A youthful appearance that looks almost too young.
A young man and woman, who looked like they were barely in their twenties, slowly approached in front of the master.
The man wore a perfectly fitting suit, while the woman lagged a few steps behind, dressed in shaman robes.
“Did you come from the shrine?”
“Yes. I rushed over because I was told there was something to discuss.”
“It must have been quite a trek if you left before the sun even rose…”
“Hahaha! Don’t worry about it. It’s not like I was heading to just any place; it’s Shiheng Style asking for help, of course I had to drop everything to come. Oh, I apologize for the delay. I am the next Shinto priest, which is quite an honor.”
“The next Shinto priest? Ah, then the shamaness behind you is…?”
“Yes, she will be my wife.”
“I’ve heard there are only daughters at Saigo Shrine…?”
“Yes. I’m marrying in as a son-in-law to carry on the family line. So, when you call me, just refer to me as Saigo.”
The master smiled at the sudden arrival of someone designated as the next Shinto priest.
“Well, it seems distinguished guests have arrived.”
“No, please. How could a servant of the gods be considered distinguished?”
The master appeared to appreciate the humble demeanor of the next Shinto priest.
An impression of utter innocence.
While he might not seem like he was physically trained, he looked well-groomed and maintained.
His voice was soothing, and from his words, civility and humility shone through.
And every little action exuded an elegance.
The first impression was quite favorable.
*
Was it a good omen that the first impression was so positive?
Despite his youthful looks, the man possessed considerable skill.
“Hmm. According to the previous experts who visited, this dark stuff is called mold? This is the face of Ksitigarbha drawn in mold. So there’s no special meaning behind this face.”
“No special meaning on the face?”
“It means this face itself doesn’t hold any power. To put it simply… just seeing or touching this face shouldn’t bring about any curses.”
Unlike the earlier so-called experts who had the feel of con artists, this man had rich knowledge and the ability to explain it in an understandable way. His eloquence was more than enough to instill trust in the master.
“Could you take a look at this? You might be familiar with it.”
“This is… a Protective Doll, isn’t it?”
“Yes. If it was a curse, this Protective Doll would have responded. However, even if there was no response, traces of magic should remain, and there are none. Therefore, this Ksitigarbha face is merely a creepy appearance. It’s nothing different from mischievous kids painting strange graffiti in a haunted house or a ruin.”
“It’s unrelated to magic?”
“Hmm. Well, how about we test it?”
With a wink, the man stepped back, distancing himself from the master and shamaness.
He then pressed his palms together as if in prayer, curling his fingers inside and lightly raising his thumb on the first knuckle. The other fingers intertwined lightly, and he subtly bowed his upper body as if to greet.
“Om Pramardane Swaha (ॐ प्रमर्दने स्वाहा).”
The master looked startled as such words, seemingly belonging to a temple, came out of the mouth of the man from the shrine.
But the man ignored the piercing gaze behind him and recited the mantra once more.
“Om Pramardane Swaha (ॐ प्रमर्दने स्वाहा).”
After repeating the tongue-twisting mantra three times, the next Shinto priest finally relaxed his hand gesture and rose.
He then regarded the wooden piece with Ksitigarbha’s face and nodded as if to indicate understanding.
“Indeed, it’s unrelated.”
“What exactly did you just do?”
“What I just performed was a mantra.”
“A mantra?”
“Yes, what I just recited was the Ksitigarbha Destruction Mantra. I thought it might be related to Ksitigarbha and tried it, but there were no changes. Fortunately, it seems that way.”
The next Shinto priest sighed in relief, genuinely glad that nothing significant had occurred.
He appeared to be relieved that no major troubles had arisen.
The master, however, turned pale at that sight.
“Wait, wait, wait. Next Shinto priest? If it was related to Ksitigarbha’s magic, what terrible thing could have happened?”
“Yes? Ah, right.”
“Can you explain a bit about that?”
“Um, where should I start explaining…?”
