Shinto and Taoist: magic in this belief world
Ofuda and omamori, fu talismans, onmyodo, and the rites of temples and mountains.
Shinto and Taoism are two major East Asian religions, and both include rites that outsiders may label magic. Shinto shrines sell omamori and perform purification, and Taoist priests make fu talismans and perform rites for the living and the dead. Related practices include onmyodo in Japan and feng shui and divination in China. This page covers how these traditions work and how states have treated them. They differ greatly: Shinto is tied to place and community, while Taoism offers both a philosophy and an organised priesthood.
Shinto rites
Shinto centres on kami, the spirits and powers of places and ancestors, and on purification (harae). Shrines offer omamori, ofuda and fortune slips called omikuji, and priests perform rites for new cars, buildings and births. Many Japanese take part without describing themselves as believers, and the rites are woven into the calendar. Ordinary visitors buy a charm for a particular aim, such as safe childbirth, exam success or traffic safety, and may return it to the shrine after a year.
Taoist ritual and talismans
Taoism includes philosophy, monastic practice and a priestly tradition of liturgy and exorcism. Priests of lineages such as Zhengyi write fu, written talismans, and perform rites for protection and the dead. The I Ching and feng shui are also linked with Taoist thought, though they have separate histories. Several Chinese dynasties licensed Taoist priests and also tried to control them. Taoist masters have trained in lineages that run for many generations, and some rites are reserved for the ordained and not for the public.
Onmyodo and the state
Onmyodo, a Japanese system of divination and calendar-keeping drawn from Chinese yin-yang thought, served the imperial court. The famed Abe no Seimei lived in the Heian period. The Meiji government abolished the official onmyodo bureau in 1870 and separated Shinto from Buddhism, which reshaped practice. In China, Taoist temples were closed during the Cultural Revolution and have partly revived. Women have long served as shrine maidens in Shinto and as priests in several Taoist lineages, though the top posts are mostly held by men.
Commerce and the West
Feng shui and fortune-telling are large industries in Hong Kong, Taiwan and the diaspora, and Japanese lucky charms are bought by tourists. Scholars debate the line between religion and superstition, a distinction introduced in Asia by modern states in the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Practitioners tend to describe what they do as ritual service to the community. Taiwanese and Hong Kong temples and Japanese shrines are visited by large numbers of people, and communities overseas have built new shrines and temples.
Shinto and Taoist on EveryJaadu
The entries written up so far, best known first.
🇪🇬 Egypt and 3 moreAmulet
A portable object worn or carried to ward off harm and invite fortuneCharm · Protection · Luck and prosperity Living
🇮🇳 India and 5 moreMandalaमण्डल
A sacred geometric design used in Indian religions for meditation and spiritual mapping.Tradition · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Wonder and entertainment Living
🇯🇵 JapanTsukumogami付喪神
Household objects that gain a spirit after reaching their hundredth year in Japanese folklore.Being · Cursing and harm Historical
🇯🇵 JapanShikigami式神
A conjured spirit from Japanese Onmyōdō, often bound to paper or animal form.Being · Power and authority · Cursing and harm Historical
🇯🇵 JapanŌkuninushi大国主神
A Japanese kami of the earth, nation-building, and protective magic.Being · Protection · Healing Living
🇯🇵 JapanYōkai妖怪
A vast class of supernatural spirits and entities in Japanese folkloreBeing · Cursing and harm · Luck and prosperity Historical
🇨🇳 ChinaLan Caihe藍采和
An ambiguous Taoist immortal known for a flower basket and wandering songsBeing · Wonder and entertainment Legendary
🇨🇳 China and 1 moreFeng Shan封禪
An imperial rite performed at Mount Tai to honor heaven and earth and confirm the mandate of rule.Rite · Power and authority · Speaking with spirits and the dead Historical
🇬🇷 Greece and 3 morePyromancy
Divination by reading flames, smoke, or fire-heated objectsOracle · Seeing and foretelling Historical
