There are myriads of kami (gods) in the Shinto religion. To honor the kami, the Japanese people build shrines and organize festivals (matsuri). Many Japanese have in their homes small kamidana shrines, where they bring offerings to pay respect to the kami and to pray for health, protection, good luck and wealth.
There is, however, a kami whom nobody wants to have around. He looks like an old man, weak, ragged and dirty and is called binbōgami.
The kami of poverty, Binbōgami
He is the kami of… poverty, and contrary to what one might think, he doesn’t help the poor, on the contrary, he brings poverty to the houses where he enters in. And once inside, it is very difficult to get rid of him … but not impossible. ;)
It is believed that binbōgami can be driven away by throwing beans at him… or if the fire in the irori is lit in the New Year’s Eve , the heat will drive away binbōgami and will invite fukunokami, the kami of good luck.
Another Japanese custom is to blow into the fire through a piece of bamboo, then stuck a coin in the bamboo and throw it into a river. Binbōgami would get out of the house to search for the coin… :)
The kami of poverty, Binbōgami
Also, it is believed that binbōgami likes the smell of miso, so he can be can be removed from the house by enticing him with hot miso…
But probably the best method is to go to a shrine dedicated to binbōgami, like this one from Iida City, Nagano, where the visitors can perform this odd ritual: the wooden statue is hit three times with a bat… then kicked three times and finally beans are thrown to drive the binbōgami away… :D
