expression, noun
cursing ritual at the hour of the ox
A traditional Japanese cursing ritual performed at 2am (the hour of the ox), where a straw doll representing the target is nailed to a sacred tree at a shrine, praying for their death. Often associated with onmyōdō and folk beliefs.
丑の刻参りは、丑の刻に神社で行う呪いの儀式だ。
Ushi no koku mairi is a cursing ritual performed at a shrine during the hour of the ox.
彼女は丑の刻参りをしている姿を目撃された。
She was seen performing the ushi no koku mairi ritual.
A general term for a curse, while 丑の刻参り is a specific ritualized form of cursing.
From 丑の刻 (ushi no koku, 'hour of the ox') + 参り (mairi, 'visiting a shrine'). The term refers to a specific cursing ritual historically practiced in Japan.