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Japan’s version of a ouija board: We try to summon Mr. Kokkuri

Master Blaster Mar 29, 2017
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Three grown men dabble in black arts typically reserved for pre-teens.

Our reporter P.K. Sanjun was cleaning his ears when a thought suddenly popped into his head: “Whatever happened to Mr. Kokkuri?”

Mr. Kokkuri was an urban legend of sorts in Japan during the 1970s. It is very similar to a ouija board but instead summons a fox spirit. The name “Kokkuri” is made up of the three kanji for “fox,” “dog,” and “tanuki.”

Using the board you may ask Mr. Kokkuri whatever you want as he bridges the gap between our world and that of the dead. However, rumors have swirled about people losing their mind or becoming possessed by Mr. Kokkuri while playing.

P.K. vaguely remembered some kids in his elementary school possibly calling upon Mr. Kokkuri once, but he had never done it himself. He didn’t believe in it, and why take the chance of becoming that one poor fool who actually get his sanity all screwed up just for asking a stupid ghost fox some questions?

But now it was on his mind – perhaps by chance, or perhaps some force from the other side was beckoning him. However, without having done it himself he didn’t really know how to go about it, so he searched online and compiled a list of rules based on the general consensus.

Mr. Kokkuri Rules

1) Prepare a paper with the Japanese syllabary, the words “yes” and “no,” a picture of a torii (gate found in Shinto shrines) drawn on it. Also get a 10-yen coin.

2) Put the 10-yen coin on the torii and have each participant place a finger on the coin. Begin the summoning ceremony by chanting, “Mr. Kokkuri, Mr. Kokkuri, please come see us. If you have come please say yes.” The coin should then slide to “yes,” indicating his arrival.

3) Ask him whatever you want and return the coin to the torii for each new question.

4) When finished, begin the returning ceremony by chanting “Mr. Kokkuri, Mr. Kokkuri, please go back.” Also, don’t be a jerk: Remember to say “Thank you very much.”

That’s about it. P.K. made his paper with all the necessary markings, but there were also some words of caution when dealing with this supernatural entity.

▼ The mask isn’t part of the summoning ceremony paraphernalia, but rather how P.K. deals with his near-crippling hay fever.

Mr. Kokkuri Warnings

1) Don’t do it alone.

2) Don’t do it half-assed or jokingly.

3) Don’t be afraid and don’t be in any weakened mental state.

4) Don’t let go of the 10-yen coin.

5) If Mr. Kokkuri does not leave, keep asking until he does.

Following the first warning, P.K. assembled a crack team of leading paranormal experts in a 10-meter radius.

At 3:38 p.m. – the witching hour – these three brave souls sat around a table and placed a finger lightly on the 10-yen coin. The ceremony was to begin…

▼ “Mr. Kokkuri*, Mr.* Kokkuri*, please come see us. If you’ve come please say yes.”*

Nothing.

Maybe he was busy. Or maybe three old guys sitting around a card table in an office building just wasn’t worth his ectoplasm.

Our ghost-hunters decided to sweeten the deal. Foxes were known to like fried tofu, so they purchased some kitsune udon and a piece of inarizushi. They also bought a big strawberry daifuku, because who can say no to that?

The summoning was resumed…

▼ “Mr. Kokkuri, Mr. Kokkuri, please come see us. If you’ve come please say yes.”

P.K. had a breakdown. Not because of terror or any brush with the other side, however. He was just tired of repeating the same sentence for 30 minutes straight.

Mr. Kokkuri did not appear. The spooky spring afternoon P.K. had envisioned was a complete bust and he mainly blamed the two lame ducks that were kind enough to agree to help him.

He’ll try again though (probably around the same time Mr. Sato calls that number on a 1,000-yen bill again), because getting an exclusive interview with Mr. Kokkuri would make for a badass article and is worth another shot. Meanwhile, P.K. had learned that when finished, the board must be torn into 48 pieces and the 10-yen coin must be spent immediately.

And now that you know how to do it, you too can summon Mr. Kokkuri, IF YOU DARE, HAHAHAAAA…to waste your time.

Photos: RocketNews24
[ Read in Japanese ]