Seiman-Douman seal/amulet on JJK eps 18
It's not clear in the manga, so I didn't realize it before. Luckily the anime makes it clearer that those are pentagram and kuji-kiri.
Seiman-Douman or Douman-Seiman is a talisman/charm/amulet worn by ama (female divers) in Shima, Mie Prefecture. Although there is no clear story about this talisman, it is said to be an object that repels evil spirits and prevents people from entering Ryugu (Dragon Palace).
Typical examples of demons that amas are afraid of are Tomokazuki, Sansho Birashi, Koboshi, Boshin, Hikimaren, and ghosts from Ryugu.
The star-shaped sign (Seiman) and the lattice sign (Douman) were drawn in purple or black thread on the iso-tegui towel or juban (undershirt), then they prayed for safety before diving. This amulet is written on every clothes women who live on the beach wear, such as iso-nomi, iso-jatsu (jacket), iso-megane (fishing glasses), and sometimes on fundoshi underwear for fishermen.
Since star shapes usually don't start or end back to their original position with a single stroke, there is no room for the monsters to enter. It is said that according to the ama oral tradition, returning to its original position in one stroke = "Please return safely". The lattice shape is said to be watching over monsters with multiple eyes.
With the advent of wetsuits, this habit quickly disappeared, but it is still there today as a culture, where people wearing a hood with a Seiman-Douman amulet on it.
This amulet is said to be related to Onmyodo, and the star-shaped seal has the same shape as the Abe no Seimei's seal, while the lattice seal has the same shape as Ashiya Douman's seal. It is said that the names (Seiman and Douman) also come from their names, Abe no Seimei and Ashiya Douman.
The Abe no Seimei crest, also known as the Seimei bellflower, has the same shape as the pentagram. Kuji-kiri is a grid consisting of 5 horizontal lines and 4 vertical lines. However, Douman's grid count wasn't always 9.
From this info, for me, several things can be confirmed:
- The existence of Abe no Seimei and Ashiya Douman should be confirmed at JJKverse (it's lame to not introduce the 2 biggest onmyoji afterall)
- The grade 1 cursed spirit that Gakuganji uses is given this seal so it can find its target or retreat if needed. "Seiman" allows it to return safely after moving through a certain route, and "Douman" allows it to supervise many places in search of a target, in this case, Yuji.
Posted Feb 13, 2021, 8:53 AM UTC · edited