Seimei Stone of Kamakura – a curious slab of rock said to be both a blessing and a curse

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1 year ago Pavel

In early Medieval Japan, there was a very complex system of natural science, astronomy, divination, and magic that had its own bureau in the Imperial Court, consisting of official mystics known as Onmyōji.
This was the so-called Onmyōdō, literally translated as “the way of yin and yang”.
The occult creed came to Japan from China, around the beginning of the 6th century, and it was a system of creating predictions, horoscopes, exorcising evil spirits, protecting against curses, and more.
Belief in demon possession and superstition was the norm in those days.
In Japan, it became especially popular by the 10th century, when a state bureau of Onmyōdō called ‘Onmyo-ryo’ was created at the court of the Emperor.

The most famous of such practitioners was Abe no Seimei (921-1005), a prominent historical character also known as the greatest sorcerer in Japanese folklore as well as in popular culture.
Legends, almost fairy tale-like, tell about this man but the existence of the shrine dedicated to him, built in 1007 by order of Emperor Ichijo, is proof that he wasn’t fictional but a real character who deserved to become a legend.
According to countless stories, he was a son of a powerful nine-tailed fox, and grew up to be a detective-wizard-exorcist with accurate prophetic abilities.
And also a dozen shikigami daemons under his command.
What we know is that supposedly he lived in the 10th-11th centuries, thought to have been born on February 21 921 and died on October 31 1005.
His father was a man named Abe no Yasuna, and his mother was a kitsune (fox) named Kuzunoha.
Legends also say that at the age of five, he could see demons and cope with them, so his mother gave him to the master, Kamo no Tadayuki, to study the art of Onmyōdō. One day, while traveling with his master, he sensed the approach of demons and woke him up. This saved them, and after that master Kamo no Tadayuki decided to pass him all his knowledge.
Thanks to his talent and power, he received a high position at the court of the Emperor, compiling calendars, predictions, consulting on the issue of spiritually correct solutions to problems, performing prayers, exorcising demons, writing books and so on.

Although most of legends about him take place in the Kansai region, more precisely around Kyoto and Osaka, some are known also in Tokyo and its environs, including a few in the North Kamakura neighborhood (even if the lack of historical records suggests that he has never set foot in the area), and one of them has a rather unusual superstition surrounding it.
On the grounds of Yakumo Shrine are so-called Seimei Stone, once sat at the foot of a nearby bridge.
Legend has it that stepping on it will grant you healthy legs, but there is a trick: you need to step on it unaware of this superstition, or else bad luck will fall upon you.
In short, if you’re reading this…don’t dare do it!
Either way, the Stone was relocated to the above mentioned shrine in the 1950s during the expansion of the road and has since sat there all but forgotten, making it almost impossible to step on it unknowingly.