The man pondered for a moment, staring into space before starting to speak.
“First, how much do you know about Ksitigarbha?”
“A bodhisattva who saves sentient beings from hell?”
“Ah, you’re well informed. That’s correct. His story appears in the Ksitigarbha Sutra, which tells of him not shying away from hardship to save suffering sentient beings, intending to attain Buddhahood only after all beings have achieved it.”
He continued to explain with a voice that was captivating and easy to understand.
“In Sanskrit, he’s referred to as Ksitigarbha (क्षिति गर्भ). However, you see, ‘Ksitigarbha’ means ‘Earth’ and ‘Garba’ means ‘Womb.’ One could say it extends from the worship of the Great Earth Mother, or be seen as an extension of the idols worshipped during the agricultural era. Moreover, the earth has often been associated with the afterlife since ancient times. Under the dark, unknowing ground, it is closely tied to the image of a terrifying space reached after death.”
“The afterlife….”
“The exact place where Ksitigarbha roams to save beings is indeed hell. It’s a prison underground… Hahaha. Isn’t that quite poignant?”
There was a thrill in the next Shinto priest’s voice, as though he found even the explanation entertaining and couldn’t contain his excitement.
“Also, what’s intriguing about this Ksitigarbha is, while Kannon Bodhisattva deals with the visible world and reality, Ksitigarbha deals with the unseen world and the afterlife. The unseen world and the afterlife… that is, the spiritual world, if you consider Ksitigarbha’s essence of Earth and Womb… it’s truly profound, isn’t it?”
The next Shinto priest said with his eyes narrowing in a slightly mischievous manner.
“This is why magic is so fascinating. Even if the gods and religions and symbols become distorted, their traces must remain. Like the lingering smell of corpses after they’ve been removed, or bloodstains that refuse to wash away. They always leave some trace that nudges history into our minds. This is why archaeology and folklore studies are so captivating.”
A faint madness leaked from the end of his words, as if they might scatter into the air.
“Magic involving Ksitigarbha exists upon such historical traces, based on the symbols and anecdotes he holds or once held.”
“Symbols and anecdotes…?”
“Hmm. Yes. As I mentioned earlier, with the meanings of Earth and Womb, one might use it to pray for a bountiful harvest or to cleanse a cursed land… Such purposes could be served. And.”
“And?”
The next Shinto priest lowered his voice.
“One could also use magic related to hell.”
Hell?
The master had no choice but to be horrified by the word that left his lips.
“Hell?!”
“Hahaha. Yes. The most famous anecdotes involving Ksitigarbha are indeed related to hell. Therefore, any malignant magic performed under the name of Ksitigarbha must inevitably relate to hell.”
“No, if it’s hell….”
“Yes. What you’re imagining is correct. Cutting tongues, being torn by the wind, killing each other, boiling in scalding water… that hell.”
“My goodness.”
Listening to his words, the master turned pale.
“I-in other words, did you mean a magic associated with hell was about to activate…?”
“Yes? Ah. No, not like that. It was just that if this was a precursor to magic related to Ksitigarbha, then such a possibility could have existed. Fortunately, it’s unrelated to any magic, so you don’t need to worry.”
The next Shinto priest gently reassured the master with a soft voice.
“In addition, though the topic is hell-related magic, it wouldn’t have properly functioned without conducting a ritual. If a spell were performed without a ritual… hmm, even a somewhat skilled shaman might be able to freeze or burn one person? Or maybe just change the shape of a soft iron into a spike. Ah, I suspect someone might have experienced some pain or injury as a cost.”
“And if a ritual was performed?”
“If a ritual was performed, it would become a bit problematic… But if a ritual had indeed been undertaken, you would have surely noticed, right? Therefore, there wouldn’t have been any issues.”
“Indeed. The ritual of magic tends to be quite loud…”
He smiled broadly.
“Of course! Performing a ritual of magic secretly is incredibly difficult.”
