Ditto (another method):—Fold a piece of paper so as to represent a frog, write the name of your guest on its back, stick a pin through it and put the frog where no one can see it: the person desired is sure to turn up. After his arrival, however, the pin should be removed and the paper frog thrown into the river.
Ditto (another method):—Cut a sheet of white paper to a size of 2 inches square, fold it in two, place it in a white envelope and address it to the desired guest. This charm is much in vogue in the brothels of Ky�machi though it has not yet spread to Yedo-ch�. In Masur� this charm has been especially successful.
How to ascertain whether an expected guest will come or not:—Draw out a thread from the end of a towel. If this feat be successfully performed the guest is sure to come, but if the thread breaks he will not turn up.
A peculiar charm. Take one equal part of saké, vinegar, soy, oil, ohaguro (mixture for blackening teeth), water, and a handful of t�shin (wick of a lamp made from vegetable pith). Boil these seven ingredients together and add a piece of paper on which is depicted the private parts of your lover. Boil again for a short time, and the charm is sure to cure the man’s fickleness.
At present nobody seems to be acquainted with the charms mentioned above, they have fallen into disuse nowadays.
Below will be found a description of charms now in vogue. These are most important occult secrets and should not be lightly revealed to the vulgar!
To attract a person. Write the first letter of the name of the person, together with the date of his birth, on a piece of paper. Paste this under a staircase on the third step from the bottom, but do it secretly so that nobody will detect it. If a person misses his footing and falls from this stairway the charm will certainly be effective.
Ditto. When there is any particular guest whom a courtesan wishes to call, a letter supposed to be addressed to him should be prepared, and on the cover should be written the words—“Kogaruru kimi ye.� (To my beloved prince) and “Go zonji yori� (From—you know who). This missive must be dropped at a cross-way, and if it be picked up by somebody the charm will work.
Ditto. Take a sheet of hanshi paper and cut it in the style of a noren (curtain hung before a shop) and on each leaf write the Chinese character � (kitsune = “fox�). Stick this on the inside of a cupboard or drawer so that nobody will know about it, and then offer up a prayer for the speedy advent of the person for whom you are waiting. When he arrives you must secretly remove the paper and throw it away.
Ditto. There is a game called en-musubi (marrying) which is played by making a couple of koyori (soft Japanese paper twisted into a string) and holding them in the middle while a person ties both ends together. The koyori are now stretched by pulling, and if they become entangled in the process the marriage is supposed to be assured. If you tie the paper strings which have been used for this purpose to a tobacco pipe-stem, or to the mouth of a teapot, this will certainly cause the appearance of the party whose presence you desire.