Omamori

{{short description|Japanese Shinto and Buddhist amulet}}{{More citations needed|date=January 2020}} {{italic title}} {{Shinto Talismans}}

[[File:Amulette-japonaise.jpg|thumb|upright=0.6|A study-dedicated {{Transliteration|ja|omamori}}. The logo above denotes a Shinto shrine dedicated to the {{Transliteration|ja|kami}} Tenjin.]]

{{nihongo||御守/お守り|'''Omamori'''}} are Japanese amulets commonly sold at Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples, dedicated to particular Shinto {{Transliteration|ja|kami}} as well as Buddhist figures and are said to provide various forms of luck and protection.

==Origin and usage== The word {{nihongo||守り|mamori}} means 'protection', with {{Transliteration|ja|omamori}} being the {{Transliteration|ja|sonkeigo}} (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 Originally made from paper or wood, modern amulets are small items usually kept inside a brocade bag and may contain a prayer, religious inscription of invocation.<ref name="Reader">{{cite book|last1=Reader|first1=Ian|last2=Tanabe|first2=George J.|title=Practically Religious: Worldly Benefits and the Common Religion of Japan|date=1998|publisher=University of Hawai'i Press|location=Honolulu|isbn=0824820908|page=46}}</ref> {{Transliteration|ja|Omamori}} are available at both Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples with few exceptions and are available for sale, regardless of one's religious affiliation.

{{Transliteration|ja|Omamori}} are then made sacred through the use of ritual, and are said to contain {{Transliteration|ja|busshin}} (spiritual offshoots) in a Shinto context or {{Transliteration|ja|kesshin}} (manifestations) in a Buddhist context.<ref name="Reader"/>

While {{Transliteration|ja|omamori}} 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 {{Transliteration|ja|omamori}} as a gift to another person as a physical form of well-wishing.{{Citation needed|date=January 2018}}

==Design and function==

{{Transliteration|ja|Omamori}} 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 to the bearer on particular occasions, tasks, or ordeals. {{Transliteration|ja|Omamori}} are also used to ward off bad luck and are often spotted on bags, hung on cellphone straps, in cars, etc.

{{Transliteration|ja|Omamori}} 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.).<ref name="Swanger">{{cite journal|last1=Swanger|first1=Eugene R.|last2=Takayama|first2=K. Peter|title=A Preliminary Examination of the "Omamori" Phenomenon|journal=Asian Folklore Studies|date=1 January 1981|volume=40|issue=2|pages=237–252|doi=10.2307/1177866|jstor=1177866}}</ref> Modern commercialism has also taken over a small part of the production of {{Transliteration|ja|omamori}}. 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 {{Transliteration|ja|omamori}}. However, priests have been known to complain about the quality and authenticity of the products made by factories.<ref name="Swanger"/>

According to Yanagita Kunio (1969):

{{blockquote|Japanese have probably always believed in amulets of one kind or another, but the modern printed charms now given out by shrines and temples first became popular in the Tokugawa period or later, and the practice of a person wearing miniature charms is also new. The latter custom is particularly common in cities.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Kunio|first1=Yanagita|author-link=Yanagita Kunio|title=Japanese Culture in the Meiji Era Tokyo (Vol. 4)|date=1969|pages=314–315}}</ref>}}

==Usage==  [[File:Omamori Protection.jpg|thumb|150px|An {{Transliteration|ja|omamori}} from a shrine in Kumamoto. This item claims to "grant protection" to the user. The logo above denotes the shrine Fujisaki Hachimangū.]]

{{Transliteration|ja|Omamori}} may provide general blessings and protection, or may have a specific focus such as:<ref>{{cite web|last1=Jacobsen|first1=Natalie|title=Japanese Lucky Charms: The Guide to Omamori|url=http://www.tokyoweekender.com/2015/05/japanese-lucky-charms-the-guide-to-omamori/|website=Tokyo Weekender|access-date=2017-01-27|date=2015-05-13}}</ref>

* {{Transliteration|ja|Kōtsū-anzen}}: traffic safety-protection for drivers and travelers of all sorts * {{Transliteration|ja|Yaku-yoke}}: avoidance of evil * {{Transliteration|ja|Kaiun}}: open luck, better fortune * {{Transliteration|ja|Gakugyō-jōju}}: education and passing examinations—for students and scholars * {{Transliteration|ja|Shōbai-hanjō}}: prosperity in business—success in business and matters of money * {{Transliteration|ja|En-musubi}}: acquisition of a mate and marriage—available for singles and couples to ensure love and marriage * {{Transliteration|ja|Anzan}}: protection for pregnant women for a healthy pregnancy and easy delivery * {{Transliteration|ja|Kanai-anzen}}: safety (well-being) of one's family, peace and prosperity in the household

Customarily, {{Transliteration|ja|omamori}} 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 so the visitor has a fresh start for the New Year with a new {{Transliteration|ja|omamori}}.

Old {{Transliteration|ja|omamori}} traditionally should not be disposed of, but burned, as a sign of respect to the deity that assisted the person throughout the year.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-02-19|title=Guide To Japanese Lucky Charms Omamori For The New Year 2021 - Japan Truly|url=https://japantruly.com/japanese-lucky-charms-omamori-for-new-year/|access-date=2021-03-30|website=japantruly.com|language=en-US}}</ref>

If a shrine or temple visitor cannot find an {{Transliteration|ja|omamori}} that meets their need, they can request for a priest to have one made. If enough people request for this same type of {{Transliteration|ja|omamori}}, the temple or shrine may start producing them for everyday availability.

==Modern commercial uses== There are modern commercial versions of {{Transliteration|ja|omamori}} 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 {{Transliteration|ja|omamori}} with popular characters such as Mickey Mouse, Hello Kitty, Snoopy, Kewpie, etc.

==See also== {{Columns-list|colwidth=22em| * {{Transliteration|ja|Ema}} * {{Transliteration|zh|Fulu}} * {{Transliteration|ja|Hōko}} * {{Transliteration|ja|Kamidana}} * {{Transliteration|ja|Koban}} * {{Transliteration|ja|Magatama}} * Netsuke * {{Transliteration|ja|Ofuda}} * {{Transliteration|ja|O-mikuji}} * {{Transliteration|ja|Somin Shōrai}} * Spirit tablet * {{Transliteration|ja|Tanzaku}} * Thai Buddha amulet }}

==References== {{Reflist}}

==Further reading== * {{cite book|last1=Masuda|first1=Koh|title=Kenkyusha's New Japanese-English Dictionary|date=1998|publisher=Kenkyusha|location=Tokyo|isbn=4767420156|edition=4th}} * {{cite book|last1=Nelson|first1=Andrew N.|title=Japanese-English Character Dictionary|date=1999|publisher=Charles E. Tuttle|location=Rutland, Vermont|isbn=4805305746|edition=1st}}

==External links== {{Commons category|Omamori}} * [http://www.omamori.com Omamori.com]

Category:Amulets Category:Talismans Category:Buddhist religious objects Category:Religious objects Category:Shinto religious objects Category:Superstitions of Japan Category:Japanese words and phrases