Talismans

A talisman (御守, Omamori) is any object that acts as a charm to ward off evil. In the series, they generally take the form of paper charms, and have a variety of uses.

Protection
The most common use of talismans is in warding off evil beings. Though they vary in effectiveness depending on the opposing force and the power of the talisman, talismans are often placed around and in buildings to keep evil beings from entering. However, if the evil is strong enough, talismans have no impact at all. Additionally, talismans can also be used to imprison or seal demons.
 * Heisuke Matsudo placed a number of traps Talis-melt.jpgn his home to keep Shion's spider goons from advancing. Some talismans were launched from the walls, striking the goons and causing them to collapse (in the anime, the talismans actually destroyed them). Shion, disgusted by their weakness, merely walked past the talismans, and her power was great enough that simply being in her presence caused the talismans to melt away.
 * Aihi was forced to accompany her human Talis-aihi.jpgnion to his home by a talisman he wrapped around his hand and grabbed her with (which apparently made her unable to escape or attack him while he was holding it against her). She was then prevented from leaving by talismans (shown only in the anime ) he placed around the doors once she was inside. The talismans were linked to his life: if Aihi truly wanted to escape, she either had to kill him, wait for him to die, or convince him to remove them.
 * Yoshimori used talismans to exorcise Sandy Brackman, a young woman followed by wandering spirits because of her elevated spiritual energy. Yoshimori admitted beforehand that he had no experience at exorcism, and had to call home to get advice and talismans from his father (Shuji was trained by Heisuke, who also provided him with talismans).
 * During the second invasion of Kokuboro, Shion stationed her goons at the Sumimura and Yukimura homes. Shuji Sumimura, who learned about talismans from his work with Heisuke Matsudo, put talismans on the windows and walls of the Sumimura home to prevent Shion's spider goons from coming inside. He also has a whole set of talismans that include an anti-Ayakashi stone that he wears around his neck. It lights up when Ayakashi are nearby, and is first seen doing so around Mukade, indicating that he is an Ayakashi Majiri.
 * Talis-manmist.jpg Kakushino Twins used talismans to imprison demons within cells. The number of talismans used indicated the demon's strength: only one was used for the Multi-Head Ayakashi, at least five for the Man-Eating Mist, and at least ten for Kurokabuto in its cocoon form.

Spell Support
Talismans can be used to strengthen certain spells. Kekkaishi especially use them in preparation for large or difficult jobs.
 * In preparation for her journey to Kurosusuki, Tokiko Yukimura takes a large number of talismans from her family's storehouse. She places the talismans around a cave opening and generates a dimensional portal to Kurosusuki between them.
 * The room at the bottom of the Sumimura family's well has many talismans along its corners. They are likely either responsible for the illusions that appear in the well, or assist Shimano in draining power from Legitimate Successors while in the room.
 * Talismans are almost always used in the repair of Shinyuuchi.