Temple 17 Items
This Omamori from Temple 17 of the Chichibu route; its encased in plastic but the contents are clearly visible. One can see that the Omamori contains a piece of paper which has been folded many times; one can also see that black ink is on the paper, obviously signifying something written inside. The folded paper is sandwiched on both sides of two pieces of red cloth with golden lotus flower designs stitched in. It’s unclear whether or not the cloth is covering thin wooden blocks, as the plastic is sealed shut. However, the surface of the cloth is remarkably hard and stiff, thus, one can conclude that the cloth may be covering wood, covering the folded paper.
The golden locus design on the red cloth of the Omamori represents fortune. Lotus designs are very common for Buddhist imagery and patterns for the lotus has been a prominent symbol, both literal and metaphorical for many Buddhist sutras and stories. The lotus may be a symbol for rising above the realm of craving and suffering and thus achieving enlightenment, or a symbol for purifying the spirit. Regardless of the specific meaning why a lotus design was chosen for this Omamori, it’s presence nonetheless emphasizes that this Omarmori is to be used in pilgrimage, for the purpose of purifying one’s soul, improving one’s karma, and potentially achieving enlightenment.
The front of the Omamori, directly in the middle, a thin rectangular golden slip of paper with 5 Japanese characters is present. These characters translate to, “A Charm of the Heart Sutra.” This indicates that the prayer written on the folded paper contains a copy of the Heart Sutra inside. One can infer that a pilgrim carrying this Omamori would recite the Heart Sutra while praying at any arrived Buddhist temple, specifically temple 17.
Item 2: Fan
This fan is from the Japanese Anime show called Anohana. This show is about a group of former friends that try to solve the mystery of why one of their friends who died when they were younger cannot go to heaven. This anime series is set along the Chichibu Pilgrimage route, especially at Fudasho #17 (temple 17). The back of the fan translates to "We Still Don't Know the Name of the Flower We Saw That Day."
Item 3: Plaque
The same translation from the fan can be seen on the packaging of this plaque. The ornament also says that this can only be found at Chichibu. This is interesting because it shows that not only is the Chichibu route a place for pilgrims, but it is also a place that attracts anime fans of the show. The memorabilia that these two objects represents show that there is a strong following of the show in relation to Fudasho # 17 along the Chichibu route. Visitors to Fudasho #17 have increased ten times since the release of Anohana. Throughout the show there are many images that are along the Chichibu route. The Old Chichibu Bridge, the tunnel underneath, and the field of blooming flowers in Hitsujiyama park are all seen in Anohana.
Both the fan and the plaque are quite interesting because they are both very useful for pilgrims. The fan is used along pilgrimage routes during the hot summer months to keep cool and the Anohana theme lets other pilgrims know the importance the show is to the person fanning themselves with the likeness of the Super Peace Busters, the name the characters in the show give their group. The plaque is also very useful because it serves almost as a temple stamp. The Plaque can be tied to a pack to be shown as a souvenir that you have been to the place where the Super Peace Busters had many of their adventures.
Item 5: Osugata
This Osugata is a drawing or illustration (generally black and white) of the temple’s central deity. In addition to collecting hand-brushed stamps at each site along the circuit, pilgrims may also collect small paper slips depicting the central deity at each temple. Known as Osugata or Mi-ei, these illustrated paper slips cost three hundred yen each and are collected together in a pilgrimage book called an Osugata-chō. In many ways, the mi-ei (sacred pictures) that are collected along the pilgrimage circuit are similar to the Christian tradition of "holy cards."
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