Hatsumode | Japanese Shrine at New Years: praying, Omikuji, and piles of discarded Omamori amulets?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 27 ม.ค. 2021
- In this video I visited Nichizengu shrine in Wakayama prefecture for New Years. The first shrine or temple visit of the new year is called "Hatsumode" in Japanese. It is a time of year where many people come to pray and hope for a better year.
One thing you will find at any shrine are "Omamori", or amulets that you can buy that serve all sorts of purposes. What I want to draw attention to in this video, as shown by the thumbnail is the sheer amount of trash that results from people who discard amulets every year. Why do they do this? You'll have to watch to find out!
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#omamori #shrines #temples #Japaneseshrines #japanesetemples #Nichizengu #amulets #Japaneseamulets #shinto
It is not a con. I would be interested in having an in-depth discussion about this.
Thank you for your comment! I think a conversation about this would be very interesting. The nice thing is I consider myself on both sides of the coin in the sense that if these amulets had real power you wouldn't need a new one every year. The other side of course being a traditional aspect and one that supports Buddhist or Shinto culture. Currently I have so many Omamori that it's like the tree in " The Witcher's" hideout with all the medallions hanging from it.
What this video is sorely lacking though are opinions from viewers on how they feel about the issue. Please feel free to share whatever facts or opinions you like!
@@MyRadicalKanjiWorld Thank you for agreeing to have a discussion with me.
I have thoroughly watched your video, I appreciate and value what you have expressed.
I think that Omamori are very valuable. I personally do not intend to ever get rid of them. It appears that you feel the same way. It's true that over time there will be a massive amount, enough to form a collection or put them on a tree. Over the years, so many Omamori can become overwhelming in your residence.
Given how valuable Omamori are to me, they are precious embodiments of my relationship with the countless Kami I pray to. I remember their blessing, and I wish to keep them forever, as much as humanly possible. They have served as active objects of worship before becoming cherished artifacts from which I hope to never part. I view my Omamori(s) as significant objects, each reminding me of the spiritual journey I went through in Shinto religion.
It is impossible to prove (unfortunately) that these amulets lose or even ever contain their powers at all, but from my personal experience, they do. There are people who return them, some who keep them, I even heard of people dumping or burning them, which I think is a disrespect to one's relationship with the Kami they prayed to.
In a scenario where they do not work: It is a con, people are lied to, the blessings are a perfect example of a placebo effect, it creates pollution and seemingly only works to generate revenue by preying on the naïve. Your video expresses that and many other concerns, which is very valuable and also why I shared this video with other Shintoist online. We talked about your video and had a great discussion.
in my personal reality:
In my reality, these amulets become symbolic of one's journey and progress, they are mementos and precious objects with which the Kami has given you one year of their attention to provide you with a blessing. The Omamori physically represents one's connection to Shintoism, just as a cross does for Christians.
I do believe these blessings are real, this is solely based on personal experiences, perhaps I may have been one in a billion, but given the reality which I have experienced, I am grateful for the blessings I am given.
In conclusion:
I absolutely do not believe that they ever lose their power. I sincerely believe that it is just a way to get people to go back and buy them again, which may (or may not) help fund the Shinto shrines in the economy of modern Japan.
I absolutely believe that they work, and I do not mind purchasing one or two once a year to continue my own interpretation of this wonderful journey I have with the Kami and Shintoism in general. I am currently saving to have my own Kamidana in my house, and my Omamori amulets are a huge contributing factor to the worship done on a physical level.
I do not expect every Shintoist to be as immersed (more or less) than I am to feel the same way.
Omamori amulets are worth it depending on your own reality and experience with Shintoism and how meaningful they are to you.
Your video has made me realize a few things.
1. If they expire after 1 year, does it mean the blessing no longer appears?
If so, what happened to my relation to the Kami? I am being left behind for not having a renewed Omamori? This is rather strange, and does indeed feel like a con. It's almost as if we are in a hostage situation, having to buy at least one new Omamori every year. It feels industrialized rather than spiritual at this point.
2. Why would the Kami lose its power after one year? What could possibly happen? Do they lose their power everywhere else after 1 year?
