Cursed Womb: Death Painting

* Anime
* Manga

The **Cursed Womb: Death Paintings** (呪 (じゅ) 胎 (たい) 九 (く) 相 (そう) 図 (ず) , *Jutai Kusōzu*?) are nine cursed objects created with the mixed blood of both a cursed spirit and a human. Death Painting Wombs No. 1-3 are special grade.

## History

At the beginning of the Meiji Era, a woman with a special genetic composition bore a half-human and half-curse child. It was a mysterious pregnancy that caused her to be ostracized by her family. With her child in hand, she fled to a temple where jujutsu sorcerers operated. However, Noritoshi Kamo, the evilest sorcerer in history, forced the woman and her child to become prisoners of his intellectual curiosity. The woman had nine pregnancies and nine abortions, but all records surrounding this and the woman would be destroyed in time.

At some point, Tokyo Jujutsu High was able to secure all nine of the Death Painting Wombs. They used constraints to seal the cursed objects and stored them inside Jujutsu High's cursed warehouse, hidden behind Tengen's concealing barrier.

Using the invasion of the school's Goodwill Event as a distraction, Mahito was able to reach the cursed warehouse. He detected the presence of the special-grade cursed objects and followed them to get past Tengen's barrier. He killed any jujutsu sorcerers that were serving as guards and stole Death Painting Wombs No. 1-3.

Mahito and Kenjaku incarnated them soon after, granting Eso, Kechizu, and Choso new flesh and blood vessels. After allying himself with Yuji Itadori, Choso confirmed his other six brothers were still being kept inside the warehouse. Choso used his blood connection to his brother to guide Yuji's allies past Tengen's barrier to reach the Tombs of the Star. The identities of the other six Death Painting Wombs are as follows: **Noranso** (膿爛相 (のうらんそう) , *Nōransō*?), **Sho-oso** (青 (しょう) 瘀 (お) 相 (そう) , *Shō-osō*?), **Tanso** (噉相 (たんそう) , *Tansō*?), **Sanso** (散相 (さんそう) , *Sansō*?), **Kotsuso** (骨相 (こつそう) , *Kotsusō*?), and **Shoso** (焼 (しょう) 相 (そう) , *Shōsō*?).

## Description

While still existing as cursed objects, the Death Painting Wombs appear as small human-like fetuses that cannot act independently. When ingested by any human, a Death Painting Womb can incarnate into a full half-human half-cursed spirit capable of using jujutsu. The vessel can be anyone, even a human with zero innate talent or the potential to become a sorcerer.

Fully incarnated Death Painting Wombs are considered on the level of a special-grade cursed spirit. Due to their flesh and blood bodies, these beings can be seen by normal humans, and even sorcerers can have trouble telling whether they are cursed spirits or curse users. Unlike cursed spirits, their bodies do not disappear after death.

Death Paintings 1-3, Choso, Eso, and Kechizu can use blood-related jujutsu. Choso can even use the prize inherited technique of the Kamo Clan due to their relationship with the evil Kamo ancestor. They were each sealed for 150 years together, with only the notion of each other's existence helping them survive. None of them remember their mother or bear any particular hatred towards humans or sorcerers. They simply exist for each other.

## Trivia

* *Kusōzu* (九相図, ****Kusōzu****? literally "Nine Phase Diagram") is a Buddhist series of nine paintings that depict the stages of death and decomposition of a corpse.
* According to Jujutsu Kaisen Official Fanbook:
	+ The Death Painting brothers got their common sense from the brains of humans they were incarnated in. Sukuna also got his from Itadori.
	+ The more resistance a vessel has against the cursed object, the less the vessel's appearance will alter. But in the case of the Death Paintings, they were always fetuses, so their vessels' changes are arbitrary.
	+ Akari Nitta arranged for the Jujutsu High disposal group to handle Eso and Kechizu's bodies.
	+ The initial creative process for the Death Paintings is that Gege liked sibling relationships, so they decided to write them as such.
* The Death Paintings are stated to have a total of three parents. Their mother, the cursed spirits that impregnated her and Noritoshi Kamo/Kenjaku, who had mixed in his own blood into them during their mother’s pregnancies.
* Due to Kenjaku/Kamo having survived until the present day by switching bodies, Yuji Itadori had also been counted by Choso to be one of the siblings due to Yuji’s mother being one of Kenjaku’s previous hosts.

## References

*Jujutsu Kaisen* Manga: Chapter 85 (p. 14).
*Jujutsu Kaisen* Manga: Chapter 60 (p. 14-15).
*Jujutsu Kaisen* Manga: Chapter 53 (p. 4).
*Jujutsu Kaisen* Manga: Chapter 55 (p. 19).
*Jujutsu Kaisen* Manga: Chapter 144 (p. 11).
*Jujutsu Kaisen* Manga: Chapter 55 (p. 17).
*Jujutsu Kaisen* Manga: Chapter 57 (p. 13).
*Jujutsu Kaisen* Manga: Chapter 62 (p. 4).
*Jujutsu Kaisen* Manga: Chapter 60 (p. 16-17).
*Jujutsu Kaisen* Official Fanbook: (p. 87-89).