Also called "Jun", "Shuso", or even "Zun". A hex is a so-called curse that inflicts misfortune on a person against whom one has a grudge by praying or performing a specific ritual.
Hexes have been widely practiced since the Nara period (710-794), especially by those at the center of the state in their struggle for supremacy.
The roots of this practice can be found in a Chinese Taoist secret rites known as "Jugondou (lit. the way of vanquishing spells)".
Jugondou was originally a way to protect oneself from natural and supernatural disasters, but at the same time, it had the aspect of cursing others.
Among them, there are famous rites such as "kodoku (蠱毒)" and "enmi (厭魅)".
In "kodoku", insects are placed in a container and forced to eat each other without being fed, and the soul of the one remaining insect is manipulated and used as a cursing tool to bring misfortune to the target.
In addition, "enmi", also known as "cursed straw dolls", is said to be a kind of sorcery in which a doll is made to resemble the person to be cursed, and by hurting the doll, the target suffers the same amount of damage.
The Shoku Nihongi, an official historical chronicle compiled in the 8th century, contains numerous descriptions of people who were condemned for hexing, and of decrees that were issued to prohibit such practices, which confirms that such rites were often performed.
These hexes didn't cease in the Heian period (794-1185) and were later passed down by the onmyouji.
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