In Japanese folklore, the term for a spirit familiar controlled by an onmyōji is shikigami.
Shikigami are supernatural entities associated with onmyōdō, the traditional Japanese system of cosmology, divination, and ritual practice. An onmyōji, or practitioner of onmyōdō, was believed in stories to summon and command these spirits for tasks such as guarding a location, spying, carrying messages, or attacking an enemy.
Descriptions vary widely. Some accounts portray shikigami as invisible spirits, while others describe them as taking forms such as paper figures, animals, or small human-like beings. Their abilities therefore depend on the particular literary, religious, or popular source.
Shikigami are often confused with kami, the broad category of sacred spirits and deities in Shinto. The terms are not interchangeable: shikigami belong primarily to Japanese magical and onmyōdō traditions, whereas kami have a much wider religious meaning.