Protective rites
Omamori and ofuda renewal
The yearly return of last year's charms to the shrine, and the taking of new ones for the home and the body.
Presented by ClearTrust Customs described as customs, free to read.
An omamori is a small cloth pouch with a name of a shrine or temple, sold for protection against a specific matter, such as a safe journey, exams, health or a good marriage. An ofuda is a paper or wooden talisman set on a household altar, the kamidana, or at a door. People say they receive these from the shrine, not that they buy them, and the money is called an offering.
This is an outline of a custom, said as belief and practice. It is not instruction, it does not say that the rite works, and it is not medical advice.
What goes into it
- Omamori pouchObjectCloth pouch with a name of a shrine.
- OfudaObjectPaper or wooden talisman for the household shrine.
- KamidanaSpaceA small shelf shrine in the home.
- OfferingOfferingA donation made on receiving the charm.
- Purification fireSubstanceIn which old charms are burned.
- Prayer of thanksWordSaid as the old charm is returned.
- Object
- Space
- Offering
- Substance
- Word
Each part has an equal wedge. The ring shows what goes into the rite, not how much. Colour is the part's role.
The steps, drawn
Each drawing shows the kind of act in that step. Details differ from place to place, family to family and practitioner to practitioner.
Step 1: Gather Take last year's charms to the shrine at the new year. Step 2: Offer Place them in the box for old charms with a small donation. Step 3: Light The shrine burns them in a purification fire. Step 4: Speak Give thanks for the year's protection. Step 5: Close Receive a new charm and carry it for the coming year.
The yearly cycle
Traditionally each charm is kept for about a year and then returned, often around New Year, to the shrine or temple that issued it. There it is burned in a purification fire, called otakiage or dondo-yaki, and a new charm is taken. The contents of the pouch are not to be opened, and the belief is that its power is used up over the year.
Commerce and thought
Many charms are now tied to bags and phones, and some shrines sell charms for specific hobbies or even for online games. Shrines state that one need not be a member, but that a charm from one shrine should not be pressed on others. Scholars describe omamori as an example of how modern Japanese people combine the sacred with a light touch.
What it is for
- Protect a person or a home
- Mark the year's start
Who does it
Related entries
More on EveryJaadu
Sources and further reading
Original text and drawings by the EveryJaadu desk, written with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Closed or sacred detail is left out. If we have something wrong, tell us.
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- 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
- Omamori: Leongboy1, Public domain, source