Kekkaishi (結界師) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yellow Tanabe. It was serialized in Shogakukan's manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Sunday from October 2003 to April 2011, with its chapters collected in 35 volumes. The series is about Yoshimori Sumimura and Tokine Yukimura, heirs to rival families of kekkai (barrier magic) users, who must defend their school from the spirits drawn to the sacred land upon which it is built.
A 52-episode anime television series adaptation produced by Sunrise was broadcast from October 2006 to February 2008. Both manga and anime series have been licensed for English release in North America by Viz Media. The anime series was broadcast in the United States on Adult Swim from May 2010 to May 2011.
The Kekkaishi manga had over 17 million copies in circulation by June 2020. In 2007, the manga won the 52nd Shogakukan Manga Award for the category.
Plot
According to the legend, five hundred years ago, there was an insignificant lord who possessed a mysterious power that drew ayakashi (妖) (supernatural creatures) to him. A demon exterminator, Tokimori Hazama, was called upon to protect the lord and his castle. The lord's power stayed on the land even when he had died. Thus, Tokimori founded the Hazama clan, who inherited his techniques, to protect the land for centuries to come. This land is Karasumori (烏森).