🇯🇵 JapanAbe no Seimei安倍 晴明
A historical court official turned legendary Japanese onmyōji and folk heroFigure · Protection · Seeing and foretelling Legendary
🇯🇵 JapanShinto shrine神社 (jinja)
A structure housing kami deities within the Shinto tradition of JapanTradition · Protection · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
🇯🇵 JapanItakoイタコ
Blind women in Japan who train to channel spirits and communicate with the dead.Tradition · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Seeing and foretelling Fading
🇨🇳 China and 1 moreAncestor veneration in China中國傳統宗法性宗教
Rites for dead kin who are thought to watch over the familyTradition · Protection · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
🇸🇩 Sudan and 5 moreIncense
Aromatic plant materials burned to release fragrant smoke for ritual, scent, or timekeeping.Substance · Protection · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
🇯🇵 Japan and 1 moreMisogi禊
A Shinto rite of full-body purification using cold waterRite · Cleansing and purification · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
🇨🇳 China and 3 moreQilin麒麟
A legendary chimerical creature from Chinese mythology that signals the arrival or death of a sage.Being · Power and authority Legendary
🇯🇵 JapanOmamori御守/お守り
Japanese amulets from shrines and temples for luck and protectionCharm · Protection · Luck and prosperity Living
🇨🇳 China and 1 moreFulu符籙
Taoist talismans with cryptic symbols used for healing and protectionCharm · Healing · Protection Living
🇨🇳 ChinaZhang Guolao张果老
A Taoist immortal known for his white donkey and fish drum, said to be a bat spirit.Figure · Protection · Luck and prosperity Legendary
🇨🇳 China and 1 moreMoon blocks筊杯
Two crescent blocks thrown to a deity for a yes or noOracle · Seeing and foretelling Living
🇯🇵 JapanKagura神楽
A Shinto ritual dance where performers embody deities to purify and welcome spiritsTradition · Protection · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
🇯🇵 JapanSetsubun節分
A Japanese seasonal rite to drive away bad luck and welcome spring with roasted beansRite · Protection · Luck and prosperity Living
🇯🇵 JapanShugendō修験道
A Japanese mountain ascetic path blending Esoteric Buddhism, Shinto, and folk ritualsTradition · Protection · Healing Living
🇯🇵 JapanOfudaお札/御札 (ofuda)
Paper and wooden talismans from Japanese Shinto shrines and Buddhist templesCharm · Protection · Cleansing and purification Living
🇯🇵 JapanKitsunetsuki狐憑き
A Japanese folk belief in which a fox spirit enters and controls a human host.Belief · Cursing and harm · Speaking with spirits and the dead Historical
🇮🇳 India and 5 moreAncestor worship
Rites of respect for the dead that maintain family bonds and seek spiritual guidanceTradition · Protection · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
🇨🇳 ChinaNeidan内丹
A Taoist practice using the body as a cauldron to refine inner energies for longevity and immortalityTradition · Healing · Power and authority Living
🇨🇳 ChinaWaidan外丹
An early Chinese alchemical practice focused on compounding mineral elixirs for immortalityTradition Historical
🇨🇳 ChinaChen Tuan陳摶
A Chinese Taoist sage known for internal arts and sleep cultivation methodsFigure · Healing · Power and authority Historical
🇨🇳 ChinaHe Xiangu何仙姑
A female immortal from Chinese Taoist legend known for divination and lotus magicFigure · Seeing and foretelling · Healing Legendary
🇯🇵 JapanYutaユタ
Okinawan folk shamans who guide families through spirits and fortune-tellingTradition · Protection · Healing Living
🇯🇵 JapanKodama木霊
A tree spirit in Japanese folklore that brings misfortune if the host tree is harmedBeing · Cursing and harm Living
🇨🇳 China and 1 moreJiangshi殭屍
A Chinese corpse said to rise and hop, feared for its strengthBeing · Cursing and harm Legendary
🇯🇵 JapanOnmyōdō陰陽道
A Japanese system of divination and calendar science rooted in yin-yang philosophyTradition · Seeing and foretelling · Protection Revived
🇯🇵 JapanOmikujiおみくじ
Paper fortunes drawn at Japanese shrines and temples to reveal luck and life adviceOracle · Seeing and foretelling · Luck and prosperity Living
🇯🇵 Japan and 2 moreTanabataたなばた (七夕)
A Japanese celebration of star-crossed lovers and written wishesTradition · Luck and prosperity · Wonder and entertainment Living
🇯🇵 JapanKami神
