Ofuda Explained

In Shinto and Buddhism in Japan, an or 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.

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, while those made of wood may be called ., another kind of Japanese talisman, shares the same origin as and may be considered as a smaller and 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, or, 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

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.[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] During the medieval period, the three shrines of Kumano in Wakayama Prefecture stamped their paper talismans on one side with intricate designs of stylized crows and were called or the .[7] [8] [9] 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.[10] [11] [12] [13]

The currently found in most Shinto shrines meanwhile are modeled after the talisman issued by the Grand Shrines of Ise (Ise Jingū) called . were originally that wandering preachers associated with the shrines of handed out to devotees across the country as a sign and guarantee that prayers were conducted on their behalf. These wands, called, were contained either in packets of folded paper – in which case they are called (also), due to the packet's shape resembling a – or in boxes called . 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.[14] [15] [16]

In 1871, an imperial decree abolished the and allotted the production and distribution of the amulets, now renamed, to the shrine's administrative offices.[14] It was around this time that the talisman's most widely known form – a wooden tablet containing a sliver of cedar wood known as [17] [18] wrapped in paper on which is printed the shrine's name and stamped with the seals of the shrine and its high priest – developed. In 1900, a new department, the, took over production and distribution duties. The distribution of was eventually delegated to the in 1927 and finally to its successor, the Association of Shinto Shrines, after World War II.[14] The Association nowadays continues to disseminate to affiliated shrines throughout Japan, where they are made available alongside the shrines' own amulets.

Varieties and usage

come in a variety of forms. Some are slips or sheets of paper, others like the are thin rectangular plaques 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.[19]

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 or, with the money paid in exchange for them being considered to be a donation or .[20] [21] One may also receive a wooden talisman called a after having formal prayers or rituals 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.[22] [23] [24] [25]

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

    1. The of the tutelary deity of one's place of residence
  2. The of a shrine one is personally devoted to

In a 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, 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.[22] [23] [26] [27] [28] 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.[23] [29] 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.[30] [31]

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[32] [33] – 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.[34] Protective such as, a depiction of the Tendai monk Ryōgen in the form of a yaksha or an [35] [36] 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.[24] [37] [38] [39] [40] (Buddhist are however not accepted in many shrines and vice versa.) Old and are burned in a ceremony known either as or, also or) held during the Little New Year (January 14th or 15th), the end of the Japanese New Year season.[21] [41] [42]

