Anonymous
×
Create a new article
Write your page title here:
We currently have 2,416 articles on Monstropedia. Type your article name above or click on one of the titles below and start writing!



Monstropedia
2,416Articles
Revision as of 16:29, 27 May 2008 by Niko (talk | contribs)

Shikigami (式神) are a kind of spirit summoned to serve a practitioner of onmyōdō, similar to the western witch's familiar.


Appearance

Shikigami cannot be seen by most people, but according to onmyoji, a type of sorcerer especially popular during the Heian period in Japan, who were said to control them, shikigami often looked something like a child-sized oni demon. Shikigami are sometimes represented as animated fold of paper because in tales the onmyouji would enchant the paper so it takes the appearance of somebody who is not present, a mere copy used to fool a third party.


History

The famous onmyoji Abe no Seimei was believed to be particularly skilled at manipulating shikigami, and even had them performing odd jobs around the house. The Twelve Heavenly Generals were said to be among the shikigami that he employed.


Powers

Although invisible, shikigami supposedly could, at the onmyoji's command, take a variety of human or animal forms, possess or bewitch people, and even cause bodily harm or death.


See also

imp


Art/Fiction

  • Movie Onmyouji - This film tells the story of Abe-no-Seimei and features several shikigami.
  • Manga Urameshiya - Shikigami are used in several instances in this series.
  • Manga/OVA Tokyo Babylon - As an onmyouji, Subaru is able to use shikigami and ofuda as a matter of course.
  • Manga/TV anime Bakuretsu Hunter/Sorcerer Hunters - Marron Glaces regularly uses shikigami.
  • Manga/TV anime Shaman King - Shikigami factor into this series, most especially the two created by Hao and controlled by Anna.
  • Manga/TV anime Yami no Matsuei/Descendents of Darkness - Tsuzuki, one of the main characters, uses shikigami frequently in the course of his adventures.
  • Last Blade (various systems) - Akari is an onmyouji and regularly uses shikigami. One character in some versions is a shikigami of Akari that took a life of its own.
  • Tales of Symphonia (GameCube) - The character Sheena uses ofuda and shikigami in the form of summoned beings assisting her.


Sources

Part of this article consists of modified text from Wikipedia, and the article is therefore licensed under GFDL.