Kokkuri
Japanese game
Kokkuri (こっくり, 狐狗狸) or Kokkuri-san (こっくりさん) is a Japanese game popular during the Meiji era that is also a form of divination, partially based on Western table-turning. The name kokkuri is an onomatopoeia meaning "to nod up and down", and refers to the movement of the actual kokkuri mechanism. The kanji used to write the word is an ateji, although its characters reflect the popular belief that the movement of the mechanism is caused by supernatural agents (ko 狐, kitsune; ku 狗, dog/tengu; ri 狸, tanuki). The modern version is similar to a Ouija board.
Ancient kokkuri
The word kokkuri refers to the game and physical apparatus, while kokkuri-san refers to the being that is summoned: it is considered by the Japanese to be some sort of animal spirit that is a mix between a fox, dog, and raccoon. These three animals are meant to reflect the dual nature of the being, justifying its different personality traits: the fox being a trickster or teacher, and the raccoon being both a bearer of mischief and good fortune. Kokkuri-san is believed to possess the apparatus in order to communicate with humans. The physical mechanism is composed of three bamboo rods arranged to make a tripod, upon which is placed a small pot lid or platter, which is covered by a cloth. In some versions, tags are inserted into each of the three rods, with the words kitsune, tengu, and tanuki, respectively; in others, the words are merely traced with a finger on the bottom of the plate. Three or more people will place both their hands upon the kokkuri (lined-up, as in table-turning) and ask the spirit a question, which that spirit will in theory answer by moving (or not moving) the legs underneath the plate.
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