Ofuda



In Shinto and Buddhism in Japan, an ofuda (お札/御札) is a talisman made out of various materials such as paper, wood, cloth or metal. are commonly found in both Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples and are considered to be imbued with the power of the deities or Buddhist figures revered therein. Such amulets are also called gofu (護符).

Certain kinds of are intended for a specific purpose (such as protection against calamity or misfortune, safety within the home, or finding love) and may be kept on one's person or placed on other areas of the home (such as gates, doorways, kitchens, or ceilings). Paper may also be referred to as kamifuda (紙札), while those made of wood may be called kifuda (木札). , another kind of Japanese amulet, shares the same origin as and may be considered as a smaller, portable version of.

A specific type of is a talisman issued by a Shinto shrine on which is written the name of the shrine or its enshrined  and stamped with the shrine's seal. Such, also called shinsatsu (神札), go-shinsatsu (御神札) or shinpu (神符), are often placed on household Shinto altars and revered both as a symbol of the shrine and its deity (or deities) – containing the 's essence or power by virtue of its consecration – and a medium through which the  in question can be accessed by the worshiper. In this regard they are somewhat similar to (but not the same as), physical objects which serve as repositories for in Shinto shrines.

In a similar vein, Buddhist are regarded as imbued with the spirit and the virtue of buddhas, bodhisattvas, or other revered figures of the Buddhist pantheon, essentially functioning in many cases as a more economic alternative to Buddhist icons and statuary.

History
The origins of Shinto and Buddhist may be traced from both the Taoist, introduced to Japan via Onmyōdō (which adopted elements of Taoism), and woodblock prints of Buddhist texts and images produced by temples since the Nara and Heian periods. During the medieval period, the three shrines of Kumano in Wakayama Prefecture were particularly famous for their paper talisman, the 'Kumano Ox King Talisman' (熊野牛王符), also known as the Goōhōin (牛王宝印), which were stamped on one side with intricate designs of stylized crows. At the time, these and similar were often employed in oath taking and contract drafting, with the terms of the oath or agreement being written on the blank side of the sheet.

The currently found in most Shinto shrines meanwhile are modeled after the talisman issued by the Grand Shrines of Ise (Ise Jingū) called Jingū Taima (神宮大麻). were originally purification wands (祓串) that wandering preachers associated with the shrines of Ise (御師) handed out to devotees across the country as a sign and guarantee that prayers were conducted on their behalf. These wands, called Oharai Taima (御祓大麻), were contained either in packets of folded paper – in which case they are called kenharai (剣祓) (also ), due to the packet's shape resembling a sword blade (剣) – or in boxes called oharaibako (御祓箱). The widespread distribution of first began in the Muromachi period and reached its peak in the Edo period: a document dating from 1777 (An'ei 6) indicates that eighty-nine to ninety percent of all households in the country at the time owned an Ise talisman.

In 1871, an imperial decree abolished the and allotted the production and distribution of the amulets, now renamed, to the shrine's administrative offices. It was around this time that the talisman's most widely known form – a wooden tablet containing a sliver of cedar wood known as "sacred core" (御真) wrapped in paper on which is printed the shrine's name (Tenshō Kōtai Jingū (天照皇大神宮)) and stamped with the seals of the shrine (Kōtai Jingū Gyoji (皇大神宮御璽)) and its high priest (Daijingūji no In (大神宮司之印)) – developed. In 1900, a new department, the Department of Priests (神部署), took over production and distribution duties. The distribution of was eventually delegated to the National Association of Shinto Priests (全国神職会) in 1927 and finally to its successor, the Association of Shinto Shrines, after World War II. The Association nowadays continues to disseminate to affiliated shrines throughout Japan, where they are made available alongside the shrines' own amulets.

Varieties and usage


come in a variety of forms. Some are slips or sheets of paper, others like the are thin rectangular plaques (kakubarai/kakuharai (角祓)) enclosed in an envelope-like casing (which may further be covered in translucent wrapping paper), while still others are wooden tablets  which may be smaller or larger than regular. Some shrines distribute, which consists of a sliver of wood placed inside a fold of paper. The issued by the shrines of Ise before the Meiji period were usually in the form of ; while the  variety is currently more widespread,  of the  type are still distributed in Ise Shrine.



and are available year round in many shrines and temples, especially in larger ones with a permanent staff. As these items are sacred, they are technically not 'bought' but rather 'received' (授かる) or ukeru (受ける), with the money paid in exchange for them being considered to be a donation or offering (初穂料). One may also receive a wooden talisman called a kitōfuda (祈祷札) after having formal prayers or rituals (kitō (祈祷)) performed on one's behalf in these places of worship.

Shinto
such as are enshrined in a household altar  or a special stand ; in the absence of one, they may be placed upright in a clean and tidy space above eye level or attached to a wall. and the that house them are set up facing east (where the sun rises), south (the principal direction of sunshine), or southeast.

The Association of Shinto Shrines recommends that a household own at least three kinds of :


 * 1) The of the tutelary deity of one's place of residence
 * 2) The of a shrine one is personally devoted to sūkei jinja (崇敬神社)
 * 1) The of a shrine one is personally devoted to sūkei jinja (崇敬神社)

In a 'three-door' style (三社造) altar, the is placed in the middle, with the  of one's local  on its left (observer's right) and the  of one's favourite shrine on its right (observer's left). Alternatively, in a 'one-door' style (一社造), the three talismans are laid on top of one another, with the on the front. One may own more ; these are placed on either side of or behind the aforementioned three. Regular (preferably daily) worship before the or  and offerings of rice, salt, water, and/or  to the  (with additional foodstuffs being offered on special occasions) are recommended. The manner of worship is similar to those performed in shrines: two bows, two claps, and a final bow, though a prayer – also preceded by two bows – may be recited before this.



Other are placed in other parts of the house. For instance, of patron deities of the hearth – Sanbō-Kōjin in Buddhism, Kamado-Mihashira-no-Kami (the 'Three Deities of the Hearth': Kagutsuchi, Okitsuhiko and Okitsuhime) in Shinto  – are placed in the kitchen. In toilets, a talisman of the Buddhist wrathful deity Ucchuṣma (Ususama Myōō), who is believed to purify the unclean, may be installed. Protective such as 'Horned Great Master' (角大師), a depiction of the Tendai monk Ryōgen in the form of a yaksha or an   are placed on doorways or entrances.

Japanese spirituality lays great importance on purity and pristineness (lit. 'eternal youth' (常若)), especially of things related to the divine. It is for this reason that periodic (usually annual) replacement of and  are encouraged. It is customary to obtain new before the end of the year at the earliest or during the New Year season, though (as with ) one may purchase one at other times of the year as well. While ideally, old and  are to be returned to the shrine or temple where they were obtained as a form of thanksgiving, most Shinto shrines in practice accept talismans from other shrines. (Buddhist are however not accepted in many shrines and vice versa.) Old  and  are burned in a ceremony known either as Sagichō (左義長) or Dondoyaki (どんど焼き), also  or ) held during the Little New Year (January 14th or 15th), the end of the Japanese New Year season.

Kifuda (木札) are made out of wood with characters carved, written, or printed directly on them.