Omamori (御守り) are Japanese amulets: small, embroidered cloth pouches sold at shrines and temples to bring their bearer protection and good fortune. Bright, portable, and inexpensive, they are among the most familiar objects of everyday Japanese faith, tucked into bags, wallets, and cars, and given as tokens of care between people.
A charm you carry
The word comes from mamoru (守る), "to protect," and that is exactly the omamori's purpose: it is a protective charm you keep close. Inside the little brocade pouch is a paper or wooden tablet inscribed with a prayer or the name of a deity, but it is meant to stay sealed. Opening an omamori to look inside is said to release its power and cancel its protection, so tradition holds that you simply carry it unopened and trust it. Omamori come in many kinds, each for a specific benefit (goriyaku, 御利益): safe childbirth, success in exams, road safety, good health, love and marriage, business prosperity, warding off misfortune.
Buying, carrying, and returning
Omamori are obtained at shrine and temple stalls, especially at New Year during hatsumōde. By custom they are thought to last about a year, after which their protective power is considered spent; the old charm is not thrown in the bin but returned to a shrine to be ritually burned in thanks, and a fresh one obtained. They are also given as gifts: a traffic-safety charm for someone who has just started driving, an exam charm for a student facing entrance tests, small, sincere expressions of the wish to keep a loved one safe.
Words & idioms to take away
Idioms & proverbs to carry away
-
御守り: from 守る (mamoru), "to protect"; the honorific o-/go- marks it as a sacred object. Related is the ofuda (御札), a larger paper talisman kept in the home.
-
御利益 (goriyaku): the specific benefit or blessing a charm, deity, or shrine is believed to grant, such as safe travel or success in study.