are Japanese

amulet An amulet, also known as a good luck charm or phylactery, is an object believed to confer protection upon its possessor. The word "amulet" comes from the Latin word , which Pliny's ''Natural History'' describes as "an object that protects a perso ...

s commonly sold at

Shinto , also called Shintoism, is a religion originating in Japan. Classified as an East Asian religions, East Asian religion by Religious studies, scholars of religion, it is often regarded by its practitioners as Japan's indigenous religion and as ...

shrines A shrine ( "case or chest for books or papers"; Old French: ''escrin'' "box or case") is a sacred space dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor worship, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, Daemon (mythology), daemon, or similar figure of respect, wh ...

and

Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

temples, dedicated to particular Shinto as well as

figures and are said to provide various forms of luck and protection.

Origin and usage

The word means 'protection', with being the (honorific) form of the word. Originally made from paper or wood, modern amulets are small items usually kept inside a brocade bag and may contain a prayer, religious inscription of invocation. are available at both Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples with few exceptions and are available for sale, regardless of one's religious affiliation. are then made sacred through the use of ritual, and are said to contain (spiritual offshoots) in a Shinto context or (manifestations) in a Buddhist context. While are intended for temple tourists' personal use, they are mainly viewed as a donation to the temple or shrine the person is visiting. Visitors often give as a gift to another person as a physical form of well-wishing.

Design and function

are usually covered with brocaded silk and enclose paper or pieces of wood with prayers written on them, which are supposed to bring good

luck Luck is the phenomenon and belief that defines the experience of improbable events, especially improbably positive or negative ones. The Naturalism (philosophy), naturalistic interpretation is that positive and negative events may happen at a ...

to the bearer on particular occasions, tasks, or ordeals. are also used to ward off bad luck and are often spotted on bags, hung on cellphone straps, in cars, etc. have changed over the years from being made mostly of paper and/or wood to being made out of a wide variety of materials (i.e. bumper decals, bicycle reflectors, credit cards, etc.). Modern commercialism has also taken over a small part of the production of . Usually this happens when more popular shrines and temples cannot keep up with the high demand for certain charms. They then turn to factories to manufacture the . However, priests have been known to complain about the quality and authenticity of the products made by factories. According to

Yanagita Kunio was a Japanese author, scholar, and folklorist. He began his career as a bureaucrat, but developed an interest in rural Japan and its folk traditions. This led to a change in his career. His pursuit of this led to his eventual establishment of J ...

(1969):

Usage

may provide general blessings and protection, or may have a specific focus such as: * :

traffic safety Road traffic safety refers to the methods and measures, such as traffic calming, to prevent road users from being killed or seriously injured. Typical road users include pedestrians, cyclists, motorists, passengers of vehicles, and passenger ...

-protection for drivers and travelers of all sorts * : avoidance of evil * : open luck, better fortune * : education and passing examinations—for students and scholars * : prosperity in business—success in business and matters of money * : acquisition of a mate and marriage—available for singles and couples to ensure love and marriage * : protection for pregnant women for a healthy pregnancy and easy delivery * : safety (well-being) of one's family, peace and prosperity in the household Customarily, are not opened in order to avoid losing their protective benefits. They are instead carried on one's person, or tied to something like a backpack or a purse. It is not necessary, but amulets are customarily replaced once a year to ward off bad luck from the previous year. Old amulets are usually returned to the same shrine or temple they were purchased from so they can be disposed of properly. Amulets are commonly returned on or slightly after the

Japanese New Year The is an annual festival that takes place in Japan. Since 1873, the official Japanese New Year has been celebrated according to the Gregorian calendar, on January 1 of each year, . Prior to 1872, traditional events of the Japanese New Year wer ...

so the visitor has a fresh start for the New Year with a new . Old traditionally should not be disposed of, but burned, as a sign of respect to the deity that assisted the person throughout the year. If a shrine or temple visitor cannot find an that meets their need, they can request for a priest to have one made. If enough people request for this same type of , the temple or shrine may start producing them for everyday availability.

Modern commercial uses

There are modern commercial versions of that are typically not spiritual in nature and are not issued by a shrine or temple. It has become popular for stores in Japan to feature generic with popular characters such as

Mickey Mouse Mickey Mouse is an American cartoon character co-created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks. The longtime icon and mascot of the Walt Disney Company, Mickey is an anthropomorphic mouse who typically wears red shorts, large shoes, and white ...

Hello Kitty , also known by her real name , is a fictional character created by Yuko Shimizu, currently designed by Yuko Yamaguchi, and owned by the Japanese company Sanrio. Sanrio depicts Hello Kitty as a British anthropomorphized white cat with a red ...

Snoopy Snoopy is an anthropomorphic beagle in the comic strip ''Peanuts'' by American cartoonist Charles M. Schulz. He also appears in all of the ''Peanuts'' films and television specials. Since his debut on October 4, 1950, Snoopy has become one of ...

Kewpie Kewpie is a brand of dolls and figurines that were conceived as comic strip characters by American cartoonist Rose O'Neill. The illustrated cartoons, appearing as baby cupid characters, began to gain popularity after the publication of O'Neil ...

, etc.

References

External links

Omamori.com
{{Superstitions, state=collapsed Amulets Talismans Buddhist religious objects Religious objects Shinto religious objects Superstitions of Japan Japanese words and phrases