omikuji

Random fortunes written on strips of paper at Shinto shrines in Japan. Tying these strips of paper to trees or wires is a common custom, especially when receiving a negative fortune.

The fortune received is determined by shaking an omikuji-bako, a cylindrical box containing several small sticks. After shaking the box until one of the sticks falls out, the stick will be matched to a specific drawer containing that person's fortune.

Examples

Fortunes

The short messages that may be found on them follow below, ordered tentatively from worst to best:

• 大凶 (dai-kyou), Great Curse
• 末凶 (sue-kyou), Future Curse
• 半凶 (han-kyou), Half-Curse
• 小凶 (shou-kyou), Small Curse
• 凶 (kyou), Curse
• 末小吉 (sue-shou-kichi), Future small Blessing
• 末吉 (sue-kichi), Future Blessing
• 半吉 (han-kichi), Half-Blessing
• 吉 (kichi), Blessing
• 小吉 (shou-kichi), Small Blessing
• 中吉 (chuu-kichi), Middle Blessing
• 大吉 (dai-kichi), Great Blessing

The temples and shrines across Japan do not have a unified system for their omikuji. Some places do not offer the full range of fortunes, and a few offer an additional fortune rank:

• 平 (hira), Neutral

How the unmodified "Blessing" ranks compare to Small and Middle blessings also varies.

See also

• chinese fortune sticks
• omikuji-bako
• tied omikuji

The following tags implicate this tag: holding_omikuji (learn more).