Cursed Object

A cursed object is any item that has had a curse worked into it, with the result that owning the thing invites bad luck upon the holder. Most arise from the negative pull of a yokai, whether through long exposure to the spirit or through deliberate tampering for some hidden goal, while other origins are not understood. Some curses lie dormant until a person interacts with the item, and others act entirely on their own.

The harm a cursed object causes targets people rather than property. The collector Payase notes that the misfortune never damages the cursed item itself and does not spread to nearby cursed objects either. The standard precaution is containment: shutting the item inside a sealed box or wrapping it in cloth keeps the curse from leaking out, which also makes the object far safer to move and store.

Several examples appear in the series. The Evil Eye's Briefs hold the grudges the yokai used to raise its cursed house and grudge ball, later put on display at Manjiro's shrine. The Danmara is a cursed trunk built to imprison the Fairy-Tale Card, reshaped into a board game that ferries anyone who touches it into his realm. Payase also owns a painting cursed to spark fires every day. Lastly, the Asura is a cursed sword that pushes its wielder toward mass killing while granting the unique power to drain yokai of their abilities.