What “Usemono” (Lost Items) Means in Omikuji and How to Read the Clues for Finding Them

Have you noticed the “usemono” (lost items) or “shitsubutsu” section when drawing omikuji? It may seem less exciting than sections like “the awaited person” or “romance,” but it is actually one of the oldest and most important categories of guidance included in omikuji. This article explains the meaning of usemono, how to decode specific phrases, how to combine it with other categories, and how to apply it to daily life.

Usemono Refers Not Only to Misplaced Objects but Also to Lost Treasures in a Broader Sense

“Usemono” is an old Japanese word literally meaning “things that have been lost” or “things that cannot be found.” In omikuji, it is sometimes written as “shitsubutsu,” and both are pronounced “usemono.”

However, the “things” here are not limited to physical possessions like wallets or keys. Relationships with family, partners, or friends; career opportunities; trust; confidence — everything you once valued but have lost falls under “usemono.” Omikuji have been part of everyday life since the Edo period, and for people of that era, “usemono” was a broad concept encompassing not just theft or misplacement but also missing family members and severed ties.

The Association of Shinto Shrines explains that omikuji include “guidance related to all aspects of life, including financial fortune, romance, lost items, travel, the awaited person, and health” (Source: Association of Shinto Shrines). Usemono is not a mere bonus category but an important guide for surveying all aspects of life.

Common Phrases in the Usemono Section and How to Decode Them

The usemono section uses short phrases in classical Japanese style. Since these differ from modern Japanese, many people find them difficult to understand. Here is a reference table of representative expressions:

Phrase	Meaning	Likelihood of Finding
Izubeshi / Debeshi	Will be found	High
Dezubeshi	Will eventually appear	High
Osoku tomo izubeshi	Takes time but will be found	Moderately high
Chikaki ni ari	It’s somewhere nearby	High
Takaki tokoro ni ari	Look in a high place	High
Hikiki tokoro ni ari	Look in a low place or at your feet	High
Ie no uchi ni ari	It’s inside your home	High
Hito no te ni ari / Hito ni wataru	Someone else has it	Moderate
Degatashi	Hard to find	Low
Dezu	Won’t be found	Low
Osokereba nashi	Act quickly or it will be gone	Conditional

Notice that many phrases include hints about where or how to search, not just whether the item will be found. The usemono section is not a simple yes-or-no verdict; it’s meant to be read as a practical guide suggesting “how to act.”

Knowing Classical Expressions for Location and Timing Improves Your Reading

Beyond the list above, some shrines use unique classical expressions. Learning the ones related to location, timing, and circumstances will help you read omikuji more deeply.

Location Expressions

Phrase	Meaning
East / West / South / North no ho ni ari	Search primarily in that compass direction
Mizu no chikaku ni ari	Search near water: kitchen, washroom, bathroom
Kuraki tokoro ni ari	Search in dark places: closets, back of drawers
Mono no aida ni ari / Mono no shita ni ari	Caught between objects or hidden underneath something
Mon no soto ni ari	Outside your home; may have been lost while out

Timing and Condition Expressions

Phrase	Meaning
Hayaku tazunubeshi / Isogi sagasubeshi	Act quickly and you’ll find it; delay and you won’t
Kokoro shizuka ni shite sagasubeshi	Search calmly without panicking and you’ll find it
Shibaraku shite izu	Won’t be found immediately, but will appear with time
Omowanu tokoro yori izu	Will appear from an unexpected place; let go of assumptions
Motomezu tomo izu	Will surface naturally without searching

These expressions may seem vague at first, but they contain clear guidance on “where,” “when,” and “with what attitude” to search. Since phrasing varies by shrine, if your omikuji uses an expression not listed here, try to identify whether it indicates location, timing, or conditions as a starting point for interpretation.

“A Child May Know” or “A Woman May Know” — These Point to Who to Ask

The usemono section sometimes includes expressions suggesting not just where to look, but whom to ask. These also have distinctive phrasing, so let’s organize them.

Expressions About People

Phrase	Meaning
Kodomo no shiru koto ari	A child may have a clue
Danshi no shiru koto ari	A man may have information
Joshi no shiru koto ari	A woman may have information
Mijika na hito ni tazuneyo	Ask someone close to you
Hito no te ni ari	Someone is holding onto it or picked it up
Nencho no hito ni toe	Ask an elder or someone senior
Onore ga kokoro ni toe	Search your own memory to find the answer

If you see “a child may know,” a straightforward interpretation is to literally ask a child, “Have you seen this?” It’s actually not uncommon for young children to have moved things without telling anyone. (The classic scenario of keys or wallets ending up in a child’s toy box is quite real.)

“Search your own heart” is a particularly profound expression. When searching for something, anxiety and assumptions tend to narrow your vision. Pausing to calmly recall “when did I last have it” and “where was I then” can often revive the memory surprisingly well.

However, don’t take these expressions to mean “that person must be the culprit.” Omikuji offer “directional hints for where to look,” not grounds for suspecting specific individuals. The right way to read them is as an encouragement to “ask around” as a starting point for action.

Combining Usemono with Direction and Machibito Provides More Clues

Rather than reading each section separately, combining multiple sections can reveal more specific guidance. The usemono section pairs particularly well with “direction” and “machibito.”

Combining with Direction

The direction section may say things like “south is favorable” or “west is unlucky.” If the usemono section doesn’t include a location hint, the direction section can fill in the gap. For example, if usemono says “will be found” and direction says “east is favorable,” you might “focus your search in the east direction from where you are.”

Direction is generally based on your home as the reference point. “South” could mean a south-facing room in your house, or a location south of your home such as your workplace or a frequently visited shop. Using this to jog your memory can lead to useful leads.

