In their book Practically Religious, Ian Reader and George Tanabe write that small, protective amulets, called “omamori,” are “‘[s]acralized by religious rituals that transform them into busshin (spiritual offshoots) or kesshin (manifestations) of the deity, they are physical objects that contain the spritual essence and powers of a deity or buddha’” (46). Moreover, these deities have transient power which works to benefit the wearer. In analysis of Reader’s text, the author of Understanding Religion remarks that “[s]piritual offshoots is a feature of Shinto religion, but Reader and Tanabe discuss the notion of migawari omamori (身代わりお守り, substituting
for the bearer, taking on the bad fortune themselves in the context of Buddhist amulets too. There are many stories of Jizō Bodhisattvafor instance taking the place of someone in order to protect them from harm, both in antiquity and even contemporary life”. Kannon, as well as Jizō, has the power to benefit others through migawari omamori.

Jizo

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