O-Mamori
As Omamori ( Jap. 御守り / お守り dt. "Protection mark" or "Talisman") are referred small embroidered cloth bag. These are sold in Japan in Shinto shrines as well as in Buddhist temples and can therefore be assigned to religious practices that are widespread across the institutions in Japan . It is about the acquisition of genze-riyaku , this worldly benefits.
The contents of the bags are probably mostly paper strips with protective characters , so-called O-Fuda . The prevailing belief is that one should not open an O-Mamori and that they lose their effect after a year or on the New Year and that they should be burned in temples or shrines and new ones should be bought. The price for an O-Mamori is between 300 and 1000 yen . O-Mamori are also a popular O-Miyage (travel souvenir) in Japan , so that a firm belief in its effect does not necessarily have to be a motivation for buying them.
O-Mamori are available for every imaginable situation in life, health, old age, love, happy marriage, complication-free pregnancy, passing exams and accident-free driving are the usual ones. Temples and shrines with special themes also sell special O-Mamori, so there are talismans for travel or the success of your own baseball team. The Taga Shrine ( 多 賀 神社 , Taga-jinja ) in Uwajima (in Shikoku) sells O-Mamori, which are said to increase sexual potency. This O-Mamori contains a small golden penis instead of an O-Fuda.
O-Mamori also sell non-religious tourist attractions, so in Iwakuni you can buy a bag with a piece of the discarded skin of an albino snake. This lucky charm promises success in business.
Other items sold in religious institutions in Japan that are related to the genze-riyaku system and general Japanese religion include: B. O-Mikuji , Ema , O-Fuda , Daruma and Engimono .
literature
- Ian Reader and George J. Tanabe, Jr .: Practically Religious. Worldly Benefits and the Common Religion of Japan . University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu 1998
- Swanger, ER, Takayama, KP (1981) "A Preliminary Examination of the 'Omamori' Phenomenon". Asian Folklore Studies, 40 (20), p. 237-252