<p><span class="strongInContent">The word &#8220;curse&#8221; is often thought to mean &#8220;curse,&#8221; but I believe it originally means &#8220;spell&#8221; or &#8220;spell&#8221;. The real fun is in finding out what kind of strong feelings are put into the objects. &#8230;&#8230;</span></p>
<p> Says Mr. Yumero Yoshino, a collector of magical objects. He has been interested in cursed objects since he was in elementary school, and currently lives with about 100 items.</p>
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<h3> Egungun statue, a ritualistic possession spell</h3>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> Country: Nigeria</span><br>
<span class="strongInContent"> Price: 50,000 yen</span><br>
<span class="strongInContent"> Power of spell: ★★★★</span></p>
<p> Egungun&#8221; is a Yoruba word meaning &#8220;spirit of the dead. Egungun possesses shamans and gives them advice. By offering herbs and wine, they protect the owner and his family from all kinds of malice and evil spirits. (Tanaka)</p>
<figure id="attachment_385165" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-385165" style="width: 1991px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="a77e9467"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/08/56cfda479ed8a64423db2d1957f89f73.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-385165" class="wp-caption-text"> Egungun statue, a ceremonial object used in possession rituals</figcaption></figure>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> The origin of the objects is often handed down orally, so it is ideal to receive them from the person who experienced the mysterious phenomenon. The human-faced prayer bead (5th photo) that I received from a man was too large to be a daily-use trinket, so I think it was a ceremonial tool. The box has the word &#8220;yukai&#8221; written on it, and I think it was used to possess ″something″ and confine it to these prayer beads. We think it was used as a substitute for a human sacrifice.</span></p>
<p> The seven items selected by occult collectors Toshiyuki Tanaka and Yuno Tanaka were collected from three countries: Japan, Thailand, and Nigeria.</p>
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<p><span class="strongInContent"> Many of the hauntings that often cause bizarre phenomena were created in hot and humid places near the equator,&#8221; said Tanaka. The reason why the season for ghost stories in Japan is summer may be that these hauntings were created in hot and humid climates and react to the Japanese summer,&#8221; says Yuno.</span></p>
<p> Wish or hatred? The hot and humid summer is beginning to awaken these objects, which are filled with strong feelings.</p>
<h3> Charmy, a doll that will die if you love it.</h3>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> Country：Japan</span><br>
<span class="strongInContent"> Price: 0 yen</span><br>
<span class="strongInContent"> Power: ★★★★★</span></p>
<p> A doll that is placed in a nursing home. Whenever a patient cherishes the doll, he or she gets sick and dies within 3 days. After five such deaths, the doll was given to a patient for free. The doll was given this name because a large typhoon &#8220;Charmy&#8221; landed on the island when he received it. (Mr. Tanaka).</p>
<figure id="attachment_385167" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-385167" style="width: 2500px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="3d7b6d88"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/08/799e143e6e1663232a1056c5e8683087.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-385167" class="wp-caption-text"> Charmy, a doll that dies if you love it.</figcaption></figure>
<h3> Meng Srifu Hatha, who chants sutras night after night.</h3>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> Country：Thailand</span><br>
<span class="strongInContent"> Price: 0 yen</span><br>
<span class="strongInContent"> Curse power degree: ★★★★</span></p>
<p> It is a relic of the father of the owner who gave it to him. When he kept it in an old storehouse, he used to hear sutra chanting and make noises. It is still moving by itself. From the shape of the mask, we determined that it was a mask for becoming Meng Siu Hua Ta, a divine beast of Thailand. (Yuno).</p>
<figure id="attachment_385164" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-385164" style="width: 2500px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="a0c1740a"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/08/363a78618d2c0ecbb7fe987aa7737a31.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-385164" class="wp-caption-text"> Meng Sifu Harter chanting sutras at night</figcaption></figure>
<div data-friday-nextpage-lead=" A coin in which a spirit dwells..."></div>
<h3>The coin in which the spirit dwells &#8211; Mit Moe</h3>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> Country: Thailand</span><br>
<span class="strongInContent"> Price: 80,000 yen</span><br>
<span class="strongInContent"> Spell power: ★★★★</span></p>
<p> Mit Maw&#8221; means &#8220;spiritual&#8221; or &#8220;magic knife&#8221;. It is said to be used for making holy water and performing rituals. 69 coins buried with the corpse over 80 years ago are used for this rare item. (Mr. Tanaka)</p>
<figure id="attachment_385168" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-385168" style="width: 2500px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="e7d95254"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/08/ab99e8d9455251b37cdcb46fab91eb08.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-385168" class="wp-caption-text"> The coin in which the spirit dwells, Mitmoh.</figcaption></figure>
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<h3> A spell tool with a boundary of a mountain ascetic who died in a strange manner.</h3>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> Country: Japan</span><br>
<span class="strongInContent"> Price: 0 yen</span><br>
<span class="strongInContent"> Power: ★★★★★</span></p>
<p> According to the owner, this is a relic of his grandfather who was a former mountain ascetic and died a strange death. All temples and shrines refused to take it back, and when it was left in the attic, he took it back because he heard footsteps and human voices, and the whole family fell asleep. The box is covered with human hair, and on the box is a powerful spirit charm that even exorcises divine spirits. (Yuno)</p>
<figure id="attachment_385170" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-385170" style="width: 2500px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="a0624b8c"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/08/9e2869f4723f75436c410bf9dc86dfd8.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-385170" class="wp-caption-text"> A human-faced bead, a warding charm of a mountain ascetic who died a strange death.</figcaption></figure>
<h3> A cursed doll that causes extreme pain when looked at.</h3>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> Country: Japan</span><br>
<span class="strongInContent"> Price: 100,000 yen</span><br>
<span class="strongInContent"> Curse power degree: ★★★★</span></p>
<p> This doll came out of the storehouse of an abandoned shrine on Chikubujima, one of the three Benzaiten shrines in Japan, located on Lake Biwa in Shiga Prefecture. It is said to have been used to curse for about 500 years. When I showed this doll to a person with a strong sense of inspiration, he suddenly felt a pain in his solar plexus and ran away. (Mr. Tanaka).</p>
<figure id="attachment_385169" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-385169" style="width: 2500px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="b6f5f91c"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/08/52fc63e3e09660b58656d747993b5173.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-385169" class="wp-caption-text"> The cursed doll causes extreme pain when seen.</figcaption></figure>
<h3> Kumanthong, made from the ashes of a baby</h3>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> Country: Thailand</span><br>
<span class="strongInContent"> Price: 228,000 yen</span><br>
<span class="strongInContent"> Curse power degree: ★★★★</span></p>
<p> In modern times, these dolls are made by mixing the ashes of a baby with soil and plants from the graveyard and hardening them, and are said to bring happiness. Since welcoming these, I have encountered such monstrous phenomena as seeing a black shadow on my knees at bedtime and a five-finger bruise on my leg. (Yuno)</p>
<figure id="attachment_385166" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-385166" style="width: 2500px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="ddf164a4"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/08/68185006c82a82525c528557ff0e4834.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-385166" class="wp-caption-text"> Kumantone made from baby ashes.</figcaption></figure>
<p> From the August 16, 2024 issue of FRIDAY</p>
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 Toshiyuki Tanaka, Yunomuro Yuno

 Yuno, a collector of haunted objects, and Tanaka, a collector of the occult, who lives with about 100 "haunted objects", showcase "rare and mysterious items" they have collected from all over the world. Enter the spine-chilling world of "haunted objects"...

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