Ashiya Doman vs. Abe no Seimei: The Onmyoji Rivalry, Shikigami and the Curse Returned
In the late tenth century, when the darkness of Heian-kyo ran deep and vengeful spirits were thought to threaten the nobility, the court trusted one great onmyoji above all: Abe no Seimei. Across many tales, one figure appears as his lifelong rival, the unofficial onmyoji of Harima Province, Ashiya Doman, also called Doma Hoshi.
If Seimei, an official of the Bureau of Yin-Yang, was the public light guarding the state, Doman was the shadow: a ranked-less priest-sorcerer who carried the desires and grudges of ordinary people. He is described in tangled hair and a dirty black robe, yet his skill was said to rival Seimei's.
The Contest Before the Emperor: Oranges or Birds?
The best-known scene appears in tale collections such as the Uji Shui Monogatari and the Kojidan. Doman travels to the capital to challenge Seimei, and a lidded box with hidden contents is brought into the hall. Doman divines first: fifteen oranges. The courtiers are sure Seimei has lost. Seimei smiles and says the box holds fifteen birds. Doman laughs, but when the lid is lifted, fifteen birds fly out. Seimei, the story goes, transformed the oranges the instant Doman guessed correctly.
The Curse on Michinaga and the Curse Returned
In another tale, Fujiwara no Akimitsu, a minister who lost to Michinaga again and again, asks Doman to curse the regent. Doman buries a clay figure bound with talismans along Michinaga's path. When Michinaga heads for a temple, his dog barks wildly and tugs at his robe. Summoned, Seimei divines that a cursing object lies beneath the gate. The figure is dug up. Seimei folds white paper into a bird and sends it flying; it lands on the roof of Doman's hideout. This is the jusokaeshi, the returning of a curse. Doman was captured and banished to Harima.
Doman Legends in Harima
In Harima, now part of Hyogo Prefecture, mounds and house sites associated with Doman survive in local tradition. Historians see Doman less as a pure villain than as a symbol of the unofficial priest-diviners who worked in the provinces. Where court onmyoji handled calendars, astronomy and taboo days, these figures performed rainmaking, healing and exorcism for ordinary people.
The Rivals on Stage
From the Muromachi to the Edo period, the rivalry was dramatized in ballad-sermons, puppet theater and kabuki, including Ashiya Doman Ouchi Kagami. A flawless Seimei needed a persistent, earthy shadow beside him. These episodes come from later tales and are legends rather than confirmed history.
Enjoy Japanese Culture with Mori no Akari
The Mori no Akari Series offers a Buddhist deities coloring set with color samples as a download edition. The product name in the store appears in Japanese.
▶ View the Buddhist Deities Coloring Set 01 (Download Edition)
References
- Shigeta Shinichi, Abe no Seimei: Onmyoji-tachi no Heian Jidai, Yoshikawa Kobunkan, 2006
- Komatsu Kazuhiko, Abe no Seimei no Rirekisho, Shogakukan, 2000
- Hayashi Makoto, Kinsei Onmyodo no Kenkyu, Yoshikawa Kobunkan, 2005