The science of "curses." And literature.

I have been watching the Kingdom movies lately.

There is no particular reason for it.
I just suddenly felt like watching them.

It is not when everyone else is obsessed with them, but rather when the boom has settled down that
for some reason, I get my own personal boom~ lol

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I am Ryoyan from the Co-Education LIBRARY, a former teacher.

Recently,
partly due to the influence of hit works
like "Jujutsu Kaisen",
"curses"have been attracting attention.

A while ago, I was
looking into things like festivals and the spirit world,

various aspects of ancient Japanese culture
out of intellectual curiosity.

One of the important cultural elements
that came up during that time wascurses.

This time,
I would like to summarize
what exactly a "curse" is in the first place.

And what kind of influence it has had
on the culture of Japan,
a country that I think is quite unique.

This is not about how to curse people,
or scary curse stories,
or anything like that. lol

I hope to get closer to the essence of "curses"
through culture and academics.

I hope you enjoy it.

"To curse" and "to resent"

In a previous article, I mentioned that
to "curse" (norou) is essentially synonymous with "to pray" (inoru)
.

In the first place, the word "pray" (inoru) originates from
"seiri" (life-proclamation),

the sound represents vitality,

"nori" is the same as the "nori" in
norito (Shinto prayers) or imperial edicts, and there is a theory that it means
to proclaim.

Among these, words derived from "noru" include

"tanomu" (to rely on/request) and
"norou" (to curse).

These are essentially prayers, and their meaning changes depending on what that energy is directed toward.

In other words,
curse = evil is not such a simple story
.

This can also be glimpsed in the word
"uramu" (to resent).

"ura" is a word that means
"heart" (or inner self).

"urayamashii" (envious) is a derivation of the word
"urayamu" (heart-aching).

The verb form of that "ura (heart)" is
"uramu" (to resent).

It indicates holding onto feelings of dissatisfaction toward someone within one's heart.

"ureshi" (happy)'s "ure" and
"uranau" (to divine)'s "ura" are also words connected to "ura".

The character "ura" (back/reverse) used in modern times also indicates the inner heart that does not appear on the surface.

Two sides of the same coin, as the saying goes, the mental action of "resentment" is also

indispensable to humans in fulfilling the role of the shadow, which is not the light.

A story of the "mouth"

In a picture book by the authority on kanji research, Shizuka Shirakawa,

"The Story of Sai"
exists.

"Sai" is a kanji for"mouth", representing a Shinto prayer,

It is said that kanji containing the "mouth" radical
are mostly composed of things related to divine will,

and at the same time, it is claimed that they possess
curse-like functions.

"Shu" (celebrate/bless) is an act of prayer
to a deity, and

"Ju" (curse) is a magical act
that expresses a desire toward another.

In other words,
"to bless" and "to curse" are

two sides of the same coin,
depending on whether that energy is directed at a deity or another person,

"Ju" (curse) combines two "mouths," so it can also be interpreted as
a more intense "prayer".

Like a Shinto prayer,
they likely used words to heighten that energy.

To begin with, what is this
"kotoba" (language/words)that we use?

Originally,it is "kotoba" that gives meaning and intent to meaningless "sounds,"
and

it is also a
spellthat produces some kind of effect when uttered.

By writing it down in characters,
and keeping it recorded,

that magical power is said totranscend space
and possess a dominant force.

The kanji "Gen" (word)consists of
"Shin" (needle)and"mouth".

"Shin" refers to a needle, and if there is any dishonest intent
when declaring a vow to a god,

it is also a kanji that serves as a
mark of a vowto receive a tattooing punishment.

In China,
"Gen" represents aggressive words,
while "Go" represents defensive words.

Combining them results in"gengo" (language).

"Kotoba" itself is magic.

While the word "curse" often carries a negative connotation,
since ancient times, "amulets" have held
an important meaning as "curses".

Furthermore,
there are many kanji characters containing the "mouth" radical
that relate to divine will or sorcery.

