|
Takashi Fukushima and HaYoung Lee Please listen to our message
|
Japanese Fortune Navigator
Takashi Fukushima
ISALC: ESL 382: Computer Applications
|
|
Takashi Fukushima and HaYoung Lee Please listen to our message
|
Japanese Fortune Navigator
Takashi Fukushima
From ancient times, there have been many types of fortune telling all over the world without exception. Do you know how much Japanese depend on fortune telling? It seems to me that over 90% of the population of Japan believe or have experienced any kind of divination. At midnight, many fortunetellers appear on the street near the Shinjuku station of Tokyo. As soon as they set up their desk, with lanterns as a billboard, a lot of clients stop at their favorite fortunetellers and make a long line. These clients want any advice for their many kinds of problems such as relationship with a partner, their future, and difficult decisions. Fortunetellers use their different methods like name divination, palmistry, tarots, inspiration, etc. Moreover, a zoological fortune telling book was published a few years ago, and sold 1.5 million copies in its first six weeks. Traditional Japanese fortune telling, omikuji, seimeihandan, teso, might be influential on Japanese people’s life and Japanese economy.
Omikuji
Omikuji,(1) which are slips
of paper forecasting people’s luck,(2) is the most popular way to look
at their future; it is like a fortune cookie. Many Japanese usually go to Shinto
shrines or Buddhist temples during the New Year’s holiday to buy good luck
charms and omikuji for the year ahead. To get omikuji, they shake a container
and pick up a stick on which is drawn a number, and then they exchange the stick
for the slips of paper. This paper shows the forecast of people’s luck.
If you get bad luck (bad omikuji), you should tie
the slips of paper to a tree in the shrine.(3) By leaving bad luck in the
shrine, Japanese believe that they can keep away a bad future.
Seimeihandan
Seimeihandan, which means name divination, is one of the popular fortune telling
methods in Japan. It can be seen everywhere such as on the street, fortunetellers’
houses, Internet, and so on. Recently, a lot of Internet sites provide name
divination through their sites; it is an easy way, which we just type our name
in kanji, to look at our personality or our future. The fortunetellers find
out a client’s fortune based on the number of stroke counts in a person’s
name in kanji. Many people believe a person’s name decides his/her future.
Therefore, many parents refer to special books for advice of names or ask fortunetellers
to decide a child’s name.
Teso
Teso,
which is palmistry, is the other popular fortune telling technique in Japan.
Like seimeihandan, it can be seen everywhere, too. The fortunetellers read lines
of a person’s palm to look at clients’ personality or the possibility
of their future. Everyone has unique lines, and each line has meanings such
as life, brain, marriage, and so on. When the people want to talk about their
worries to fortunetellers, they seem to choose teso because the fortunetellers
can provide much advice to help people regain their composure.
In conclusion, many Japanese rely on fortune telling when they want to know
their future, to make decisions, to prevent bad luck, or to talk to each other.
They have many methods of fortune telling to choose from, such as omikuji, seimeihandan,
teso, and so on. Although the cost for fortune telling depends on the time length
of the session and a fortuneteller’s name value, fortune telling in Japan
is a little expensive (about $30 per session). So fortune telling is a big business
in Japan, but it’s also the mother of the human heart, like a navigator.
Unfortunately, we can’t prove that these divination are right or wrong
because we live in the real world, and our exact destiny can’t be known.
<Image Sources>
1)http://japanupdate.com/previous/02/01/03/story6.shtml
2)http://www.studionewmedia.com/taro/Journal%20Home_files/Japan2001/main_files/feb18/j18.htm
3)http://www.cag.lcs.mit.edu/~cristina/pozne/JAPAN
Dancing on knives: Korean shaman, Moodang
questions? e-mail me
Many people go to fortunetellers when they make an important
decision, when they want to know their future, or when they need to prevent
their bad luck. In Korea, we have a special kind of fortuneteller that is called
“moodang”. Moodang is a Korean shaman.
According to Haines
Brown, “Shaman is a person who mediates the relation between the natural
world and an animated supernatural world (spirits) for the purpose of gaining
some control over or knowledge of natural events.” Shamans take the place
of people who have little power to control their fate so that people can prevent
doom. To accomplish this spiritual power, the shamans have to set their mind
free from natural limitation through conducting special ritual, known as “good”.
This liberating ritual proceeds with dancing, spinning, or singing in deep tones.
We’ll take up more about this special ritual later.
History of Shaman
If we trace back to its origins, we would find SamkukYusa (late thirteenth century)
and SamkukSagi (twelfth century). The SamkukSagi makes reference to a king of
Koguryo who ruled between 19 B.C. and 18 A.D., and who was healed by a shaman
(Kim 15). From the Samhan period (108 to 668) to the Chosun period (thirteenth
century to eighteenth century), Korean ancestors prayed to god for an abundant
harvest, rain, and the king’s health through moodang.