A big part of the way Omamoris are commercialized is a con, and your video has opened my eyes on the subject. All in all, if you are a Shintoist, you should always be able to feel a connection to the Kami, and pray for your blessing(s) no matter how long it has been. To claim they expire is a big con, to commercialize them so is also wrong.
I believe you have a valid point, and I believe your intentions to be helpful are very clear. I believe the first Omamori you buy should be good for life, and it is the person's decision as to whether or not they want to welcome any other amulets in their life, or if these are enough and symbolic to the point of keeping them just as valuable, forever.
Thank you so much!
I really appreciate the time and effort you put into your comment. Thank you very much for that! You really looked at this from a lot of angles.
I am of a similar mindset in that it the power of an omamori should be for life. A couple years ago my wife paid about 6,000 yen for "Yakubarai" which is a ceremony in which you receive a blessing from a Shinto priest and Shrine maiden and that is supposed to keep you safe from ailments...for only one year (I was actually witness to this and the funny thing was that I suck at the Seiza sitting posture with my fat legs and while I was in the corner I struggled so badly with keeping the posture that the priest kind of broke character and smiled. But anyway, 6,000 for only one year. And people are supposed to bring children as well to the shrine at ages 1, 3, and 5 I believe and maybe it's the same blessing. I don't know but it isn't cheap and it is temporary.
What is interesting is thinking from a Lutheran perspective (which is how I was raised) the Catholic church hundreds of years ago sold indulgences which were these little slips of paper that said if you buy them you would go to heaven. It really opens the door to the question of whether an object has the ability to affect your personal relationship with the god or gods you choose to believe in. I also wonder about how many people would be de-incentivized to go to the shrine if suddenly omamori were good for life.
Ultimately my feeling is that it all comes down to faith. This is why I never had any intention of telling you that you are wrong in any way for how you feel. Your feelings are about your relationship with the kami, just as mine, as a Christian are with God and Jesus Christ.
I think its a pro because the people feel like they're get "luck"(I'm assuming) and these temple stay up and running preserving their history (so tourist like me can see them).
I wonder if it would be better if the community just came together and preserved the temples, but maybe when tourists come they need to pay. I'm assuming that is how these temples were maintained before tourists, and it's also community building. But it may just be easier to collect money and pay some worker to do it.
What's really interesting to me is when I try to compare it with Christianity. People give money to the church, which goes to the priest, maintenance and church operations. So when I thought of that it made me think that the amulets were very similar in that regard as someone has been maintaining these shrines and temples for decades or hundreds of years, and that money has to come from somewhere!
@@Pixics Somehow, I feel like communities are becoming less enchanted with their own shrines over time. New Years or a town festival might be when the most activity happens, but other than that I think it's mostly quiet.
Btw, you mentioned you had wanted to see more of my local area. This shrine is very local and a short drive from Wakayama station.
I think it would be nice if they (devotees ) keep their Omamori or Charms with them at home and it's up to them to burn it , also -wish the efficacy of the said charm would be longer than 1 year.
*Instead of burning them, for me it would be best to keep it as a souvenir, not only to save a penny but least we're saving the Raw Materials used in these charms and promote Recycling.
Thanks so much for your comment!
Now don't quote me on this, but it may be culturally acceptable to burn them yourself without returning them to the shrine, provided you do something like sprinkling it with salt.
And exactly to your point, I 100% agree that if they have power for a year they should have power for a lifetime. And also that they are best kept as souvenirs.
Have you seen the Witcher? In their stronghold they have a tree with medallions dangling from it with each one representing a fallen warrior. I kind of want a small fake tree that looks like that to hang all my omamori. Do you have a big collection of them?
Eh.. it's a bit easy to point the finger at the shrine, temple, church, whichever it is and accuse them of being greedy or scamming or running a con.. when they have to survive in an economy revolving around consumer goods and luxury commodities. People aren't as united by faith as they were before, if they survived solely on communal charity and didn't offer some kind of mundane benefit, or the suggestion of such, many simply wouldn't be able to maintain themselves. And besides, those omamori were sold at 600 yen.. it's not like they're promising an army of kami will bend themselves backwards to ensure your success at all costs and charging 90% off a year's salary.
