{
 "schema": 1,
 "id": "burning-retirement",
 "type": "practice",
 "names": {
  "name": "Burning at retirement",
  "native": "どんど焼き",
  "script": "Hiragana",
  "lang": "ja",
  "said": "dondoyaki",
  "aliases": [
   "Sagichō",
   "daruma kuyō",
   "ritual burning",
   "o-takiage"
  ]
 },
 "region": [
  "japan",
  "korea",
  "himalaya-tibet",
  "britain-ireland",
  "western-europe"
 ],
 "countries": [
  "JP",
  "KR",
  "BT",
  "NP",
  "CN",
  "IE",
  "GB"
 ],
 "facets": {
  "stage": "retire",
  "era": "modern",
  "status": "living"
 },
 "text": {
  "what": "Ending a charm in fire, on purpose and in public. Old talismans go back to the place that issued them and are burnt together at a set ceremony; wish-plaques are burnt to release the wish; worn prayer flags are burnt rather than binned; a shaman's paraphernalia is burnt after the rite that used it. Burning is disposal and it is also thanks — several of these traditions say the fire is owed to the thing.",
  "story": "Japan burns by the ten thousand on a date. Old ofuda and omamori are burnt at a ceremony called Sagichō or Dondoyaki, held at the Little New Year on 14 or 15 January, at the end of the New Year season. The reason given in the omamori literature is not tidiness: old omamori should not be discarded but burnt, as a sign of respect to the deity that helped the person through the year.\n\nDaruma dolls get their own fire. At the end of the year the dolls are brought back to the temple they came from for the daruma kuyō, held once a year and usually right after New Year's Day, most famously at Nishi-Arai Daishi in Tokyo and Dairyū-ji in Gifu. People express gratitude to the dolls, hand them over, buy new ones, and after the monks enter, read sutras and blow horns, tens of thousands of figures are set alight together.\n\nEma burn for a different reason. The small wooden plaques on which Shinto and Buddhist worshippers write a wish are hung at the shrine for the kami to receive and are then ritually burnt at special events, which the practice describes as symbolically liberating the wish into the world. Some are taken home and hung there instead, and still burnt at a ceremony later.\n\nTibetan practice puts it as a rule of respect: because the symbols and mantras on prayer flags are sacred, they should not be put on the ground or used on clothing, and old flags should be burnt. Korean practice burns at both ends of a rite. Before a gut, the altar is purified with fire and water, often by burning white paper for purity; at the close, the summoned spirits are sent off by burning name tags, the josang ot — clothes for ancestors — cloth, straw shoes and imitation money. Much modern ritual gear is made cheaply in South Korea precisely because it is going to be burnt. After a mudang's death, their musindo paintings were often de-animated and burnt through the twentieth century; some practitioners hold that the deity leaves the image when it is donated to a museum instead.\n\nEurope's version is less organised and often a choice. In Ireland, discarded Brigid's crosses were burned or buried, with burial preferred because of Brigid's associations with agriculture. In English folk practice a witch bottle could be thrown into a fire, and when it burst the spell was held to be broken.\n\n*Inference —* the museum problem lives here. A tradition that ends its objects in fire produces almost no old objects, so a drawer of surviving charms over-represents the traditions that bury, hide or inherit them. Japanese and Korean material in Western collections is largely material that escaped the fire.",
  "how": "Return the old object to the place that issued it, or gather it with others. Wait for the date. Burn them together, with clergy present in the Japanese and Korean cases. New objects are obtained at the same event.",
  "today": "Live and annual. Japanese shrines and temples run the January fires, accepting talismans from other shrines in practice, though Buddhist ofuda are often not accepted at Shinto shrines or the reverse. Korean gut still burn their paper and cloth at the close. Prayer-flag burning continues wherever the flags are flown."
 },
 "dating": {
  "period": "documented in the modern period; the ceremonies are older than the dates cited here",
  "from_year": 1764,
  "to_year": null,
  "living": true,
  "label": "c. 1764 to now",
  "method": "textual",
  "circa": true,
  "tier": "cited",
  "source": "s:wp-daruma-doll",
  "note": "Dated from the Meiwa-period (1764–72) arrangement at Shorinzan Daruma Temple, which is the earliest year these sources attach to an annual charm-and-burn cycle. The Sagichō and Dondoyaki ceremonies are older and the sources read here give them no date."
