to destroy; the gold's ancestor, the Golden House Master.

In the north, water is hard to extinguish; the ancestor of water, the woman of the void.

Central, the earth is hard to destroy, the ancestor of the earth, Haneya Suhime

Wang Long, the Wind's Unyielding Spirit, the Ancestor of Wind, and Class Leader Tsuhiko.

"Whether it's the lyrics or the dance, they vary from region to region, and the way the names are written and pronounced also differs slightly from place to place, but the content is generally the same. Wanglong is another center. There are many interpretations of this. For example, we can think of it as the second earth in the Yin-Yang and Five Elements theory, that is, the center needs to pass through twice; or we can think of the center as the floor, and Wanglong as the roof, so that the six directions are completely surrounded, and the box is formed. When thinking about Japanese demons, the problem of Yangtong Demon and Arahira is rich in many revelations that people easily overlook. It is very interesting and an important topic. But let's leave those aside for now. The problem now is about the Mizusho-onna of the North."

“Wang Xiang – Woman”

“The mitsuha is the same as the moruyou. Therefore, since you've brought up such an ancient monster as the moruyou, it shouldn't be located at the Ghost Gate—the northeast—but rather at the location of water, which is in the north—”

"—The boxes should be placed here."

"Uh-huh."

I couldn't help but agree.

Kyogoku-do was quite troubled when we talked about the spirits before. However, after listening to the prayer of the Ohako-no-Kami and my conversation with Toriguchi, he thought of something.

—The direction the demon is pointing to is incorrect.