CREEPYPASTA'S

The Devil's Jaws

I suppose when I say, "Noroi Gakkotsu,"most of you would guess I was talking about some exotic delicacy, or maybe some holiday resort in the far east. You'd be dead wrong. A Noroi Gakkotsu is a very nasty object that has been part of Japanese folklore for centuries, maybe even millennia.

Please keep reading! I know that folklore, especially folklore from a completely foreign culture, bores a lot of people to snores. I can assure you, I'm no fan either. But please believe me when I say that it'sessential that you read this and understand what Noroi Gakkotsu are and how they work.

As best it can be translated, "Noroi Gakkotsu" means "Devil's Jaws" in English. According to Japanese tradition, a Noroi Gakkotsu is made of two thin boards of wood, one upon the other, that are bound together on one side with either a strip of leather or length of twine, so that the boards can be opened and closed like a book (or a set of jaws!). A certain spell is then written upon the boards to give the object its dark powers. Basically, so long as they knew the magic words, anybody could make one from household objects.

Noroi Gakkotsu were used to strike a bargain with something they called"Kofuko-oni Koun," which I'm told means"He who pays for his food with good luck."Don't be fooled, though. Even though the name might sound benevolent, Kofuko-oni Koun was regarded as a cruel, evil creature and was greatly feared.

He was believed to have sway over the forces of luck and a person could request him to turn a near-certain failure in their future into a glorious victory, by writing what they wanted upon a piece of rice paper and placing it inside a Noroi Gakkotsu. But there was also a catch.

Kofuko-oni Koun would only honor the request if you nominated your payment for his 'services' on the top of the message - and the only payment he would accept was the life of someone you held dear. It had to be someone you truly cared for, though not necessarily a family member, it could also have been a close friend. If you named someone who you didn't care for, or even someone you actually wanted to die, somehow the Kofuko-oni Koun would know and the wish wouldn't be granted.

But if the Kofuko-oni Koun approved of the nominated payment, then the person who made the wish would be blessed with the best possible luck in whatever matter they'd asked for the Kofuko-oni Koun to help them with. After that, the nominated victim would mysteriously disappear almost entirely without a trace.

The worst part of the story is that after it had claimed its price, the Kofuko-oni Koun would leave a "souvenir" outside the front door of the person who made the wish. Sometimes it was the victim's bloody clothing, or some other personal affect. But more often than not, it was part of the victim's remains! Some people believe that it did this to traumatize the person who had made the wish; to remind them of the terrible fate they'd placed upon their loved one. Others apparently think that it was more like the Kofuko-oni Koun leaving a 'receipt' behind for the person who made the wish, acknowledging that it had received its payment and that their business was concluded.

Either way, making a Noroi Gakkotsu and striking a bargain with Kofuko-oni Koun were forbidden practices in Japan, punishable by death. So once the deal was done, the person who had committed the crime would usually destroy all the evidence: the Noroi Gakkotsu, and whatever traces of the victim had been left upon their doorstep.

Even if you are into old monster legends, I'm sure you're probably just reading this and thinking that it's just some old superstitious hokum. Well, a few days... hell, probably even a few hours ago I would've agreed with you. But not anymore.

I can't tell you too much about who I am or how I know what I know. What I can tell you is that I have connections in the missing-person-turned-homicide investigation of a teenage boy somewhere in the Midwest.