 },
 "object": {
  "form": "folded-paper",
  "materials": [
   "paper",
   "wood",
   "cloth"
  ],
  "worn": [
   "burnt",
   "wall",
   "lintel"
  ],
  "made_by": "the shrine, temple or household that issued the object being burnt",
  "single_use": true,
  "source": "s:wp-omamori"
 },
 "against": [
  {
   "harm": "bad-luck",
   "who": "Japanese carriers, for whom burning the year's omamori is a sign of respect to the deity that helped them through it",
   "source": "s:wp-omamori",
   "tier": "cited"
  },
  {
   "harm": "spirits",
   "who": "Korean mudang, who close a gut by burning name tags, ancestors' clothes, straw shoes and imitation money to send the spirits off",
   "source": "s:wp-korean-shamanism",
   "tier": "cited"
  },
  {
   "harm": "witchcraft",
   "who": "English folk practice, in which a witch bottle thrown on the fire broke the spell when it burst",
   "source": "s:wp-witch-bottle",
   "tier": "cited"
  }
 ],
 "kin": [
  {
   "to": "omamori",
   "as": "the charm this fire is mostly made of, returned in January by the sackful",
   "rel": "carried-by"
  },
  {
   "to": "ofuda",
   "as": "burnt at Sagichō or Dondoyaki on 14 or 15 January, at the end of the New Year season",
   "rel": "carried-by"
  },
  {
   "to": "daruma",
   "as": "the doll with its own fire — tens of thousands at a time, after sutras and horns",
   "rel": "carried-by"
  },
  {
   "to": "ofuda",
   "as": "the wish-plaque burnt to release the wish rather than to dispose of the board",
   "rel": "carried-by"
  },
  {
   "to": "lungta-flag",
   "as": "worn flags burnt because the mantras on them cannot be put on the ground",
   "rel": "carried-by"
  },
  {
   "to": "senso-ji",
   "as": "a temple where the year's talismans are obtained and the old ones handed back",
   "rel": "place"
  },
  {
   "to": "renewing-yearly",
   "as": "the cycle this fire closes",
   "rel": "practice"
  },
  {
   "to": "burying",
   "as": "the other way of ending a charm, preferred in Ireland for the same objects",
   "rel": "contrast"
  },
  {
   "to": "japanese-engimono",
   "as": "the tradition that runs the calendar this fire sits on",
   "rel": "tradition"
  },
  {
   "to": "dating-a-charm",
   "as": "the long read this practice skews: traditions that burn leave almost nothing to date",
   "rel": "story"
  }
 ],
 "links": [
  {
   "label": "Omamori — Wikipedia",
   "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omamori"
  },
  {
   "label": "Daruma doll — Wikipedia",
   "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daruma_doll"
  }
 ],
 "sources": [
  "s:wp-omamori",
  "s:wp-ofuda",
  "s:wp-daruma-doll",
  "s:wp-ema-shinto",
  "s:wp-prayer-flag",
  "s:wp-korean-shamanism",
  "s:wp-witch-bottle",
  "s:wp-brigid-s-cross"
 ],
 "provenance": {
  "default": {
   "tier": "cited",
   "source": "s:wp-ofuda"
  },
  "fields": {
   "text.story": {
    "tier": "cited",
    "source": "s:wp-daruma-doll",
    "note": "the closing paragraph about collection bias is this project's reading and is marked where it appears"
   }
  }
 },
 "images": [],
 "x_commons_files": [
  "File:Dondoyaki fire.jpg",
  "File:Daruma kuyo.jpg"
 ],
 "confidence": "high",
 "updated": "2026-09-16",
 "blurb": "Ending a charm in fire, on purpose and in public. Old talismans go back to the place that issued them and are burnt together at a set ceremony; wish-plaques are burnt to release the wish; worn prayer flags are burnt…",
 "region_terms": [
  {
   "key": "japan",
   "name": "Japan",
   "hemi": [
    "N",
    "E"
   ]
  },
  {
   "key": "korea",
   "name": "Korea",
   "hemi": [
    "N",
    "E"
   ]
  },
  {
   "key": "himalaya-tibet",
   "name": "The Himalaya and Tibet",
   "hemi": [
    "N",
    "E"
   ]
  },
  {
   "key": "britain-ireland",
   "name": "Britain and Ireland",
   "hemi": [
    "N",
    "W"
   ]
  },
  {
   "key": "western-europe",
   "name": "Western Europe",
   "hemi": [
    "N",
    "W",
    "E"
   ]
  }
 ],
 "hemispheres": [
  "E",
  "N",
  "W"
 ],
 "kin_out": [
  {
   "to": "omamori",
   "type": "amulet",
   "name": "Omamori",
   "as": "the charm this fire is mostly made of, returned in January by the sackful",
   "rel": "carried-by"
  },
  {
   "to": "ofuda",
   "type": "amulet",
   "name": "Ofuda",
