Omamori (お守り) are Japanese amulets/charms/talismans sold at religious sites and dedicated to particular Shinto deities as well as Buddhist figures, and are said to provide various forms of luck or protection.

Originally made from paper or wood, modern amulets are items usually kept inside a brocade bag and may contain a prayer or religious inscription of invocation.

Omamori are then made sacred through the use of ritual and are said to contain busshin (spiritual evolutions) in a Shinto context or kesshin (manifestations) in a Buddhist context.

Omamori should never be opened in order to avoid losing their protective benefits, and should belong only to one person. Often they are tied to a backpack, purse, car mirror, etc.

Throwing an amulet in the trash is highly discouraged. Old omamori should not be placed in the trash with other commonly discarded rubbish, but rather treated with respect.

Sugawara Tenmangu (菅原天満宮) is a Shinto shrine in the city of Nara.

This shrine honors the 9th century scholar/statesmen Michizane Sugawara as the god of academics.

Kitano Tenmangu, established in the tenth century, is dedicated to Tenjin, the patron saint of students, who flock here from all over the country to pray for success in examinations, especially high school and university entrance exams.

Kitano-Tenmangu Shrine is the first and main shrine over around 12.000 shrines dedicated to Sugawara No Michizane for his reputation as a poet, or even more as a highly talented person who brought the “Tenjin Faith” throughout Japan. Kitano-Tenmangu Shrine is also famous for the first shrine which actualized a person who was enshrined as a deity. It is well known for these Gods: “God of Agriculture”, “God of Honesty and Sincerity”, “God of Dispelling False Accusations”, “ God of Performing Arts”, and lastly, “God of Academics”.

Almost every day you can see a lot of students who come and pray in the main shrine. Their beliefs towards the “God of Academics” leads them to visit this shrine. Students who came here usually pray for the passing of examinations (with a great score!) and for their success in their endeavours. In addition, there are also some people who wishes that their ability will be improved when visiting this shrine.