Kimono Flea Market ICHIROYA's News Letter No.730
Konnichiwa! everyone!
This is Yoko writing this week's Newsletter. Ogenki desuka?
How is your start of the New Year? So far, mine seems great! Haha!
As Nagisa mentioned, it is the year of the dog! Yes, my beagle Marin gets the spot light this year. :)
Today, I would like to write about Omikuji.
Omikuji is a fortune telling paper, and you can purchase it at any shrine or temple for 100yen or 200yen.
So, every year after our Hatsumoude, visit to a shrine, we test our luck for the New Year by purchasing 'Omikuji'.
After you pay, you shake a large wooden container, inside there are long thin sticks with a number written.
One stick comes out from a tiny hole at top of the container, and you read a number to Miko san, female attendant.
She takes out a long strip of paper....... from a drawer with the number written....
OK this is a part you get so nervous.....
You hope for a good fortune, but purchasing Omikuji also means it may result bad!
You do not want to check the fortune right there in front of Miko san, what IF it is bad....
that would be quite odd... to see the face on Miko san... so, I recommend that you quietly fold the paper and walk away....
I tell you what mine was later on....
The Omikuji ranks in 12 scales. (from Wikipedia)
Great blessing (dai-kichi, 大吉)
Middle blessing (cho-kichi, 中吉)
Small blessing (sho-kichi, 小吉)
Blessing (kichi, 吉)
Half-blessing (han-kichi, 半吉)
Ending blessing (sue-kichi, 末吉)
Ending small blessing (sue-sho-kichi, 末小吉)
Curse (kyo, 凶)
Small curse (sho-kyo, 小凶)
Half-curse (han-kyo, 半凶)
Ending curse (sue-kyo, 末凶)
Great curse (dai-kyo, 大凶)
You do not find many curse ones, I think Omikuji are mainly Daikichi to Curse. Curse.... that is an uncomfortable word...
On each paper, it lists fortunes regarding specific aspects of one's life in below categories.
方角 (hogaku) - auspicious/inauspicious directions (like feng shui)
願事 (negaigoto) one's wish or desire
待人 (machibito) a person being waited for
失せ物 (usemono) lost article(s)
旅立ち (tabidachi) travel
商い (akinai) business dealings
学問 (gakumon) studies or learning
相場 (souba) market speculation
争事 (arasoigoto) disputes
恋愛 (renai) romantic relationships
転居 (tenkyo) moving or changing residence
出産 (shussan) childbirth, delivery
病気 (byoki) illness
縁談 (endan) marriage proposal or engagement
I think most people only read Gakumon and Machibito or Endan. Hahaha
It is funny because the result can be really straight forward and says 'it never come true stop waiting' or 'what you lost will be kept lost' and so on.
Please try Omikuji if you have a chance to visit a shrine or temple in Japan. It may be fun translating it to English.
Well, for me, this year's fortune is Daikichi!!! yaaaayyy!
You see that is why I am having a great start of the New Year!
Minasan, may the new year bring a lot of happiness and smiles!
Here are some items with auspicious motifs which might bring a good luck!!!
Sho-chiku-bai
Lobster
Takasago
Thanks for reading!