Spirits and deities of Shinto, found in nature, ancestors, and placesBeing · Protection · Luck and prosperity Living
🇯🇵 JapanTorii鳥居
A traditional Japanese gate marking the boundary between the mundane and sacred spaces of Shinto shrines.Tradition · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Protection Living
🇯🇵 JapanKuda-gitsune管狐 (kuda-gitsune)
A small spirit kept in a tube or sleeve to aid fortune-telling and cursing in Japanese folklore.Being · Seeing and foretelling · Cursing and harm Legendary
🇯🇵 Japan and 3 moreManeki-neko招き猫
A Japanese figurine of a beckoning cat believed to bring luck and prosperityCharm · Luck and prosperity · Protection Living
🇯🇵 JapanEn no Gyōja役小角
A legendary Japanese ascetic and founder of Shugendō mountain practiceFigure · Power and authority · Protection Historical
🇨🇳 China and 3 moreZi Wei Dou Shu紫微斗數
A Chinese natal astrology system mapping stars across twelve life palacesTradition · Seeing and foretelling Living
🇨🇳 ChinaNüwa女媧
A Chinese mother goddess who created humanity and repaired the skyFigure · Wonder and entertainment Legendary
🇨🇳 China and 3 moreQi氣 / 气
A vital force in Chinese philosophy and medicine, believed to flow through all living things.Substance · Healing · Power and authority Living
🇯🇵 JapanMiko巫女
A Shinto shrine priestess and traditional female medium in JapanTradition · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Protection Living
🇯🇵 JapanTengu天狗
Japanese mountain spirits that evolved from ominous birds into protective forest guardians.Being · Cursing and harm · Protection Legendary
🇯🇵 Japan and 2 moreTamamo-no-Mae玉藻前
A nine-tailed fox spirit from Japanese legend who possessed emperors and concubines across Asia.Figure · Cursing and harm · Power and authority Legendary
🇯🇵 JapanKitsuneきつね
A Japanese fox spirit known for shapeshifting and trickeryBeing · Cursing and harm · Protection Legendary
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Lan Caihe: Internet Archive Book Images, No restrictions, source
- Gazu Hyakki Yagyō: Toriyama Sekien, Public domain, source
- Amulet: Anonymous ( Egypt ) Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Incense: nakimusi, CC BY 2.0, source
- Onmyōdō: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Omikuji: C121749n, Public domain, source
- Fulu: Youle26, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Zhang Guolao: Hong Zicheng, Public domain, source
- Moon blocks: Hsiung/d6478coke, CC BY 2.0, source
- Curse: Katsushika Hokusai, Public domain, source
- Setsubun: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Ofuda: 教派研究 (Sectarian research), CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Shinto shrine: No machine-readable author provided. Fg2 assumed (based on copyright c, Public domain, source
- Ancestor worship: Lyn Gateley, CC BY 2.0, source
- Neidan: A16898, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Waidan: 尹真人, Public domain, source
- He Xiangu: Zhang Lu, Public domain, source
- Tsukumogami: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Jiangshi: Dick Thomas Johnson, CC BY 2.0, source
- Tanabata: Laika ac, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Kami: Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Torii: JordyMeow, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Maneki-neko: Su--May, CC BY 2.0, source
- En no Gyōja: Wmpearl, CC0, source
- Nüwa: 山胖z, CC BY 3.0, source
- Miko: Chris Gladis, Flickr user MShades, CC BY 2.0, source
- Shugendō: 唐山健志郎 (Kenshiro Karayama), CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Kitsune: Yoshitoshi, Public domain, source
- Kagura: Elstner Hilton, Public domain, source
- Ancestor veneration in China: Three huntings, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Yōkai: Kyosai Kawanabe (河鍋 暁斎), Public domain, source
- Omamori: Leongboy1, Public domain, source
- Feng Shan: Rolf Müller ( User:Rolfmueller ), CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Ōkuninushi: Yashima Gakutei, CC0, source
- Itako: User Geomr~commonswiki self upload, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Qilin: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Misogi: Ds13 at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Mandala: Marion Golsteijn, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Tamamo-no-Mae: ウィキ太郎 Wiki Taro, Public domain, source