The tradition of tortoiseshell divination came to Japan from China. Turtles are a symbol of wisdom and omniscience. Its shell is thought to be a prototype of the universe. Therefore, it is obvious that when making difficult decisions, people resorted to its help.
Japanese divinations
The divination technology is quite simple - people take a tortoise shell and burn it. As a result, a “skeleton” remains, on which cracks, lines and irregularities add up to some kind of images. This is the way people previously determined the places most favorable for the construction of cities and the cultivation of rice, etc.
The origin of the word 占い (うらない), also came from this process. ト on the top denotes a crack in the shell that signifies fate. ロ on the bottom denotes the place (shell?) where the process happens. Signs with this word can be found in large 商店街(shopping districts). It signifies a place where you can be told your fortune.
Divination process
Before performing divination, it was necessary to prepare the bones. First, they were cleansed of the flesh. Then the masters put questions on the surface of the bone and made a series of holes in the shell. When it was time to ask the spirits a question, they inserted hot brands into the prepared recesses and waited for the shell to crack. The shape of the crack reflected the spirits' answers to each question. And from the images that could be seen on the surface of the bone, it was possible to “read” the details.
Before performing divination, it was necessary to prepare the bones. First, they were cleansed of the flesh. Then the masters put questions on the surface of the bone and made a series of holes in the shell. When it was time to ask the spirits a question, they inserted hot brands into the prepared recesses and waited for the shell to crack. The shape of the crack reflected the spirits' answers to each question. And from the images that could be seen on the surface of the bone, it was possible to “read” the details.
Fortune telling on a turtle is not something out of the ordinary. It cannot be said that it is as widespread as, for example, fortune telling on coffee grounds in Turkey. Since there are simply not enough turtles for all 120 million Japanese. Moreover, the commercial scale catching of turtles is prohibited in order to preserve this species.
But recently, this ritual was performed during the ritual of the ascension to the throne of the new emperor of Japan, Naruhito. On May 13, 2019, two thin plates made from tortoise shell were heated over a flame until a crack formed and then used to determine where rice should be grown for the Daizesai festival, a major autumn ceremony presided over by the new Emperor Naruhito.
How do people tell fortunes in your country?