Combining with Machibito

The machibito section indicates the arrival of important encounters or news. If usemono says “someone else has it” and machibito says “coming,” you can interpret it as “someone will soon provide a lead.” Conversely, if usemono says “hard to find” and machibito says “not coming,” the combined message is “don’t force the search right now; wait for better timing.”

This cross-referencing approach is closer to the original way omikuji were meant to be read. Rather than reacting emotionally to individual categories, receiving the overall message yields more accurate guidance for action.

“Won’t Be Found” or “Hard to Find” Is No Reason to Despair

Seeing “won’t be found” or “hard to find” in the usemono section is naturally discouraging. But there’s another way to read these results.

“Won’t be found” can also mean “you won’t lose anything in the future” — in other words, “there is nothing to lose.” If you’re currently searching for something, it means “difficult to find.” But if you drew the omikuji with nothing particular in mind, you can take it as reassurance that “you won’t lose anything important for a while.”

Omikuji phrases change meaning depending on the reader’s circumstances. The same “won’t be found” can be interpreted in opposite ways depending on whether you’re actually looking for something. This is similar to reading Kyo as “I’m at the bottom, so things can only go up.” (Remembering that omikuji don’t impose results but offer behavioral hints makes it easier to take them in stride.)

“Act Quickly or It Will Be Gone” Is a Call to Action

“Osokereba nashi” means “if you’re late, it will be gone.” Flipped around, acting quickly means there’s a chance of finding it.

When you get this phrase, don’t put it off. Check places that come to mind right away. File a lost item report, contact people who might know. Taking concrete action early is key. Think of the omikuji as pushing you to “hurry” — a motivator for action.

Practical Actions for Searching Based on Usemono Clues

After reading the usemono section, the next step is concrete action. Here’s how to use the omikuji’s clues to boost your chances of actually finding what you’ve lost:

• If there’s a location hint (“in a high place,” “near water,” etc.) → List all places matching the description and check them one by one
• If there’s a person hint (“a child may know,” etc.) → Ask that person. If direct asking feels awkward, casually bring it up: “Have you seen [item] lately?”
• If there’s a timing hint (“will appear after a while,” etc.) → Be patient, but use the time to tidy and organize
• If it says “hard to find” or “won’t be found” → Accept that it may not turn up and take preventive measures (assign fixed spots for items, use tracking tags, etc.)

The foundation of finding lost items is “tracing your last memory of using it.” Omikuji hints are remarkably effective at triggering memory recall. When told “in a high place,” checking shelf tops or upper bookshelf rows might prompt “oh wait, I remember putting it on the shelf that time.” Omikuji phrases are not telling you the exact location but offering hints to break your assumptions and expand your search scope — and approaching them this way genuinely increases your chances of finding things.

Beyond Physical Objects: A Modern, Broader View of “Usemono”

In modern life, the meaning of usemono extends beyond whether a lost wallet will turn up. Let’s reconsider what omikuji’s “lost items” can mean from a broader perspective.

For example, if you’ve lost confidence at work or in a relationship, and the usemono section says “will be found,” you can read it as “your lost confidence will return.” A friendship that has grown distant is also a form of “usemono”; “someone else has it” could mean “the other person may reach out.” If you’ve lost sight of a dream you once had, “it’s nearby” is a message that “the answer isn’t far away — it’s closer than you think.”

This broader interpretation aligns with the cultural background of omikuji. Edo-period omikuji also functioned not just as divination for lost objects but as guidance about “things lost” and “things to be reclaimed” in life as a whole. Reading omikuji through the lens of our current situation is fully in line with their original purpose.

How to Apply the Usemono Section to Daily Life

The usemono section isn’t just for people actively looking for something. Even without a specific lost item, there are practical applications:

• If you get “hard to find” or “won’t be found,” use it as a cue to review how you manage valuables (assign fixed spots for wallets and keys, etc.)
• If you get “it’s nearby” or “it’s in your home,” designate it as a day for tidying and organizing
• If you get “someone else has it,” reflect on whether there are relationships you’ve let drift
• If you get “a child may know,” increase communication with your family
• If you get “act quickly or it will be gone,” tackle tasks you’ve been postponing
• If you get “search calmly,” take a step back from your hectic daily pace

As mentioned at the start, “usemono” is not limited to physical belongings. Severed relationships, forgotten dreams and goals, and lost self-confidence can all be read as “usemono.” Using the usemono section as a prompt to think about “what is currently missing from my life” is the most practical way to apply omikuji to your daily routine.

Why Usemono Expressions Differ Between Shrines

Even for the same usemono category, the expressions used vary from shrine to shrine. One shrine might simply say “will be found,” while another says “in a high place; search quickly” with a location hint added.

One reason for this variation is that omikuji come from different manufacturers. About 70% of omikuji at shrines nationwide are produced by Joshidosha in Shunan City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, but the remaining 30% are independently created by individual shrines, with phrasing and category structure left to each shrine’s discretion.

At Buddhist temples, omikuji tend to center on Chinese poems or waka poetry, and may not include separate categories like “usemono” at all. Shrine omikuji tend to feature specific daily-life categories such as machibito, usemono, travel, and commerce, while temple omikuji are often read as a holistic message. (If your omikuji doesn’t have a usemono section, look for clues in the poem or overall text.)

In Closing

The “usemono” (lost items) section in omikuji is both a divination about whether something lost can be found and a message prompting you to reconsider what you truly value. “Will be found” means keep searching with peace of mind; “won’t be found” means take it as an opportunity to review how you manage things and relationships. Combining it with direction and machibito sections yields more specific behavioral hints. Whatever the result, connecting it to your next action is the true way to make the most of omikuji.

Omikuji Sando lets you draw your personalized fortune based on your date of birth, completely free every day. Discover the messages you need today, from usemono to all 12 tiers of authentic omikuji. Why not check your fortune today?