火ひ伏ふせ

Meanings

Often refers to protection from fire through spiritual means, such as charms, rituals, or the favor of a deity. Not used for modern fire safety measures like smoke detectors.

この神じん社じゃは火ひ伏ふせのご利り益やくで知しられている。
This shrine is known for its divine protection against fire.
火ひ伏ふせのお札ふだを台だい所どころに貼はった。
I put up a fire-prevention charm in the kitchen.

Kanji

火fire
伏prostrated, bend down, bow
防ward off, defend, protect

Related words

防ぼう火か
防火 is the standard modern term for fire prevention and fire safety, including practical measures like fireproof construction and fire drills. 火伏せ is limited to traditional, spiritual, or talismanic protection against fire.

Built from

火ひ+伏ふせる

Written forms

火ひ伏ふせ
Standard kanji spelling for fire prevention, especially in a spiritual or talismanic context.
火ひ防ふせ
Alternate kanji spelling; less common but still used in some proper names and traditional contexts.

Etymology

Compound of 火 (hi, 'fire') and 伏せ (fuse, the nominalized stem of 伏せる 'to cover, to hide, to lay low'), literally 'fire-subduing'. The exact historical origin is uncertain, but the word has long been used in folk religion and Shinto contexts for warding off fire.