Thanks for the comment! My wife dropped $60 on Yakubarai to receive a blessing that was only good for one year...
I'm totally on board with Omamori being used as a means to support these religious institutions and help maintain the temples and shrines, etc., but at the same time it's crazy to have seen those huge piles of discarded Omamori, and that was just one shrine!
@@MyRadicalKanjiWorld I know what you mean, but on the other hand, how many people spend that money and more in 5 hour long video games that only reinforce their bad traits? At least with the blessing you get a sense of ease for a year. And who knows, a kami watching your back..
@@AzraelCaptain very nice point there with the video game comment. I don’t think it’s the same as someone who buys an item for religious purposes, but I definitely think it’s a valid point in terms of how we as humans choose to spend our money.
We’re planning to go visit Japan 🇯🇵 next year and we are definitely buying some. I feel that it’s super cool. Lots of people go there because of the traditions of the country. We definitely want to immerse in the culture.
I hope you all have a great time!
@@MyRadicalKanjiWorld That is the plan 😏.
Pro for a tourist like me cuz at the end of the day they're a beautiful little trinket
Thank you for your comment!
*IS Japanese New Years the same on the Calendar than others like in the USA OR INDIA , CHINA etc or does it follow a different calendar?* I know that sounds like a silly question if it is JAN 1 2021 this year or was it celebrated on a different date? Observance is determined by whether the lunar calendar is being followed or the solar calendar. Those regions which follow the Solar calendar, the new year falls on a different day
Japan's New Year's falls on January 1st. The only thing that might be different is that there is a time difference between Japan and other countries.
It's lunar New Year which is confusing to me, which I think is mostly Chinese and starts in February? Anyway, that's the holiday season where many Chinese came on holiday to Japan to do vast amounts of shopping. Regrettably, it was also that time when the Coronavirus really started making its way into Japan.
Will it have effect if I order one online, since I'm in the states (unfortunately), and give the power (such as: luck, warding off evil, etc) while I own it for the year? Or do I actually have to go to the shrine in order to obtain that?
What a good-looking question! I think it all boils down to how superstitious you are. True Omamori, no matter where you obtain them, will have a Sutra inside which is supposed to grant that magical effect like increased love or the ability to avoid traffic accidents. If you're really superstitious I've heard you should never open up the amulet to see if the Sutra is actually there!
Where would you be ordering Omamori from? If you were looking for added authenticity or if you truly wanted to believe in the power of one, I'd recommend having someone in Japan pick one up for you and mail it.
I hope this answers your question. Thanks for your comment!
@@MyRadicalKanjiWorld Yes, that does answer some questions! I'll have to find a pen pal or someone off Twitter to send me one, lol. Thank you for the quick response 🙏🏽.
My pleasure! Thanks for the comment!
A little of both I think 🤔
I can see that
so then if you bye 2 omamori then does taht mean 2 years of good luck haha
Maybe you’ll have more luck for just one year! Shrines always want you coming back to buy more!
Many things we buy and throw away soon anyway, like plastic straws and stuff and yeah... I like buying omikuji rather Omamori tho
Omikuji is definitely more interesting! But whenever I get daikichi I don't seem to have good luck. Maybe Omikuji are also a con. Haha
I haven’t visited the shrine yet and it’s February 😩
No one’s watching! Go now! Go now! 😄
They will have a giant burn pile. Well I think that it does seem like a way to capitalize on peoples wishes. Why not just let people make their own and put it on, it would be more meaningful. Why do they need to spend 600 yen for all this?
Good question! Probably as Cam suggests, and I agree, the money is all going towards maintenance and keeping these places open for everyone to enjoy for years to come!
I'm going to try and see the burn pile next week. If I can I will definitely fill it and it better live up to expectations!
Note to self: see if the shrine can provide me with unlimited 🥦😅
Unlimited broccoli?
@@MyRadicalKanjiWorld yes... broccoli... lots and lots of broccoli
@@shaggythewriter8185 I’m sure there’s an amulet for that!
@@MyRadicalKanjiWorld *pop it like it's hot dance intensifies*