Shikigami

According to the Shinto scholar Inoue Nobutaka, it is thought to be some sort of kami, represented by a small ghost.

Their power is connected to the spiritual force of their master, where if the invoker is well introduced and has much experience, their shiki can possess animals and even people and manipulate them, but if the invoker is careless, their shikigami may get out of control in time, gaining its own will and consciousness and can even raid its own master and kill them in revenge.

Usually shikigami are conjured to exercise risky orders for their masters, such as spying, stealing and enemy tracking.

Regular mystics could not attempt to summon it without risking losing control of it due to its oni-like nature.

The supernatural entities are conjured through the manipulation of cursed energy, typically facilitated by talismans and summoning magic.