jigokucho | text; un: ᴊᴜᴇʏᴜɴ ᴄʜɪʟɪ (open to all clans)

My family say that birthdays are big days for Tianheng Thaumaturges and that we should never take them lightly.

I had planned to go up the mountain to perform prayer rituals with the elders of my clan this year ... that no longer is possible. Still, I'm left thinking about how it would have been, as well as what I would have listed for my wishes. I know that I would have prayed for my cherished friends, and those that I've met. Since I can't climb Mt. Tianheng for the ritual now, I'll say it this way.

I wish you all pleasant journeys, safety, and peace.

Aside from that ... one great wish I have this birthday is to learn more about the spirits and supernatural of other worlds.

Since we have all come from different places, I was hoping — will you tell me of your experiences with the otherworldly, when you were back home? I'd like to hear true stories, but I do also really enjoy a good hair-raising story or legend if you know of any.

( spooky stories for september! ♥ feel free to threadjack as you please. )

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

In Tosa, there's a group of spirits called the shichinin misaki or "seven spirits."

There are always seven of them. Never more, never less. And they can often be found on land near the sea... which is everywhere when you're on a small island like back home. There are a lot of different stories about how the spirits came to be. Some of them died at sea, others are murdered priests, and some are soldiers who were killed while fleeing. They're probably just people who all died together.

Those who cross paths with the spirits will be cursed by one in the group. Their victims always die under strange circumstances. But once they die, their suffering continues. Instead, they join the seven spirits and the spirit who killed them is finally able to move on. The only way to leave is to find another soul to take their place so they travel the countryside searching for another victim to curse.

(Enjoy your story, Chongyun.)

Ah, Gohan. Your story is exciting and mysterious all at the same time. Did you ever come across these spirits yourself? Though I suppose you would not be here if you had.

Never seen them for myself.

By the time I came around, most of these stories were just old stories… I spent a lot of my time in one place, too. Didn’t really go out much so it’s not like I could run into anything.

I see … were these stories passed down in your family?

Ain't got a family like that.
Just picked up on some stories after awhile.

Were you a traveller back in your world?

I guess? Didn't travel for very long though.

Well, if you're okay with sharing more stories, I would like to hear them.

(He thinks about it for a moment. Hm. He isn't really much of a storyteller but by his own nature, he's plenty familiar with the types of stories jueyen chili seems to want.)

Where I'm from, there are kami. You've probably heard people use the word around the city. A lot of places here remind me of stories from home. Some people have called kami "gods" or "spirits." Neither is really right or wrong. I'm not an expert or anything.

There are divine kami that people pray to like gods. There are kami for natural things like rivers and trees. Even roads and directions can have kami. Some animals and humans can become kami too.

Even things that aren't a part of nature or alive can become kami. These are called tsukumogami. The kami of tools or artifacts. Some say when a thing celebrates its 100th year, it becomes alive and gains a conscious. Some manifest sooner, though.

There are dolls that can become tsukumogami and will chase their previous owners down if they have grudges. There's also the spirit of a damaged futon that smothers its owners when they sleep. I heard a story about a pair of straw slippers that walked aroudn at night and kept their owners awake...

In a lot of stories, tsukumogami are born from neglect and have grudges against humans... but there are also stories of treasured items helping their owners. Because they're old, some of them appear in dreams to share advice. Some of them become powerful spirits and protect their owners from dangers. There's a story about a treasured pot that never ran out of rice for its family.

You can see a bunch of tsukumogami in the city. That's why you should be careful with how you handle things here.

[ He knew it! This elderly and wise Gohan truly is a wealth of knowledge. Chongyun can't help but wonder if he's met the man by chance in the city before ... but from his imagination, this man is a white-haired old hermit with a beard to his knees that doesn't like to go out into public much. ]

So where you are from and this city must have much in common. I did get the sense that many of the creatures here were more rooted in another culture rather than my own. It's been fascinating learning about the different aspects of the creatures and spirits here.

I hope you don't mind if I record your stories in my journal. When I return home, I hope to add them to my family's collection of tomes for future generations. One never knows when they might come in handy to someone.

Did you ever own such a tool?