Religion:Ofuda

Short description: Shinto household amulet or talisman

The Jingū taima (神宮大麻), an () issued by the Grand Shrines of Ise (center) flanked by the ofuda of Yasaka Shrine (right) and Fushimi Inari-taisha (left)

In Shinto and Buddhism in Japan , an ofuda (お札/御札, honorific form of , 'slip [of paper], card, plate') is a talisman made out of various materials such as paper, wood, cloth or metal. are commonly found in both Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples and are considered to be imbued with the power of the deities () or Buddhist figures revered therein. Such amulets are also called gofu (護符).

Certain kinds of are intended for a specific purpose (such as protection against calamity or misfortune, safety within the home, or finding love) and may be kept on one's person or placed on other areas of the home (such as gates, doorways, kitchens, or ceilings). Paper may also be referred to as kamifuda (紙札), while those made of wood may be called kifuda (木札). , another kind of Japanese amulet, shares the same origin as and may be considered as a smaller, portable version of .

A specific type of is a talisman issued by a Shinto shrine on which is written the name of the shrine or its enshrined and stamped with the shrine's seal. Such , also called shinsatsu (神札), go-shinsatsu (御神札) or shinpu (神符), are often placed on household Shinto altars () and revered both as a symbol of the shrine and its deity (or deities) – containing the 's essence or power by virtue of its consecration – and a medium through which the in question can be accessed by the worshiper. In this regard they are somewhat similar to (but not the same as) , physical objects which serve as repositories for in Shinto shrines.

In a similar vein, Buddhist are regarded as imbued with the spirit and the virtue of buddhas, bodhisattvas, or other revered figures of the Buddhist pantheon, essentially functioning in many cases as a more economic alternative to Buddhist icons and statuary.

History

() distributed in Kinkakuji (left) and Ginkakuji (right) in Kyoto. These also serve as admission tickets to the temples.

A goōfu (牛王符) from Kumano Hongū Taisha in Wakayama Prefecture

The origins of Shinto and Buddhist may be traced from both the Taoist , introduced to Japan via Onmyōdō (which adopted elements of Taoism), and woodblock prints of Buddhist texts and images produced by temples since the Nara and Heian periods. During the medieval period, the three shrines of Kumano in Wakayama Prefecture were particularly famous for their paper talisman, the , also known as the Goōhōin (牛王宝印), which were stamped on one side with intricate designs of stylized crows. At the time, these and similar were often employed in oath taking and contract drafting, with the terms of the oath or agreement being written on the blank side of the sheet.

Different types of (upper row) and other talismans distributed in the Inner Shrine () of Ise. From left: Kaikō taima (海幸大麻) (a kind of for luck in fishing), kenharai (剣祓), kakuharai (角祓), and daikakuharai (大角祓) (a larger version of ).

The currently found in most Shinto shrines meanwhile are modeled after the talisman issued by the Grand Shrines of Ise (Ise Jingū) called Jingū Taima (神宮大麻). were originally purification wands (祓串, haraegushi) that wandering preachers associated with the shrines of Ise (御師, oshi or onshi) handed out to devotees across the country as a sign and guarantee that prayers were conducted on their behalf. These wands, called Oharai Taima (御祓大麻), were contained either in packets of folded paper – in which case they are called kenharai (剣祓) (also ), due to the packet's shape resembling a sword blade (剣, ken) – or in boxes called oharaibako (御祓箱). The widespread distribution of first began in the Muromachi period and reached its peak in the Edo period: a document dating from 1777 (An'ei 6) indicates that eighty-nine to ninety percent of all households in the country at the time owned an Ise talisman.

The end of the Edo period witnessed the rise of public festivities and protests known as triggered by reports of talismans raining from the sky.

In 1871, an imperial decree abolished the and allotted the production and distribution of the amulets, now renamed , to the shrine's administrative offices. It was around this time that the talisman's most widely known form – a wooden tablet containing a sliver of cedar wood known as wrapped in paper on which is printed the shrine's name (Tenshō Kōtai Jingū (天照皇大神宮)) and stamped with the seals of the shrine (Kōtai Jingū Gyoji (皇大神宮御璽)) and its high priest (Daijingūji no In (大神宮司之印)) – developed. In 1900, a new department, the , took over production and distribution duties. The distribution of was eventually delegated to the National Association of Shinto Priests (全国神職会, Zenkoku Shinshokukai) in 1927 and finally to its successor, the Association of Shinto Shrines, after World War II. The Association nowadays continues to disseminate to affiliated shrines throughout Japan, where they are made available alongside the shrines' own amulets.

Varieties and usage

A still in its translucent paper wrapper. This cover may be removed when setting up the talisman in a .

come in a variety of forms. Some are slips or sheets of paper, others like the are thin rectangular plaques (kakubarai/kakuharai (角祓)) enclosed in an envelope-like casing (which may further be covered in translucent wrapping paper), while still others are wooden tablets () which may be smaller or larger than regular . Some shrines distribute , which consists of a sliver of wood placed inside a fold of paper. The issued by the shrines of Ise before the Meiji period were usually in the form of ; while the variety is currently more widespread, of the type are still distributed in Ise Shrine.

