Bunshinsaba

분신사바 (bunshinsaba) is an incantion (주술) for calling a spirit that came over to Korea from Japan. This incantation is said to have been famous in Daegu first, but this isn’t certain. It is actually unclear of how and when it spread in Korea. According to a Japanese wikipedia article, kokkurisan (콧쿠리상, a Japanese version of the Oujia board where a mixed animal spirit answers questions about the future) came over to Joseon during the Japanese rule (일제시대) becoming 분신사바. To call the ghost forth you chant 분신사바 분신사바 오잇데 구라사이, “please come to us, bunshinsaba”.  

Bunshinsaba (笔仙) was from one of the oldest witchcrafts in ancient China. Bunshinsaba is the ghost of a dead person who can come back to humans' world and answer people's doubts through a certain rite. It originated in the worship of a legendary spiritual goddess. Normally, we think it started from Tang Dynasty but some experts believe it is much longer than we thought. Initially, some Taoist priest used it for divination, and then, it became more popular among ordi-nary people.