Onmyoudou

**Onmyoudou** (陰陽道, also In'yōdō, lit. 'The Way of Yīn and Yáng') is a system of natural science, astronomy, almanac, divination and magic that developed independently in Japan based on the Chinese philosophies of yīnyáng and wǔxíng (five phases). The philosophies of yīnyáng and wǔxíng were introduced to Japan at the beginning of the 6th century. Practitioners of Onmyoudou were called onmyouji (陰陽師, also In'yōji).

## Yīnyáng

In Ancient Chinese philosophy, yīnyáng is a concept of dualism, describing how seemingly opposite or contrary forces may actually be complementary, interconnected and interdependent in the natural world. In Chinese cosmology, the universe creates itself out of a primary chaos of material energy, organized into the cycles of Yīn and Yáng and formed into objects and lives. Yīn is the receptive and Yáng the active principle.

Many natural dualities (such as light and dark, fire and water, expanding and contracting) are thought of as physical manifestations of the duality symbolized by yīn and yáng. This duality lies at the origins of many branches of classical Chinese science and philosophy, traditional Chinese medicine and martial arts.

## Wǔxíng

Wǔxíng, usually translated as **Five Phases**, is a conceptual scheme that explains a wide array of phenomena, from cosmic cycles to the interaction between internal organs, and from the succession of political regimes to the properties of medicinal drugs. After it came to maturity in the second or first century BCE during the Hàn dynasty, it was employed in many fields of thought including I Ching divination, alchemy, fēngshuǐ, astrology, traditional Chinese medicine, music, military strategy and martial arts.

### Generating interactions

* Wood feeds fire
* Fire produces earth (ash, lava)
* Earth bears metal (geological processes produce minerals)
* Metal collects water (water vapor condenses on metal)
* Water nourishes wood

### Overcoming interactions

* Wood stabilizes earth (roots of trees can prevent soil erosion)
* Earth directs water (dams or river banks)
* Water dampens fire
* Fire melts and refines metal
* Metal chops wood

## Katashiro

Katashiro are human-shaped dolls. They are usually made of paper, but sometimes of wood, straw, or metal.

Katashiro are a type of yorishiro - ceremonial objects used as a substitution for someone or something, particularly in a ritual. They are commonly used in purification rituals, where a person's sins are transferred into the katashiro, which is then discarded in a body of water to take the sin away with it. Katashiro can also ward off evil - if you suspect you are a target of a curse, a katashiro can be prepared as a substitute target for your person.

Katashiro can also be used in curses, as a substitution for a real human target. Usually this involves writing the name, birth date and other personal information on the doll. The spell is performed on the doll, after which the intended effects happen to the actual person.

### **Examples in Mao**:

* Chapter 2 - Mao uses a katashiro to overcome a bear youkai and question him about Byouki

## Kodoku

Kodoku (蠱毒, worm toxin), is a type of poisonous magic found in Japanese folklore. It is the Japanese derivative of the Chinese '**gǔ'** magic. To create kodoku, sorcerers would mix several insects in a jar and let them kill one another until only one survived. The fluids of the insect that survived would be used to poison an individual with a curse that would control them, cause them misfortune, or kill them.

### **Examples in Mao:**

* Byouki - first mentioned as being a kodoku in Chapter 2
* Mao's kodoku jar, to which a defeated mantis youkai was added

## References

1. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onmy%C5%8Dd%C5%8D
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yin\_and\_yang
3. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wuxing\_(Chinese\_philosophy)
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 http://yokai.com/katashiro/
5. ↑ Mao, Chapter 2, page 13
6. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kodoku
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Mao, Chapter 2, page 24