“What the intellect must accept as inevitable, the story—together with its token, the omamori, and its drama, the festival—protects against. What rational intelligence deems inescapable is transported by the fonction fabulatrice into hope. Fear changes into trust. Uncertainty is softened by promise. Thus, the story and its token enrich and give meaning to the totality of life" (Swagner).

Omamori, or spiritual efficacious amulets, have historically been an important piece of Japanese material and spiritual culture. The word omamori itself means protection, and through the power of kami and bodhisattvas, they are thought to act in this regard. These amulets connect the past history of Japanese religious and cultural traditions to modern day traditions while serving as symbols of a surviving religious presence and Buddhist belief system.

Omamori, which can be purchased at the majority of Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines throughout Japan, represent the power of spiritual divinities and the distribution of such power for this-worldly benefits. Omamori can be found at both Buddhist temples and shrines. They are the “conduits through which the sacred power of life flows to human beings”, yet they also masquerade (Swanger). Omamori are “a certain thing found in the natural world presenting itself as if on a supernatural plane, yet it is actually a natural presence" (Swanger). It is thought that kami and bodhisattvas inhabit these omamori, providing protection and fulfilling desires for those in their proximity. The amulets contain impermanent sources of power which can affect the natural world at various times and under various circumstances. Omamori are considered preventative measures, preventing danger and opening one up to good fortune. The main sort of protection is migawari  in which the bodhisattva switches his body for a human’s, thereby absorbing dangerous forces and protecting the human. For this reason, omamori, along with fuda, represent one of the more popular items to purchase during temple visits, evolving to maintain their relevance in today’s world. Children, students, and adults alike continue to use omamori in their religious practice and daily lives.

The site at which one purchases an omamori is significant in that the amulets are both a symbol of one’s pilgrimage travel as well as a display of what one wishes to spiritually obtain from a pilgrimage. In order for a temple to provide spiritually valuable omamori, the sacred space must a) have a powerful gohonzon (Buddhist image), b) have a strong engi (temple origin story centering on miraculous images), and c) be in an auspicious location. Based upon the gohonzon, the temple has certain omamori which are more spiritually efficacious than others, and if the omamori themselves have  engi, they are even more powerful. Although omamori are considered spiritual good luck tokens, the Japanese understand that the mere act of acquiring amulets is not enough to release the bodhisattva power. “Omamori is a token of numinal presence and assistance which requires the complete and sincere effort of the person possessing it” (Swanger). It is necessary for an individual to contribute effort, to fulfill religious devotion, prior to experiencing the benefits of an omamori.

Physically, these amulets traditionally consist of a prayer written on wood or paper wrapped in a cloth bag. The bags are tied closed using special knots. Approximately half of omamori are in the form of talismans- a prayer or temple name written or a show image in paper, wood, or silk. Omamori ought to be treated with utmost respect, and there are specific rules as to how one should care for the amulet.

In our project, we created omamori from the North Country Garden site.  We chose to focus these omamori on providing general good fortune from Kannon. Our internal fuda block is marked with “North Country Buddha” and Kannon’s seed symbol, while the outer bag is made from Japanese silk. Our bags are closed with a Japanese Omamori Tassel Knot and decorated with beads. The process of making these omamori was both cathartic and educationally inspiring, and we are very pleased with our final products.

Literature Cited for omamori home page and all linked pages.