In Japan, Swastikas Are Symbols of Good Luck and Health, Not Hatred and Nazis

Buddhist Shrine with swastika lanterns in Osaka, Japan.

In Japan the swastika is called the manji (卍). It is an ancient symbol of good luck and well-being.

The symbol was on maps in Japan to denote Shinto and Buddhist shrines and temples. I remember seeing it on Google maps the first time I visited Japan in November, 2016 and marveled at the impression this symbol made on my psyche.

And it had nothing to do with Nazis, but the power of activating the powerful seeds of healing and auspiciousness within me and my psyche. 

Shinto Shrine with swastikas in Kyoto, Japan.

Japan, however, decided to change the swastika to pagodas or torii gates in preparation for the for the 2019 Rugby World Cup and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The changes will not apply to Japanese-language maps, and there is no suggestion that the temples themselves should remove manji from their premises.

But it just doesn’t have the same effect, and we are all losing something within ourselves as a result, such as access to our inner lives via the mythic dimension that our psyches (psyche means soul in Greek) need and crave in these troubled times.

Swastikas on Shinto Shrine, Osaka, Japan.

I love finding shrines with the swastika around Japan. I stumbled across one just the other day. Here are a few photos.  For more photos and information on the power of this symbol and how we can reclaim it to heal ourselves and the planet, visit my Mythic Yoga blog about the swastika.

Shinto Shrine with swastika near Nishikujo Station in Osaka, Japan. Photo by Sydney Solis

 

Buddhist Shrine with swastika near Dontonburi in Osaka, Japan.

Buddhist Shrine with swastika lanterns in Osaka, Japan.

Shinto Shrine with swastika near Nishikujo Station in Osaka, Japan.