The ofuda is a household talisman issued by a shrine, a strip or tablet of paper, wood or occasionally metal inscribed with the name of a kami, which brings the protection of that deity into the home.
The name that protects
The ofuda bears the name of a kami and is issued by the shrine of that deity, and it is enshrined in the home, most often placed within the household shrine, the kamidana, so that the protection and presence of the kami are established in the dwelling. Where the omamori is carried on the person, the ofuda protects the house and household, and it is treated with respect as a genuine seat of the sacred name rather than a mere token, installed in the highest and cleanest place available.
The great ofuda of Ise
Ofuda are obtained at the local shrine and, notably, the ofuda of the Grand Shrine of Ise is distributed across the country to be enshrined in homes, so that households throughout Japan may keep the talisman of the shrine of the sun goddess in their kamidana, a practice that links ordinary homes to the central shrine of Shinto. Like the omamori, the ofuda is renewed annually, the old one returned to the shrine to be burned and a fresh one installed, most often at the new year. The object thus brings the name and protection of a kami into the home and, through the annual renewal and the distribution of the Ise ofuda, ties the household to the wider world of the shrines.