Look what I just bought! [View all]

Its called an Omamori. This one has the Asahina kamon (Family symbol) on it. What is an Omamori?


Understanding Omamori


These are small amulets you get in both Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples called omamori, which are for protection. In Tanabe’s and Reader’s excellent book, Practically Religious, they describe omamori this way:

Omamori are amulets that represent manifestations of a spiritual entity such as a god or buddha….These amulets normally consist of a prayer or some form of religious inscription, invocation, or sacred text placed in a brocade bag or similar container and carried on the person. Sacralized by religious rituals that transform them into busshin (spiritual offshoots) or kesshin (manifestations) of the deity, they are physical objects that contain the spiritual essence and powers of a deity or buddha. (pg. 46)

The notion of spiritual offshoots is a feature of Shinto religion, but Reader and Tanabe talk about the notion of migawari omamori , substituting for the bearer, taking on the bad fortune themselves) in the context of Buddhist amulets too. There are many stories of Jizo Bodhisattva for instance taking the place of someone in order to protect them from harm, both in antiquity and even contemporary life.

Anyway, omamori come in various sizes, styles, and for different types of protection: health, passing exams, safe childbirth, love, traffic safety and general protection. It’s very common to pick up one at a famous temple or shrine if you visit, and as you can see, I’ve picked up a few. These are not all the Omamori in our home, but the ones I could readily find:

more...http://jkllr.net/2011/04/14/omamori/