See also

Further reading

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Okada . Yoshiyuki . Shinsatsu, Mamorifuda . Encyclopedia of Shinto . Kokugakuin University . 2020-05-23 . 2020-10-25 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201025231753/http://eos.kokugakuin.ac.jp/modules/xwords/entry.php?entryID=291 . live .
  2. Book: Wen . Benebell . The Tao of Craft: Fu Talismans and Casting Sigils in the Eastern Esoteric Tradition . 2016 . North Atlantic Books . 978-1623170677 . 55.
  3. Book: Hida, Hirofumi (火田博文) . 日本人が知らない神社の秘密 (Nihonjin ga shiranai jinja no himitsu) . 2017 . Saizusha . 22 . 2020-05-23 . 2022-04-07 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220407160718/https://books.google.com/books?id=bLlODwAAQBAJ&pg=PT22 . live .
  4. Book: Mitsuhashi, Takeshi (三橋健) . 神社の由来がわかる小事典 (Jinja no yurai ga wakaru kojiten) . 2007 . PHP Kenkyūsho . 115 . 9784569693965 . 2020-05-23 . 2022-05-05 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220505073707/https://books.google.com/books?id=486cBj1YNnYC&pg=PT115 . live .
  5. Book: Chijiwa, Itaru (千々和到) . 日本の護符文化 (Nihon no gofu bunka) . 2010 . Kōbundō . 33–34.
  6. Book: Machida City Museum of Graphic Arts . 大和路の仏教版画―中世・勧進・結縁・供養 (Yamatoji no bukkyō hanga: chūsei, kanjin, kechien, kuyō) . 1994 . Tokyo Bijutsu. 4-8087-0608-3. 4–9, 94.
  7. Web site: 熊野牛王神符 (Kumano Goō Shinpu) . Kumano Hongū Taisha Official Website . 2020-05-23 . ja . 2020-11-06 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201106090308/http://www.hongutaisha.jp/%E7%86%8A%E9%87%8E%E7%89%9B%E7%8E%8B%E7%A5%9E%E7%AC%A6/ . live .
  8. Book: Kaminishi . Ikumi . Explaining Pictures: Buddhist Propaganda And Etoki Storytelling in Japan . 2006 . University of Hawaii Press . 138–139 . 9780824826970 . 2020-05-23 . 2022-05-05 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220505073705/https://books.google.com/books?id=QAAuOkCJxHQC&pg=PA138 . live .
  9. Book: Davis . Kat . Japan's Kumano Kodo Pilgrimage: The UNESCO World Heritage trek . 2019 . Cicerone Press Limited . 9781783627486 . 2020-05-23 . 2022-05-05 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220505073716/https://books.google.com/books?id=KHeaDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT20 . live .
  10. Book: Hardacre . Helen . Shinto: A History . 2017 . Oxford University Press . 978-0-19-062171-1 . 2020-05-23 . 2022-05-05 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220505073711/https://books.google.com/books?id=_Q81DQAAQBAJ&pg=PA155 . live .
  11. Web site: Shimazu . Norifumi . Kishōmon . Encyclopedia of Shinto . Kokugakuin University . 2020-05-23 . 2020-08-05 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200805224853/http://eos.kokugakuin.ac.jp/modules/xwords/entry.php?entryID=797 . live .
  12. Book: Oyler . Elizabeth . Swords, Oaths, And Prophetic Visions: Authoring Warrior Rule in Medieval Japan . 2006 . University of Hawaii Press . 69–70 . 9780824829223 . 2020-05-23 . 2022-05-05 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220505073709/https://books.google.com/books?id=TdcFH1Wn7GEC&pg=PA69 . live .
  13. Book: Grapard . Allan G. . Mountain Mandalas: Shugendo in Kyushu . 2016 . Bloomsbury Publishing . 171–172 . 9781474249010 . 2020-10-03 . 2022-05-05 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220505073705/https://books.google.com/books?id=8DI0CwAAQBAJ&pg=PA171 . live .
  14. Web site: Nakanishi . Masayuki . Jingū taima . Encyclopedia of Shinto . Kokugakuin University . 2020-05-23 . 2020-09-22 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200922032801/http://eos.kokugakuin.ac.jp/modules/xwords/entry.php?entryID=283 . live .
  15. Web site: 神宮大麻と神宮暦 (Jingū taima to Jingu-reki) . Ise Jingu Official Website . 2020-05-23 . ja . 2020-10-10 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201010065512/https://www.isejingu.or.jp/about/jingutaima/index.html . live .
  16. Web site: 第１４章 神宮大麻・暦 . Fukushima Jinjachō Official Website . Fukushima Jinjachō . 2020-05-23 . ja . 2018-06-15 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180615124127/http://fukushima-jinjacho.or.jp/monoshiri/pc/section14.html . live .
