Background

"Chiko Sakai, a young priest at Ikegami Jisso Temple of Nichiren Buddhism, is apprehensive of the recent drop in people’s interest in temples and is active in trying to make temples more socially relevant. In 2015, he started a service named Personalized Charm (OMAMO in Japanese) by updating Japanese traditional omamori (small charms that are imbued with one’s wishes, such as protection against evil or attracting happiness), which had previously been intended for very limited wishes, so that they could be customized to an individual’s wishes and worries. Many people will come to Japan from around the world for the quadrennial sports event in 2020. We sought ways to seize this opportunity to arouse the interest of people from around the world in temples and Buddhism."

Describe the creative idea (40% of vote)

"This led to the development of Weave Peace Charm named after Peace Through Sports, a philosophy of the sports event. Combining the traditional patterns from different countries' cultures with a Japanese traditional pattern conveys our wish for Peace Through Sports. "

Describe the execution (40% of vote)

"In developing the Charm, the first thing we did is to select as many countries and their traditional patterns as we could find. They include, among many others: ・ Ikat, a pattern which has been used in Uzbekistan's Ferghana Basin for generations; ・ Korhogo, a pattern from Mali used to dye cloth with mud; ・ Spanish dots, the symbol of flamenco costumes; and ・ A traditional textile pattern from Laos woven with a formative sense unique to Laotian ethnic minorities. To pay respect to national and regional cultures, we have combined their patterns with a Japanese traditional pattern.From Japan, we chose the ichimatsu pattern, which is meant to attract good luck.We also wanted the charms to stimulate young people’s interest, and to look poppy and modern.So we chose Jacguard weaving, characterized by beautiful texturing and colors. We tried to ensure that they do not look too casual or heavy.

List the results (20% of vote)

"The project will continue until the sports event in 2020, We would like to familiarize temples and people with each other by livening up the quadrennial sports event in a way that only temples can. Chiko Sakai supports the event with the Weave Peace Charm. "