Onmyodo
Mythology & Folklore

for further reading: Wikipedia

Onmyodo, sometimes translated as "the art of yin and yang" is a Japanese belief system that has its origins in Chinese Wu Xing. A practioner of onmyoji is known as an "onmyodo". During the Heian Era they were civil servants who were tasked with upkeep of calender systems as well as mystical divination and fortune-telling. The two most historically significant onmyodo were Abe no Seimei and Kamo no Yasunori.

One of the hallmarks of onmyodo is the interelation of five elements (fire, earth, metal, water, and wood) and their influence upon one another. Each element has power over another and keeps each in check.

Relevance to MAO

Characters such as Mao, Shiranui, Kamon, Hyakka and many others throughout the series are highly skilled onmyoji. The setting of the series in during Heian Period marks the height of onmyodo in Japan before it lost imperial favor and slowly declined in significance. In the series most of the characters specialize in a particular element (such as Hyakka with fire and Kamon with wood).