Ofuda – The Japanese Pantheon in Miniature

Abstract

By ofuda the Japanese refer to a kind of amulet or talisman printed on a small piece of paper. Pilgrims, the faithful, simple tourists even, rarely visit a Buddhist temple or Shinto shrine without acquiring a piece or two, be that for their own purpose or for the sake of a relative or friend. In appearance and function, these charms are not unlike the “prayer cards” of the Catholic tradition. Bernard Frank (1927-1996), who taught Buddhist iconography at the College de France from 1979 to 199...