Kokkuri-san - こっくりさん - [Cursed games.]

Kokkuri-san - こっくり, 狐狗狸,   こっくりさん - aka: "Okatabuki, Angel-san, Cupid-san, Spirit of the Coin" - [Cursed games.] 

• About: Kokkuri is a type of folk-divination & technically a type of séance (played similar to Table Turning or the Ouija board.) - it is performed by invoking a spirit called "Kokkuri-san" Typically said to be the spirit of a Kitsune 狐 ,  Dog/Tengu狗, Tanuki狸, or a mix of all 3. - The modern version of the game is played very similarly to the western Ouija, but hand written on paper & played using a 10¥ coin (In place of a wooden board/a Planchette, because of this, One could easily play kokkuri-san, anywhere at anytime.) - The game reached its peak in popularity & was often played in classrooms through the '70s 'til the '90s (perhaps persisting to present day in some circles, (if not still today, then at the very least, it persists in pop culture and is the subject of many anime, movies & ghost stories which are shared around the 'net.) - As with Ouija; The game was often banned in classrooms because of rumours of people taking it too far, becoming "possessed" and/or going crazy.

• How to play:

• First: A Plain white piece of paper is filled in with a torii shrine gate (⛩️) at the middle top, yes/no, the Japanese Hiragana Alphabet and the numbers 0-9.

• A Door or window must be opened to let the spirit in during play.

• A ten-yen coin is placed on the paper near the gate, all participants place their index fingers on the coin. 

• The participants then chant, "Kokkuri-san, kokkuri-san, please come here. If you’re here, please say ‘Yes’”

• Eventually the coin will start to move on its own. 

• 'Kokkuri-san' will answer any question by moving the coin around the page.

• Everyone then takes turns asking the questions they'd like answered.

• When you're done asking questions, it's important not to forget to say 'Thank you, kokkuri-san please return.'

• Once the coin moves to “Yes” &  returns to the shrine gate, all the players finish by saying “Thank you.”

• The game is over.

• Additional rules:

• Once you’ve placed a finger on the coin, do not let go of it.

• You can’t stop playing half way through.

• After the game, Rip up the sheet of paper into 48 smaller pieces within the same day after playing, and make sure to spend the 10 yen coin within the next three days

• If Kokkuri-san won’t return, keep asking until she does.

• its not wise to ask questions or joke about Kokkuri-san herself.

• It is also not advised to play the game alone, or as a joke.

If you take your finger off the coin during the game, or if you offend Kokkuri-san by forgetting to say "Thank you very much, Kokkuri-san." Kokkuri-san will not leave. The participants will be possessed or cursed by the spirit, its said in some cases that this leads to insanity &/or death. 

• History: Kokkuri-San was said to have begun in the Late 1880's. - Professor & folklorist Inoue Enryō (1858-1919) attempted to dispel the phenomena as a superstition (but failed to curb peoples enthusiasm.) He wrote that that sometime in 1885, Americans who where shipwrecked somewhere in Shimoda Shizuoka brought the practice of table turning séances to japan, teaching it to locals,  The sailors didn't give it a name, however, so the locals named it kokkuri (seemingly based off how the game was played, The professor explains that kokkuri is also an onomatopoeia meaning to 'nod up and down'.) - apparently the game proved to be so popular that it was soon played in every household!! - The older version of the game where played with 3 bamboo sticks cut into an uneven tripod and placed under a rice lid (creating a table like structure.) after chanting "Kokkuri-sama! Kokkuri-sama, Come now, Please descend quickly!" then after a few minutes of invoking the spirit, 3 players would place their hands upon the lid and ask the spirit questions, as with western table turning the device was tilted and, depending how it landed their question would be answered by the spirit.

[a book on the subject]

[sometimes played blindfolded!]

Exactly as with western table turning & Ouija, the phenomena is most quickly rationalized using the ideomotor phenomenon. - I'd assume that much like modern versions of the Ouija - (see: 2015's 'Charlie Charlie Challenge') - The game evolved to be further simplified. (Having to make a table/buy an Ouija just to play the game, is a lot of effort that i'd imagine most students dont have the patience for!!!) 

[Art sticker by SamKalensky part of my Hyakki Yagyo collection of stickers~! Follow and support for many more! - PS: sorry if my Japanese handwriting is bad! with that in mind, this sticker probably shouldn't be used to play the game. its too small anyway! - [More information might be added at a later date! check back!]