How To Pay Respects At A Shinto Shrine

Ears of rice. Jinja Honcho writes that offerings before the kami were originally the produce of sea and mountain, with rice as the special offering. In autumn people gave thanks for the ripened rice and offered the newly harvested grain. Today's saisen coins stand in for rice, and the same page says that offering rice or money expresses the same gratitude. 神恩感謝 is one of the items on the prayer list of Tokyo Daijingu.

The ofuda. An ofuda (お神札) is a flat piece of wood or washi paper bearing the name of the kami or the shrine. It is received at a shrine and placed on the kamidana, the household altar, so that the kami may protect the home, and it is renewed every year. The icon leaves the writing blank and does not show any kami's name.

The chinowa ring. The great purification, Ōharae, is held twice a year, in June and December. According to Jinja Honcho, some shrines set up before the kami a large ring of bundled cogon grass or straw called a chinowa (茅の輪) to pray for 無病息災. Visitors pass through it three times to cleanse impurity, misfortune and wrongdoing.

The ema plaque. An ema (絵馬) is a small wooden plaque on which a visitor writes a wish and then leaves it hanging at the shrine. The custom comes from dedicating live horses to the kami, later simplified to horse statues and then to pictures of horses on wood. Ema serve every kind of wish, not study alone. The library places the ema here because Jinja Honcho itself gives 合格祈願 as its example of a personal prayer.

The kumade rake. A kumade (熊手) is a decorated bamboo rake. Jinja Honcho calls it a lucky item tied to 商売繁盛, with the wish of raking good fortune in. Kumade are given out at Ōtori shrines (鷲神社) at the festival on the days of the Rooster in November, and at many shrines at New Year. Tokyo Daijingu writes this item as 商売繁昌, with a different last character and the same meaning.

The 5 yen coin. The 5 yen coin is read go-en, which sounds the same as ご縁, a bond or connection. Many people drop this coin into the offering box saying 「ご縁がありますように」, may there be a good bond. This is popular wordplay, not doctrine. Jinja Honcho states plainly that no saisen amount is prescribed and that what matters is neither the amount nor the wordplay. 良縁祈願 is the name of the prayer for a good match on the Tokyo Daijingu list.

The omamori pouch. An omamori (お守り) is a protective amulet pouch received at a shrine. According to Jinja Honcho, the ofuda is enshrined at home while the omamori is always carried on the person to receive the protection of the kami. The English page adds that the pouch should stay sealed and is commonly attached to a bag or backpack. The icon is left plain, with no writing and nothing shown inside.

The hamaya arrow. A hamaya (破魔矢) is a decorative arrow, fitted with an ema of the year's zodiac animal or a small bell, and displayed at home for one year. Jinja Honcho writes that, as its name says, it is the arrow that breaks evil and sweeps away calamity. In an unlucky year (厄年) people visit a shrine for the rite of yakubarai (厄祓い), asking the kami's protection from misfortune.

The dog of the Day of the Dog. According to Jinja Honcho, on the Day of the Dog (戌の日) in the fifth month of pregnancy the mother visits a shrine to pray for safe childbirth and wraps a cotton belly band called an iwata-obi (岩田帯). The Day of the Dog is chosen because dogs give birth easily and bear many young, and because a dog barking to guard the house is thought to drive off harmful influences. The count of days differs by region. The icon is a dog with a collar, drawn by the library for the Day of the Dog. It is not an item received at a shrine.