Japanese shrine offers country’s first NFT amulets

A shrine in the eastern city of Chiba has launched the first NFT amulet collection in Japan. 

The digital amulets in the Kemigawa Jinja Collection have 10 variants, depending on the spheres of life they cover, such as “business success,” “love fulfilment” and “home safety.” The collection has specifically included blessings for Web3 users, with “wallet safety” and “floor price drop protection” amulets which pray for the safety of crypto assets and their prices.

The collection was launched on July 29 by the Kemigawa Shrine in Hanamigawa-ku, Chiba City,  in collaboration with Kojiki project, a team of creators who make digital artworks based on Japanese mythology and the classic literature Kojiki.

To align with the belief that the blessing power of an amulet will expire after one year, the NFT amulets will automatically be “burnt” – or disappear – one year after issuance. However, they will be converted into new NFTs that can be kept after the burn.

The Kemigawa Jinja Collection NFTs are priced at 0.005 ETH each, and are linked to the crypto asset wallet Metamask. Secondary sales are possible on the major NFT marketplace OpenSea, but secondary products may be burnt less than one year.

The Kemigawa Shrine has traditionally sold amulets online, especially for worshippers from distant locations or those with difficulty to pay a visit in person. 

In September, the shrine will convert its “monthly red seals” into NFTs as well. A red seal  stamp is given to worshippers or visitors to shrines or Buddhist temples. They are often collected in books. The red seal NFTs will be released every month and people who have collected 12 months of them will be awarded with a special NFT. 

To uphold a tradition about paying tributes to donors, the shrine also has plans to launch another NFT around December. Buyers of the NFT will have their names inscribed on the physical torii gates or lanterns in the shrine. There are also plans to set up a virtual shrine in the metaverse as well.

The Kemigawa Shrine is regarded as an entity that offers people protection against misfortunes coming from all directions.