I bet you might have seen many Ofuda (お札, paper talisman) attached around entrances of houses in Kyoto. Generally speaking, people from Kyoto really like these kinds of Ofuda or Omamori (御守り, amulet).

In the old days, people in Kyoto firmly believed that they are coexisting with Onryo (怨霊, vengeful ghosts) and were seriously scared of evil spirits who were defeated and killed in power struggles of politics, falsely charged with the death penalty, or died with full of resentment…

People attached Ofuda around their doors for warding off those evil spirits and misfortune, for the sake of protecting their family members. Obviously, one Ofuda was not enough. They attached Ofuda to the wall as many as possible.

If you look closely, you’ll realize that there are so many different types of Ofuda. Kyoto is such a mysterious town indeed. Exploring Kyoto focusing on looking for Ofuda can be fun.

Akane Kibune
Kyoto Expert Certification 1st Grade

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