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Curses for sale on Japan’s leading flea market site Mercari

Master Blaster Jan 17, 2023
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Damnation delivered right to your door.

For years now the online flea market app and website Mercari has been the go-to place for buying and selling second-hand or handmade goods. It’s a great place not only for K-Pop memorabilia but also end-of-sale Zima and plastic bags full of air.

But did you know you can get some great deals on curses there too? That’s right, just by logging on and knowing where to look, you can make someone’s life a living hell with the help of dark forces purchased online. Recently the news of this business has been trending on Twitter and judging by some of the results that show up on Mercari, business is booming.

By the way, that green “Forbidden Curse” that sold for 30,000 yen (US$235) is actually a limited discount from 100,000 yen ($782) that will only be sold to two people per day for 41 days. However, this seller who goes by the handle of Jujutsushi Mukuro (“Dark Arts Master Corpse”) promises a wide range of magical effects from seeking revenge on those who wronged you to wooing a crush or recovering from financial troubles.

Upon purchasing, customers can tell Jujutsushi Mukuro the names of related people and what you want done and they’ll do the rest. You will also receive a sacred paper talisman with writing on it known as an ofuda in the mail in one to two business days after the ritual is complete.

Considering Jujutsushi Mukuro’s sales were strong and they had a perfect five-star rating, I wanted to learn more about this master of the mystical arts. However, when I tried to tap on their profile I suddenly became trapped on the product screen and unable to leave.

▼ Sure, it could be because my phone is six years old, but then again…

Anyway, much like when buying a used car, you should always shop around before settling on a dark arts master. and Mercari’s got loads to choose from in a wide range of prices to suit your budget. And for those looking for a more hands-on cursing experience, wara ningyo, the Japanese equivalent to voodoo dolls, are also for sale!

There’s also Cursed Black Salt for sale which, according to the product description, causes the target to always feel as if they are being watched even while trying to sleep. It isn’t clear how the salt does that – whether they have to eat it, you sprinkle it on them, or what – but directions are provided upon purchase.

Perhaps appropriately, these dark arts are a little hard to find on Mercari. Especially since any search of “jujutsu” (“dark arts”) will result in page after page of Jujutsu Kaisen merch before getting to any actual curses. The more direct Japanese word for curse, “noroi,” will give you slightly better results but still mixed in with a mishmash of books and death metal CDs.

Luckily, one Twitter user had a really good trick for finding them. Instead of using the main search function, go into the categories menu, then choose “handmade”, and then select “other” and let the bad times roll!

Now, with all these curses flying around and actually being sold it’s only natural to wonder if you yourself are in fact cursed… I mean, I know I am. Luckily, Mercari has your back on that end too with a selection of noroi kaeshi or “curse returns.”

These can come in a variety of forms from that weird liquid pictured above to amulets to spells cast in a similar fashion to curses. The one thing they have in common is the aim of returning the curse back to whomever delivered it to you.

However, many of the cursed technique masters I looked up boasted strong curse return prevention, so anyone shopping for either a curse or curse return would be wise to do their homework first.

Hopefully, things are going well enough in your own life that you don’t need any of these items, but it’s always nice to know Mercari is out there servicing our magical needs as well as being a marketplace to sell our used popsicle sticks and stickers of police mascots giving the middle finger.

Source: Mercari, Hachima Kiko
Photos © SoraNews24
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