Liberating process
As I mentioned before, there are two special processes, which are called ShinNaeLim(1),
to become moodang. The first process is Sesoupmu, which is a form of inherited
moodang. This happens only for the children of moodang. Second is Kangshinmu,
which is the form of a new god received in their body and mind. This happens
for those people who are selected by god and suddenly can see the fortune and
future. Shamans of Kangshinmu can tell the future without using enchantment
tools such as rice, beans or dancing, unlike shamans of Sesoupmu do. If a person
rejects Kangshinmu, he/she should get an incurable illness, which is called
Shinbyung, and only can be cured by being moodang. The general symptoms of this
illness are pyrexia, vomiting, and fatigue.
Forms of “Good”
“Good(2)” is a ritual achieved by
moodang for preventing bad luck and maintaining everything in wellness. There
are four different aims of “Good.” The first aim is to
cure illness(3). The family members of the patient prepare plentiful food
and the moodang dance in front of the food. A Shaman dances with a stick with
small bells and shouts at the ghosts to go away. There are no rules provided.
A shaman dances what god lets him/her dance. The second aim is for the spirit
when the shaman starts to serve. While doing this “Good,” the
shaman dances on knives(4), known as Jakdu(5).
The knives are located on a water jar that is on mortar. This shows the power
of god that the shaman serves to threaten other ghosts. There is no empirical
evidence proving how shaman dances on sharp knives. Shamans say only shamans
who start to serve the new god conduct this ritual. The third is for thanking
the spirit that shaman serve(6). This is not for anybody but for shaman
him/herself and the spirit. The fourth is for person who wants to prevent bad
luck. The process of this “Good” is similar to the one for curing
illness. During this process, moodang threaten and/or somewhat bothers to go
away other ghosts that would bring bad luck.
Through history, Koreans have intimate relationship with shamanism
and it has been part of our tradition. Until even now, many goods take place
throughout the country. Personally, I haven’t use a shaman, yet my mother
goes to shaman every new years days. She gets some advice from a shaman and
tells us what we should care for. Not only my mother but also even celebrities
such as politicians, entertainer, or businessman of big company, go to a shaman
to get some tips. There are 120000 shamans in Korea, and the number is increasing
again.
<References>
Kim, Yung-Chung, ed. And trans.1982. Women of Korea: A history from Ancient
Timres to 1945. Seoul, Korea: Ewha Women’s University Press.
<Image sources>
(1)http://www.shaman.co.kr/gallery.htm
(2)http://mdstory.gazio.com/
(3)http://mdstory.gazio.com/
(4)http://www.shaman.co.kr/gallery.htm
(5)http://kr.encycl.yahoo.com/imglst.html?id=64383
(6)http://www.shaman.co.kr/gallery.htm
Korean and Japanese Fortunetellers
Takashi Fukushima and HaYoung
Lee
As we’ve described up Japanese and Korean fortunetellers
above, they’ve developed special styles. Yet we found more similarities
than differences among those two countries’ fortunetellers while we were
having conversation. You’ll be able to find the similarities through the
price, place that we can meet them, method how to tell the fortune and the history
of fortune telling.
Price
Price depends on the fortunetellers. If fortunetellers were neither famous nor
professional, you would pay only $30. However if fortunetellers were either
famous or accurate (in the case of Korean, this famous and accurate fortuneteller
means the one of Sesoupmu), fortune telling would cost over $100. This is the
same in Japan and Korea.
Place
This also depends on the fortunetellers and it’s the same in Japan and
Korea. You may meet general and cheap fortunetellers on the streets. On the
other hand, you have to go to the fortuneteller’s house,
when you want to meet expensive and professional fortunetellers.
History
Korean and Japan have a deep relationship with fortunetellers throughout their
history. Both Korea and Japan have long historical background of fortuneteller.
Japan doesn’t have an exact record about fortune telling, however the stories
of fortunetellers are told without writing. In Korea, as I mentioned in the
history of Shaman section, from the Samhan period and the Chosun period, people
prayed to god for good luck, rain and king’s health.
Method
There are many methods of fortune telling in both Korea and Japan. The most
popular methods in each country are alike such as name divination, palmistry,
or feeling. However, we can see one difference between Korean fortune telling
and Japanese fortune telling. In Korea, it’s like a lively event, whereas
it’s like a religious atmosphere in Japan. For example, Korean fortuneteller
dances, sings and shouts during conducting “good.” On the other hand,
Japanese fortuneteller meditates, thinks and preachs.
In conclusion, nowadays, the number of people who rely on fortune telling is probably increasing because these countries’ economy is still not good. Almost all nations are hoping for their good future and family member’s good health through fortune telling. We are sure that there isn’t any border between Korea and Japan regarding hopes of our good future life.
Return to top.
Return
to Culture Capsules Master Page
