70 - Mr. Kokkuri

【コックリさん、kokkuri-san】

Also known as "Mr. Angel" or "Mr. Cupid", this type of psychic divination originated in Western séances, table-turning, and ouija boards.

Originally named after the wobbling motion made during the table-turning [its onomatopoeia in Japanese is "kokkuri-kokkuri"],  it was written in Kanji as "狐狗狸さん" [A combination of the fox, dog, and tanuki (raccoon dog) Kanji] as an allusion to the fact it was believed that one would become possessed by a fox or dog spirit during the fortune-telling session.

According to Buddhist philosopher Enryou Inoue, Kokkuri-san was first introduced to Japan in 1884. It is said to have been introduced by an American sailor who drifted ashore at the port of Shimoda. Since then, the practice became popular nationwide from 1885 to 1887 and subsequently boomed several times.

The method of divination varies from region to region, but generally, a ten-yen coin must be placed on a piece of paper with "yes", "no", and the Japanese syllabary written on it, after which multiple people must place their fingers on the coin and ask for the spirit.

In the original ritual, three bamboo were crossed in a pyramidal shape and tied with a string, on top of which a tray was placed. When the tray began to move on its own, it was thought to be possessed by a spirit, and its movement was used to divine fortune.

As this system spread to the general public over time, it was integrated with the ouija board, becoming simpler and easier to understand, and the tray was replaced by the use of ten-yen coins.

There have been many examples of people being affected psychologically by Kokkuri-san, such as attacking a friend as if possessed, or jumping from a classroom dozens of meters above the ground in an attempt to escape the ritual.

In the field of psychiatry, however, these behaviors are considered symptoms of "mass hysteria", the belief that one is in a state of possession, which causes one to panic and act strangely.