   "as": "burnt at Sagichō or Dondoyaki on 14 or 15 January, at the end of the New Year season",
   "rel": "carried-by"
  },
  {
   "to": "daruma",
   "type": "amulet",
   "name": "Daruma",
   "as": "the doll with its own fire — tens of thousands at a time, after sutras and horns",
   "rel": "carried-by"
  },
  {
   "to": "ofuda",
   "type": "amulet",
   "name": "Ofuda",
   "as": "the wish-plaque burnt to release the wish rather than to dispose of the board",
   "rel": "carried-by"
  },
  {
   "to": "lungta-flag",
   "type": "amulet",
   "name": "Lung ta prayer flag",
   "as": "worn flags burnt because the mantras on them cannot be put on the ground",
   "rel": "carried-by"
  },
  {
   "to": "senso-ji",
   "type": "place",
   "name": "Sensō-ji",
   "as": "a temple where the year's talismans are obtained and the old ones handed back",
   "rel": "place"
  },
  {
   "to": "renewing-yearly",
   "type": "practice",
   "name": "Renewing yearly",
   "as": "the cycle this fire closes",
   "rel": "practice"
  },
  {
   "to": "burying",
   "type": "practice",
   "name": "Burying",
   "as": "the other way of ending a charm, preferred in Ireland for the same objects",
   "rel": "contrast"
  },
  {
   "to": "japanese-engimono",
   "type": "tradition",
   "name": "Engimono",
   "as": "the tradition that runs the calendar this fire sits on",
   "rel": "tradition"
  },
  {
   "to": "dating-a-charm",
   "type": "story",
   "name": "Dating a charm",
   "as": "the long read this practice skews: traditions that burn leave almost nothing to date",
   "rel": "story"
  }
 ],
 "source_list": [
  {
   "id": "s:wp-omamori",
   "kind": "encyclopedia",
   "title": "Omamori",
   "publisher": "Wikipedia",
   "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omamori",
   "accessed": "2026-09-16",
   "license": "CC BY-SA 4.0"
  },
  {
   "id": "s:wp-ofuda",
   "kind": "encyclopedia",
   "title": "Ofuda",
   "publisher": "Wikipedia",
   "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ofuda",
   "accessed": "2026-09-16",
   "license": "CC BY-SA 4.0"
  },
  {
   "id": "s:wp-daruma-doll",
   "kind": "encyclopedia",
   "title": "Daruma doll",
   "publisher": "Wikipedia",
   "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daruma_doll",
   "accessed": "2026-09-16",
   "license": "CC BY-SA 4.0"
  },
  {
   "id": "s:wp-ema-shinto",
   "kind": "encyclopedia",
   "title": "Ema (Shinto)",
   "publisher": "Wikipedia",
   "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ema_(Shinto)",
   "accessed": "2026-09-16",
   "license": "CC BY-SA 4.0"
  },
  {
   "id": "s:wp-prayer-flag",
   "kind": "encyclopedia",
   "title": "Prayer flag",
   "publisher": "Wikipedia",
   "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prayer_flag",
   "accessed": "2026-09-16",
   "license": "CC BY-SA 4.0"
  },
  {
   "id": "s:wp-korean-shamanism",
   "kind": "encyclopedia",
   "title": "Korean shamanism",
   "publisher": "Wikipedia",
   "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_shamanism",
   "accessed": "2026-09-16",
   "license": "CC BY-SA 4.0"
  },
  {
   "id": "s:wp-witch-bottle",
   "kind": "encyclopedia",
   "title": "Witch bottle",
   "publisher": "Wikipedia",
   "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witch_bottle",
   "accessed": "2026-09-16",
   "license": "CC BY-SA 4.0"
  },
  {
   "id": "s:wp-brigid-s-cross",
   "kind": "encyclopedia",
   "title": "Brigid's cross",
   "publisher": "Wikipedia",
   "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brigid%27s_cross",
   "accessed": "2026-09-16",
   "license": "CC BY-SA 4.0"
  }
 ],
 "tiers": {
  "text.what": {
   "tier": "cited",
   "source": "s:wp-ofuda"
  },
  "text.story": {
   "tier": "cited",
   "source": "s:wp-daruma-doll",
   "note": "the closing paragraph about collection bias is this project's reading and is marked where it appears"
  },
  "text.how": {
   "tier": "cited",
   "source": "s:wp-ofuda"
  },
  "text.today": {
   "tier": "cited",
   "source": "s:wp-ofuda"
  },
  "dating": {
   "tier": "cited",
   "source": "s:wp-ofuda"
  },
  "object": {
   "tier": "cited",
   "source": "s:wp-ofuda"
  }
 },
 "primary_image": null,
 "tag_facts": [],
 "recognition_facts": [],
 "acclaim": 0,
 "against_facts": [