  17. Breen . John . Resurrecting the Sacred Land of Japan: The State of Shinto in the Twenty-First Century . Japanese Journal of Religious Studies . 2010 . 37 . 2 . 295–315 . Nanzan Institute for Religion and Culture . 2020-05-23 . 2022-05-05 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220505073705/https://dl.ndl.go.jp/view/download/digidepo_9592058_po_849.pdf?contentNo=1&alternativeNo= . live .
  18. Web site: 三重）伊勢神宮で「大麻用材伐始祭」 . Asahi Shimbun Digital . 15 April 2020 . 2020-05-23 . 2020-04-27 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200427222631/https://www.asahi.com/articles/ASN4H6SBMN4HONFB002.html . live .
  19. Web site: お神札 . Ise Jingū Official Website . 2020-05-23 . 2020-10-31 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201031225908/https://www.isejingu.or.jp/visit/amulet/naiku.html . live .
  20. Web site: 教えてお伊勢さん (Oshiete O-Isesan) . Ise Jingū Official Website . 2020-05-23 . 2020-01-03 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200103202159/https://www.isejingu.or.jp/oisesan/amulet.html . dead .
  21. Web site: お神札、お守りについて (Ofuda, omamori ni tsuite) . Association of Shinto Shrines (Jinja Honchō) . 2020-05-23 . 2020-05-20 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200520171422/https://www.jinjahoncho.or.jp/omairi/osahou/omamori . live .
  22. Web site: 神棚のまつり方 . Jinja no Hiroba . 2020-05-23 . 2020-04-28 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200428095730/http://www.jinja.ne.jp/faq/faq_09.html . live .
  23. Web site: Household-shrine . Wagokoro . 2020-05-23 . 2020-07-15 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200715152747/https://en.wa-gokoro.jp/traditional-culture/kamidana/ . live .
  24. Web site: 御神札・御守・撤饌等の扱い方について . 城山八幡宮 (Shiroyama Hachiman-gū) . 2020-05-23 . ja . 2019-04-07 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190407033335/http://www.shiroyama.or.jp/jinseigirei/tessen.html . live .
  25. Web site: お守りやお札の取り扱い . ja兵庫みらい (JA Hyōgo Mirai) . 2020-05-23 . ja . 2022-07-29 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220729220115/https://www.hyogomirai.com/life/column/content.php?cid=000017 . live .
  26. Web site: Ofuda (talisman) . Green Shinto . 30 July 2011 . 2020-05-24 . 2020-05-29 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200529111307/http://www.greenshinto.com/wp/2011/07/30/ofuda/ . live .
  27. Web site: お神札（ふだ）のまつり方 (Ofuda no matsurikata). Association of Shinto Shrines (Jinja Honchō). 2020-05-23. 2020-05-21. https://web.archive.org/web/20200521134835/https://www.jinjahoncho.or.jp/omatsuri/katei/ofuda. live.
  28. Web site: お神札・神棚について . Tokyo Jinjachō . 2020-05-23 . ja . 2020-04-27 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200427141103/http://www.tokyo-jinjacho.or.jp/ofuda_kamidana/ . live .
  29. Book: Toyozaki . Yōko . 「日本の衣食住」まるごと事典 (Who Invented Natto?) . 2007 . IBC Publishing . 59–61 . 9784896846409 . 2020-05-23 . 2022-05-05 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220505073704/https://books.google.com/books?id=SsmN4jxwnfUC&pg=PA61 . live .
  30. Web site: 神棚と神拝作法について教えて下さい。 . 武蔵御嶽神社 (Musashi Mitake Jinja) . 2020-05-24 . ja . 2020-09-26 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200926000101/http://musashimitakejinja.jp/2017/12/09/question5/ . live .
  31. Web site: 神棚の祀り方と参拝方法 . 熊野ワールド【神々の宿る熊野の榊】 . 2020-05-24 . ja . 2019-10-29 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191029123810/http://www.kumanosakaki.com/sanpai.html . live .
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  41. Web site: どんど焼き . 菊名神社 (Kikuna Jinja) . 2020-05-23 . ja . 2021-03-03 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210303053729/http://www.kikunajinja.jp/gyouji/dondoyaki.html . dead .
  42. Web site: どんど焼き【どんと祭り】古いお札やお守りの処理の仕方 . 豆知識PRESS . 22 December 2019 . 2020-05-23 . ja . 2020-09-30 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200930040012/https://sk-imedia.com/dondoyaki-4401.html . live .

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