An example of a (from Kōjinyama Shrine in Shiga Prefecture): a plaque with the names of the shrine's – Homusubi, Okitsuhiko and Okitsuhime – written in and its paper casing on which is written the name of the shrine or the epithet of its deity – in this case, Kōjinyama-no-Ōkami (荒神山大神, 'Great Deity of Kōjinyama (Shrine)') – and stamped with the seals of the shrine (middle) and its priest (bottom).

and are available year round in many shrines and temples, especially in larger ones with a permanent staff. As these items are sacred, they are technically not 'bought' but rather 'received' (授かる, sazukaru) or ukeru (受ける), with the money paid in exchange for them being considered to be a donation or offering (初穂料, hatsuhoryō, literally 'first fruit fee'). One may also receive a wooden talisman called a kitōfuda (祈祷札) after having formal prayers or rituals (kitō (祈祷)) performed on one's behalf in these places of worship.

Shinto

such as are enshrined in a household altar () or a special stand (); in the absence of one, they may be placed upright in a clean and tidy space above eye level or attached to a wall. and the that house them are set up facing east (where the sun rises), south (the principal direction of sunshine), or southeast.

The Association of Shinto Shrines recommends that a household own at least three kinds of :

2. The of the tutelary deity of one's place of residence ()
3. The of a shrine one is personally devoted to sūkei jinja (崇敬神社)

Various possible ways of arranging () in a Shinto altar

In a 'three-door' style (三社造, sansha-zukuri) altar, the is placed in the middle, with the of one's local on its left (observer's right) and the of one's favourite shrine on its right (observer's left). Alternatively, in a 'one-door' style (一社造, issha-zukuri) , the three talismans are laid on top of one another, with the on the front. One may own more ; these are placed on either side of or behind the aforementioned three. Regular (preferably daily) worship before the or and offerings of rice, salt, water, and/or to the (with additional foodstuffs being offered on special occasions) are recommended. The manner of worship is similar to those performed in shrines: two bows, two claps, and a final bow, though a prayer () – also preceded by two bows – may be recited before this.

A place for returning old talismans at Fukagawa Fudō-dō Temple (ja) in Tokyo

Other are placed in other parts of the house. For instance, of patron deities of the hearth – Sanbō-Kōjin in Buddhism, Kamado-Mihashira-no-Kami (the 'Three Deities of the Hearth': Kagutsuchi, Okitsuhiko and Okitsuhime) in Shinto – are placed in the kitchen. In toilets, a talisman of the Buddhist wrathful deity Ucchuṣma (Ususama Myōō), who is believed to purify the unclean, may be installed. Protective such as , a depiction of the Tendai monk Ryōgen in the form of a yaksha or an are placed on doorways or entrances.

Japanese spirituality lays great importance on purity and pristineness (), especially of things related to the divine. It is for this reason that periodic (usually annual) replacement of and are encouraged. It is customary to obtain new before the end of the year at the earliest or during the New Year season, though (as with ) one may purchase one at other times of the year as well. While ideally, old and are to be returned to the shrine or temple where they were obtained as a form of thanksgiving, most Shinto shrines in practice accept talismans from other shrines. (Buddhist are however not accepted in many shrines and vice versa.) Old and are burned in a ceremony known either as Sagichō (左義長) or Dondoyaki (どんど焼き), also or ) held during the Little New Year (January 14th or 15th), the end of the Japanese New Year season.

Kifuda (木札) are made out of wood with characters carved, written, or printed directly on them.

Gallery

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  from Kumano Hayatama Taisha

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  , a talisman issued by Suwa Shrine in Nagano Prefecture. At a time when meat eating was mostly frowned upon due to Buddhist influence, these were held to allow the bearer to eat venison and other meat without incurring impurity or negative karma.

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  An of the tutelary deities of the hearth (), for use in kitchens (from Nishino Shrine in Sapporo)

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  Diagram of two talismans invoking the goddess Hārītī (鬼子母神, Kishimojin'), the Ten Rākṣasīs (十羅刹女, Jū-Rasetsunyo), and the against disease, from a Nichiren-shū ritual manual

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  Part of a series of seventy-two talismans (霊符, reifu) (from the Chinese ) known as or simply as . Originally of Daoist origin, these were introduced to Japan during the Middle Ages.

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  and other

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  posted beside a doorway

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  A , a handmade talisman against theft displayed upside-down. This is inscribed with the date the legendary outlaw Ishikawa Goemon supposedly died: "the 25th day of the 12th month" (十二月廿五日). Other dates are written in other areas, such as "the 12th day of the 12th month" (十二月十二日), which is claimed to be Goemon's birthdate.

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  According to legend, the Tendai monk Ryōgen (left) defeated evil spirits by assuming the terrifying form of a horned yaksha or (right). and bearing this likeness, known as , are available in some Buddhist temples.

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  Different types of and at Tsurugaoka Hachimangū in Kamakura

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  Place for returning old talismans (Hokoji Shrine, Takatō, Ina City, Nagano Prefecture)

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  A 'ship shrine' (艦内神社, kannai jinja) inside battleship (currently in Mikasa Park in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture). Beside the altar is a wooden () from Tōgō Shrine (dedicated to the deified naval leader Tōgō Heihachirō, who used as his flagship) in Harajuku, Tokyo.

See also

• Ema (Shinto)
• Netsuke
• Shikigami
• (Chinese paper charm or spell)
• Thai Buddha amulet
• Holy card
• Himmelsbrief

Further reading

• Nelson, Andrew N., Japanese-English Character Dictionary, Charles E. Tuttle Company: Publishers, Tokyo, 1999, ISBN:4-8053-0574-6
• Masuda Koh, Kenkyusha's New Japanese-English Dictionary, Kenkyusha Limited, Tokyo, 1991, ISBN:4-7674-2015-6