21 What's so scary about the hour of the ox? (About Ushi no Koku Mairi)

<p>On this episode of <em>Ichimon Japan</em> we ask: What's so scary about the hour of the ox?</p> <h2 style="text-align: center;"><strong>Topics Discussed<br /></strong></h2> <ul> <li>All about Japan's old way of telling time that was based on the 12 animals of the Chinese Zodiac (<em>eto</em>)</li> <li>Which "animals" in the old Chinese Zodiac based way of telling time correspond to which hours in the modern way of telling time</li> <li>Why the "hour of the ox" <em>(ushi no koku)</em> was thought to have associations with demons and inauspicious things</li> <li>What a "demon gate" (<em>kimon</em>) is</li> <li>In which direction you would find a kimon (demon gate)</li> <li>What <em>ushimitsudoki</em> is and what time it corresponds to</li> <li>The punctual nature of demons</li> <li>What <em>ushi no koku mairi</em> is</li> <li>How people performing ushi no koku mairi are typically depicted today</li> <li>The historical origins of ushi no koku mairi</li> <li>The story of Uji no Hashihime</li> <li>The various tools involved when placing a curse on someone ushi no koku mairi style</li> <li>The potentially deadly consequences of catching someone in the act of performing ushi no koku mairi</li> <li>Websites/companies that offer to places curses on your behalf</li> <li>Whether performing ushi no koku mairi or cursing someone is illegal in Japan</li> <li>Two actual cases of people threatening others using straw dolls <em>(wara ning<em lang="ja-Latn" title="Hepburn transliteration" xml:lang="ja-Latn">ō</em>)</em></li> <li>Why you could get arrested if you were to perform a full ushi no koku mairi ceremony</li> <li>How you can purchase ushi no koku mairi kits from online retailers like Amazon Japan</li> <li>One man's attempt to curse the coronavirus ushi no koku mairi style</li> <li>And more!</li> </ul> <h2 style="text-align: center;"><strong>Support on Patreon<br /></strong></h2> <p>If you enjoy <em>Ichimon Japan</em> and want to ensure that we're able to produce more episodes, then please consider becoming a patron on P