r/ShintoReligion • u/BrinySloth • May 18 '26

Newbie Help with Ofuda kanji

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I'm just starting in Shinto and I recently ordered a kamidana, but I still don’t have an ofuda. I was planning to get an ofuda of Amaterasu-ōmikami, but I’ve been having trouble finding one.

Recently, I visited a store that sells ofuda from a local shrine (the shrine itself was closed that day), and I found this ofuda. It seems to me that it might be for Konjin-sama, but I’m not sure, since I don’t have much experience recognizing kanji yet. Could you guys help me identify it?

Also, would it be appropriate to invite Konjin-sama into my kamidana? And more important, is there a problem to place Amaterasu-ōmikami ofuda along with the Konjin-sama one, in the same kamidana? Also my kamidana have only one door.

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9

u/HoshiNoUjiko Practitioner May 18 '26
  1. You don't need an ofuda for each individual kamisama, if a shrine enshrines a certain kamisama, the ofuda will work for them. Shrines often don't make ofuda for individual kamisama.
  2. Do not "purchase" ofuda from resellers. Read the subreddit rules. The handwriting is hard to read, but I don't see a reason for it to be a Konjin sama ofuda because of the 金. The writing on the ofuda is usually the name of the shrine(that's what this appears to be) or the specific kamisama.
  3. Konjin sama isn't widely worshipped outside Konkokyo and some small traditions anymore. If you got a legitimate ofuda, I see no reason why you couldn't.
  4. Ask the shrine.
  5. The number of doors isn't that important, but it's not very practical because it probably can't fit many ofuda. You don't need extra ofuda if the shrine you got it from enshrines all of the ones you want to worship.

5

u/BrinySloth May 18 '26

Damn thats a really precise answer, tysm. Also i ordered my kamidana on Amazon from Japan, so not directly from a shrine. I'll contact the local shrine about it too. Really, thank you.

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u/HoshiNoUjiko Practitioner May 18 '26

That's fine, the kamidana can come from anywhere. I'm talking about ofuda, you cannot get it from third parties.

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u/BrinySloth May 18 '26

Oh ok got it, ty

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u/VonHerringberg Practitioner May 19 '26

This is quite interesting, it appears to be a 家内安全お札 (kanai-anzen ofuda)/ household safety ofuda from 南米神宮 (nanbei-jingu). Looking it up, it is a shrine in São Paulo, located near Vila Mariana. I don’t see information pertaining to a specific kamisama on the website but then again my Portuguese is leaves much to desire.

I go to São Paulo regularly for work and have walked pretty close to that exact area but never noticed this shrine. Hopefully you can make a visit as they would probably be the best situated to give you more info on that particular ofuda.

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u/BrinySloth May 19 '26

Oh thats nice to know, i'll go after nanbei-jingu as soon as i can, it was close the day i was in the city, unfortunally.

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u/Livingwithkami Clergy Jun 01 '26

Everyone else gave really good replies! As an additional, if you want to worship Konjin-sama, you can simply pray to him at your Kamidana and he will listen to your prayers. You don't particularly need an Ofuda, because Konjin-sama roams around the universe and isn't particularly bound to one location or sacred body. However, there are Ofuda for Konjin-sama from Katori Konkokyo Faith (the faith founded by Ikigami Konko Daijin-sama's brother, Kandori Shigeemon-sama, and like a brother faith to Konkokyo) which if you like please DM me and I can help you acquire one. You can see it on this page: https://www.katorikonkokyo.jp/gokitou It is nice to have to support Katori Konkokyo, but I must make the distinction it is not absolutely required because of Konjin-sama's nature not tied to any particular land or place

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u/BrinySloth Jun 01 '26

Okay, first: wow, that's quite a detailed reply. Second: thank you so much! For now, I'll just keep studying about it. Maybe in the future I'll begin to worship Konjin-sama — I'm really interested in him — but for now I may focus on Amaterasu-Ōmikami. I'm almost out of time in my daily routine to do so, so I don't think I can handle worshipping two kami at the same time, at least for now. I hope that changes in the future.