- A Chinese man placed joss paper instead of money in Japan's Sensoji Temple donation box
- He drew fortune stick number 68, which had the inscription Kichi, meaning auspicious
- The man claimed Japanese fortune sticks do not bless Chinese people and cited Chinese customs
A Chinese man placing joss paper, also known as "hell money", into a fortune-drawing money collection box at Japan's Sensoji Temple has sparked widespread outrage. The act has been viewed as an example of disrespectful behaviour at a popular cultural and religious site, reported South China Morning Post.
Visitors to the temple put 100 yen (Rs 57.24) into a donation box and choose one of 100 bamboo sticks placed in a tube. After replacing the money with joss paper, the man picked stick number 68 and found an omikuji with the inscription "Kichi," which means auspicious.
Before drawing a paper from the bundle of joss paper, he said that Japanese fortune-telling sticks do not bless Chinese people and that the Chinese have their own way.
A friend standing next to him also said that he was "deceiving the devils." In some China-related situations, the use of the word "devil" for Japan is considered a derogatory term for the Japanese invaders of World War II.
In China, people burn "hell money" for the dead because they believe it helps them live better in the afterlife. Keeping hell money at home or carrying it while traveling is seen as bad luck, and it should never be used to wish for good fortune.