  {
   "key": "bad-luck",
   "label": "Bad luck, unspecified",
   "who": "Japanese carriers, for whom burning the year's omamori is a sign of respect to the deity that helped them through it",
   "quote": "",
   "source": "s:wp-omamori",
   "tier": "cited",
   "note": ""
  },
  {
   "key": "spirits",
   "label": "Ghosts and hungry spirits",
   "who": "Korean mudang, who close a gut by burning name tags, ancestors' clothes, straw shoes and imitation money to send the spirits off",
   "quote": "",
   "source": "s:wp-korean-shamanism",
   "tier": "cited",
   "note": ""
  },
  {
   "key": "witchcraft",
   "label": "Another person's sorcery",
   "who": "English folk practice, in which a witch bottle thrown on the fire broke the spell when it burst",
   "quote": "",
   "source": "s:wp-witch-bottle",
   "tier": "cited",
   "note": ""
  }
 ],
 "material_facts": [
  {
   "key": "paper",
   "label": "Paper",
   "kind": "written"
  },
  {
   "key": "wood",
   "label": "Wood",
   "kind": "plant"
  },
  {
   "key": "cloth",
   "label": "Cloth",
   "kind": "textile"
  }
 ],
 "worn_facts": [
  {
   "key": "burnt",
   "label": "Burnt",
   "group": "taken"
  },
  {
   "key": "wall",
   "label": "On a wall",
   "group": "placed"
  },
  {
   "key": "lintel",
   "label": "Above the lintel",
   "group": "placed"
  }
 ],
 "form_fact": {
  "key": "folded-paper",
  "label": "Folded paper"
 },
 "holding_facts": [],
 "span": "1764 CE to now",
 "country_names": [
  {
   "iso": "JP",
   "name": "Japan"
  },
  {
   "iso": "KR",
   "name": "South Korea"
  },
  {
   "iso": "BT",
   "name": "Bhutan"
  },
  {
   "iso": "NP",
   "name": "Nepal"
  },
  {
   "iso": "CN",
   "name": "China"
  },
  {
   "iso": "IE",
   "name": "Ireland"
  },
  {
   "iso": "GB",
   "name": "United Kingdom"
  }
 ],
 "kin_in": [
  {
   "from": "brigids-cross",
   "type": "amulet",
   "name": "Brigid's cross",
   "as": "one of the two disposals the custom allows; burial is the preferred one, for a saint associated with agriculture",
   "rel": "practice"
  },
  {
   "from": "daruma",
   "type": "amulet",
   "name": "Daruma",
   "as": "the ending: daruma kuyō, tens of thousands burnt together after New Year",
   "rel": "practice"
  },
  {
   "from": "exam-charm",
   "type": "amulet",
   "name": "Exam charm",
   "as": "what happens to the omamori and the ema afterwards — returned and burnt, not binned",
   "rel": "practice"
  },
  {
   "from": "lungta-flag",
   "type": "amulet",
   "name": "Lung ta prayer flag",
   "as": "how it ends: old flags are burned, never binned and never put on the ground",
   "rel": "practice"
  },
  {
   "from": "ofuda",
   "type": "amulet",
   "name": "Ofuda",
   "as": "the ending: Sagichō or Dondoyaki, the Little New Year fire on 14 or 15 January",
   "rel": "practice"
  },
  {
   "from": "omamori",
   "type": "amulet",
   "name": "Omamori",
   "as": "how it ends: returned to the shrine and burnt at the Sagichō or Dondoyaki fire in mid-January",
   "rel": "practice"
  },
  {
   "from": "ping-an-fu",
   "type": "amulet",
   "name": "Ping'an fu",
   "as": "how it ends, at the temple, before Lunar New Year",
   "rel": "practice"
  },
  {
   "from": "japanese-engimono",
   "type": "tradition",
   "name": "Engimono",
   "as": "the other end of that year — an old charm goes back to its own shrine to be burnt, not thrown away",
   "rel": "practice"
  },
  {
   "from": "paper",
   "type": "material",
   "name": "Paper",
   "as": "the practice a paper charm usually ends in",
   "rel": "practice"
  },
  {
   "from": "wood",
   "type": "material",
   "name": "Wood",
   "as": "the practice most of this material is built for — a wish released by fire",
   "rel": "practice"
  },
  {
   "from": "burying",
   "type": "practice",
   "name": "Burying",
   "as": "the other end for a charm, and the one Irish practice weighs against burial",
   "rel": "contrast"
  },
  {
   "from": "renewing-yearly",
   "type": "practice",
   "name": "Renewing yearly",
   "as": "where last year's charm goes on 14 or 15 January",
   "rel": "practice"
  },
  {
   "from": "omamori-word",
   "type": "term",
   "name": "omamori",
   "as": "how it ends: returned to the shrine it came from and burnt",
   "rel": "practice"
  }
 ]
}