Omikuji

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In Kamigamo Shrine available Omikuji. The box labeled 200 is for payment, the brass-studded wooden box contains instructions as to which omikuji to draw from those on the shelf on the left.

Omikuji ( Jap. 御御籤 , 御神籤 or おみくじ , translated as "lottery oracle" O- is a Honorativpräfix , hence sometimes Mikuji ) are strips of paper on which divination written and in shrines Shinto and Buddhist temples can be found in Japan .

Omikuji is usually obtained by shaking a randomly chosen box from among many and wishing a certain fate or just luck. The omikuji falls curled up from a small hole in the box. There are, however, other methods of obtaining omikuji, and there are even some machines for omikuji.

If you unroll the omikuji, the respective divination becomes visible. This can be, for example, one of the following: great happiness ( 大吉 , dai-kichi ), medium happiness ( 中 吉 , chū-kichi ), small happiness ( 小 吉 , shō-kichi ), happiness (kichi, 吉 ), half happiness ( 半吉 , han-kichi ), near-luck ( 末 吉 , sue-kichi ), almost-little luck ( 末 小 吉 , sue-shō-kichi ), bad luck ( 凶 , kyō ), little bad luck ( 小 凶 , shō-kyō ) , Half bad luck ( 半 凶 , han-kyō ), almost bad luck ( 末 凶 , sue-kyō ), big bad luck ( 大 凶 , dai-kyō ).

Omikuji divination can be applied and interpreted to any aspect of life such as physical health, professional success, or partnership issues. If the prediction is poor, the custom is to fold the omikuji and tie it to a jaw that is in the immediate vicinity of the temple or shrine where the omikuji was obtained. One possible explanation for this custom is that the Japanese words pine ( 松 matsu ) and for wait ( 待 つ matsu ) are homophones and thus express the idea that from then on misfortune lingers on the tree instead of clinging to the person. However, if the omikuji predicts good, it is usually retained.

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