How to Make Japanese Paper Charms
Charms are a staple in Japanese religion. Mainly Shinto in origin (although some Buddhist charms exist), people use charms as to ward off evil or bad luck, or simply as a written prayer for assistance at work or school. Some charms are written on wooden plaques to place inside the home, and others are crafted in the form of "demon-breaking arrows" (hamaya). However, the most common charm is the paper omamori that people carry with them, usually protected by a cloth covering.
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Instructions
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Cut a small strip of paper approximately half the length of your palm, small enough to be tucked inside your fabric pouch without crumpling. It doesn't have to be special or sacred paper, but it should be clean and free of scuff marks and other blemishes.
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Write your wish or prayer on the strip of paper. You don't have to write it in Japanese. You can use your native language, but if you want to use authentic Japanese kanji you can research the phrase you want to write and have it translated for you.
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Sew the fabric to form a small pouch. There's no single, uniform way to do this since omamori come in different shapes and forms, but usually the pouch is a rectangular shape that's similar to a luggage tag. At its largest, it shouldn't be any bigger than your hand. You can sew two rectangular pieces of fabric together on three of the four sides and turn it inside out so the stitches don't show, or simply fold one single piece of fabric and sew one of the sides. Leave a space open at the top of the pouch for you to slip the prayer inside.
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Insert the slip of paper with your prayer into the pouch without crumpling the paper. Usually the prayer goes right side up, but this isn't a requirement.
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Sew the top of the pouch closed to form the complete omamori.
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Sew the satin cord to the top of the pouch so you can either wear it around your neck, or hang it in a location where it won't be disturbed.
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Tips & Warnings
If there's a Shinto shrine or Buddhist temple in your area, you can take your omamori to a priest or temple representative to be blessed. This is an optional, as your omamori is complete with or without a blessing.
Omamori pouches can be any color you like. In general, certain colors are used for certain situations: pink for marriage or pregnancy, red for good luck, green for money and business and blue for health or studying. However, these are only guidelines and not required colors for your omamori.
References
- Photo Credit temple image by Aleksander from Fotolia.com
