 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (June 2008) |
 |
| Votive talismans designed for the home |
|---|
| Ofuda, and Jingū taima when from Ise Jingu |
| Votive paper slips applied to the gates of shrines |
| Senjafuda |
| Amulets sold at shrines for luck and protection |
| Omamori |
| Wooden plaques representing prayers and wishes |
| Ema |
| Paper fortunes received by making a small offering |
| O-mikuji |
| Stamps collected at shrines |
| Shuin |
Omikuji (御御籤/御神籤/おみくじ)[1] are random fortunes written on strips of paper at Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples in Japan. Literally "sacred lot", these are usually received by making a small offering and randomly choosing one from a box, hoping for the resulting fortune to be good. As of 2011[update], vending machines sometimes dispense omikuji.[citation needed]
The omikuji predicts the person's chances of their hopes coming true, of finding a good match, or generally matters of health, fortune, life, etc. When the prediction is bad, it is a custom to fold up the strip of paper and attach it to a pine tree or a wall of metal wires alongside other bad fortunes in the temple or shrine grounds. A purported reason for this custom is a pun on the word for pine tree (松, matsu) and the verb 'to wait' (待つ, matsu), the idea being that the bad luck will wait by the tree rather than attach itself to the bearer. In the event of the fortune being good, the bearer has two options: they can also tie it to the tree or wires so that the fortune has a greater effect or they can keep it for luck. Omikuji are available at many shrines and temples, and remain one of the traditional activities related to shrine or temple-going.
A similar custom of writing a prayer on a specially-prepared wooden block called an ema, which is then tied to an ad hoc scaffold, also exists.
- ^ Basic Terms of Shinto, Kokugakuin University, Institute for Japanese Culture and Classics, Tokyo 1984