In the imperial capital of Kyoto, magic was a government job.

The Onmyoryo — the Bureau of Yin and Yang — employed men called onmyoji to read the stars, choose lucky days for the emperor, and drive away evil spirits with folded paper charms called ofuda.

The most famous of them was Abe no Seimei, born in 921.

Stories say his mother was a white fox, that he could see spirits by the age of five, and that he kept small paper servants called shikigami hidden under a bridge.

He served six emperors and lived to nearly eighty-five, which was extraordinary for his time.

His shrine still stands in Kyoto today.

People visit it to ask for protection before an important journey — a thousand years after he died.