"Song" is the act of singing, but
it is said that its origins lie in ritual songs performed for the gods.

"Name" also refers to
a special
amulet or prayer bestowed upon a newborn child.

Taboo names existed in the past, and there is a magical culture where
knowing someone's real name
means having power over them.

"Life/Fate" is also a kanji character
for receiving a revelation of what the gods wish to realize through that person.

That is why
"Heavenly Mandate" and "Mission"
use the kanji for "life/fate".

Thinking about it this way,
a "curse"
originally has a sacred meaning

and could be said to be
the very "words" we use naturally in our daily lives.

The History of "Curses"

In the past, curses
occupied a position as important as "medicine"
today.

The origin of the "curse"
lies in the relationship between
Izanagi and Izanami from the Kojiki.

Of the two gods who created Japan,
Izanami ends up going to the underworld.

At that time,
Izanami

"I will kill a thousand people in the land every day"

cast a curse.

In response, Izanagi declared,

"Then, I will give birth to fifteen hundred people every day"

.

Curses were such a common part of Japanese culture that they appear even in the stories of Japan's origins.
They were a natural part of Japanese culture.

The penal code of the Meiji eraalso explicitly stated
penalties for sorcery.

In the past,
the reasons for natural phenomena such as disasters were not understood,

due to the fear of the unknown, it was necessary to
place importance on prayer and curses.

Since medicine had not developed that far either,
unexplained physical ailments

had to be addressed by
offering peace of mind to people through prayer and the exorcism of curses.

The fact that past emperors and rulers attempted to
govern the world using gods and Buddhashows that 'curses' were believed in.

If the causes of disasters and epidemics were not understood, it was thought that the spread of such phenomena could be controlled by the power of the ruler.

It could be said that such Japanese history has walked hand in hand with curses.

The modern era where 'curses' have been scientized

In the modern era, 'curses' are not believed in as much as they were in ancient times.

Even in the law, there is no longer anything related to 'curses'.

Why?

Needless to say, it is because
various phenomena have been explained by science.

Why do disasters and epidemics occur? The mechanisms by which various diseases occur.

The modern era is one that attempts to
understand all such things with evidence.

Conditions where mental processes affect the body, such as sudden blindness or hearing loss, are now diagnosed as

somatoform disordersorconversion disorders.

Even the symptom of feeling pain in a part of the body that has been lost is now given the medical name

'pain'.

The power of "conviction"is even
scientifically provenin forms such as the
Pygmalion effect.

It is precisely because
science was not sufficiently developed in such times,

that in the past,
coupled with the power of conviction,
curses, talismans, and prayers were more likely to be effectiveI suppose.

Now, in the modern age,
is it true that such a culture of "curses"
has completely disappeared...?

Modern people who fear the military buildup of a potential enemy,
and attempt to strengthen their own military.

Parents and children, children and parents,
subordinates and superiors, superiors and subordinates.

The human relationship of cursing and being cursed
still continues today.

Hating or envying someone,
liking or loving them...

"I want to possess this person"
"I want to do such-and-such no matter what"

The stronger suchdesires are,
the more one struggles with the gap from reality,
and a "curse" is born.

Lose your ego,
and if you bridge the gap between reality and your inner self,
you reach the state of "Satori (Enlightenment)".

It seems the history
between humanity and curses
will continue for some time yet.

Summary

Curses originally
also have sacred meanings, such as talismans, so

depending on how they are used,
they can also produce positive effectsI suppose.

Like in "Jujutsu Kaisen,"
the phenomenon where "cursed energy" increases
by making the conditions for "binding" stricteris something

the author believes
also exists in real society.

That is,"resolve".

The more one's resolve increases,
the more energy wells up within a person.

To survive in a sometimes harsh human society,
it might be good to have the wisdom
to make a "curse" your ally.

Japanese culture is truly fascinating.

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Thank you so much, as always,
for reading until the very end!
May today and tomorrow be wonderful days for you all😊