Funny Lucky Charm

This caught my eye in a knick-knack store in Kyoto. It's the shape and size of a traditional o-mamori.

An o-mamori is a small (usually) fabric good luck amulet sold at temples and shrines in Japan. The name of the temple is usually written on one side, and the "wish" written on the other. Sometimes, o-mamori have a piece of paper in the middle for you to write a specific wish on. O-mamori are usually for safety, good luck in business, for passing a test, to ensure love in marriage, etc., and they're often attached to backpacks, cell phones or rear view mirrors.

But this caught my eye. First of all, it was not sold at a temple, but at a knick-knack store. Second it says, "Good luck in Soccer!" and, where the name of the shrine is usually written, it says, "Club Activity Shrine!"

This is obviously not a real shrine--it's just being marketed as a good luck charm by some businesspeople. A little confused by this, I asked one of my students, "Are you offended that this religious item is being copied by businesses so they can make money?" She laughed and said, "Of course not--it's just cool looking."

I thought, "Hmmm... Another good example of the difference between the Japanese notion of Shinto as a 'religion' and the western idea of Christianity as a 'religion.'" Can you imagine going to your neighborhood 7-Eleven and buying a single-serving "Holy Communion packet?" Think about that for a minute!