What is a binbogami?
The binbogami is a god said to attach itself to people or houses and make the household poor. It is described as a gaunt, pale old man holding a torn fan, and was thought to live in closets, attics and dark corners of the house. In contrast, the best-known household spirit that makes a house prosper is the zashiki-warashi.
What the binbogami likes
The binbogami is said to like lazy people and messy houses. There was also a saying that if you grill miso on the hearth, the fragrant smell attracts the binbogami. Various regions have “binbogami-okuri” rituals, held at year’s end and other times, to drive the god of poverty out of the house and send it beyond the village.
Stories of worshipping the binbogami and becoming rich
On the other hand, there are stories of gaining good fortune by treating the binbogami well. The Eternal Storehouse of Japan (1688) by the Edo-period writer Ihara Saikaku includes the story of a man who devotedly worshipped the god of poverty and, in return, was granted good fortune and succeeded in business. Ota Shrine, in the grounds of Ushi-Tenjin Kitano Shrine in Bunkyo, Tokyo, enshrines Kokuanten, said to be the god of poverty, and is known as a shrine where people pray for good fortune by honoring the god of poverty.
The god of poverty and the god of pestilence
Another god who brings misfortune is the god of pestilence, who spreads disease. Stories of these gods show the wisdom of people in the past, who tried not just to drive bad things away but to get along with them and worship them, turning misfortune into fortune.
