Amida Kuji (Ghost Leg) — Random Draw Lottery Generator

An Amida lottery consists of vertical lines (one per participant) connected by random horizontal rungs. Each participant starts at the top of their own vertical line and follows it downward, turning left or right whenever they encounter a horizontal rung. The path traced through the intersections of vertical and horizontal lines determines which result at the bottom the participant receives. The name "Amida" comes from the resemblance of the radiating lines of the lottery grid to the halo depicted in Japanese Buddhist iconography of Amida Buddha. The fairness of the lottery is structural: because rungs connect adjacent vertical lines only and cannot overlap, every path through the grid leads to a unique result, guaranteeing a one-to-one mapping between participants and outcomes.

In Japanese culture, Amida Kuji is commonly used for task assignment (who cleans which area of the office), seating assignments at group meals, determining turn order for games or presentations, prize draws at year-end parties (bonenkai), assigning roles in group projects, and deciding among options when no consensus can be reached. The lottery is valued not just for its fairness but for its transparency — the entire structure is visible before paths are revealed, so participants can see that the system is unmanipulated. This transparency makes it more socially acceptable than a simple random draw when the stakes matter to participants.

The number of horizontal rungs on the grid affects how much mixing occurs between starting positions and final results. With few rungs, participants who start near each other tend to end up near each other in the results — the grid does not shuffle positions very much. With many rungs, the paths cross frequently, creating greater randomness and reducing any correlation between starting position and final result. For most casual uses, medium rung density provides a good balance of visual complexity and unpredictability. For high-stakes assignments where perceived randomness matters, use the "many rungs" setting to maximize mixing and make it visually clear that the paths cross extensively before reaching the results.

Use Amida Kuji for assigning rotating duties such as meeting facilitation, note-taking, or on-call responsibilities among team members. Enter participant names at the top and role names or duty assignments at the bottom. The animated reveal makes the assignment feel like an event rather than an administrative decision, which can reduce complaints about perceived unfairness. For assigning teams for hackathons or group projects, use multiple rounds of Amida Kuji — first round to assign team captains, subsequent rounds to fill each team with remaining participants. The visible structure of the lottery means participants can see their path and verify the result.

Amida Kuji works well for small-scale prize draws at team events, parties, and celebrations. Enter participant names at the top and prize names (or prize tiers) at the bottom. Run the animation publicly on a shared screen so all participants can watch their path traced simultaneously. For events where some prizes are more desirable than others, participants appreciate the transparency of seeing the full grid structure, which makes it clear that no manipulation occurred. For groups larger than 20 participants, consider dividing into multiple rounds of Amida Kuji rather than trying to fit everyone into a single grid where text becomes too small to read comfortably.

When a group is unable to reach consensus on a decision and needs an impartial tiebreaker, Amida Kuji provides a structured and transparent randomization method. Enter the decision options at the bottom and assign each participant (or "vote token") to a starting position. The option at the end of the winning path becomes the chosen option. Because the full grid is visible before any paths are revealed, participants can verify that the structure was not designed to favor any particular option. This transparency is particularly valuable in group settings where trust among participants is important and a simple coin flip might be perceived as too arbitrary or too easily manipulated.