In the past (or even today) were there certain people who, when saying お陰様で,
actually believed and meant that their state of well-being was in fact due to
people (or beings, whether they be supernatural or not), working
surreptitiously behind-the-scenes (in "the shadows" so to speak), unbeknownst
to them?
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2022-11-27T21:05:21.870
97408
2022-11-28T04:22:05.270
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question
meaning etymology expressions
The true meaning of お陰様で
At least in postwar Japan, this is a common set phrase that does not
necessarily assume the presence of a specific human or deity working behind-
the-scenes. In other words, it can be used like either "thanks to X" (with a
specific X as a supporter in mind) or just unspecific "thankfully". There is
no religious significance at all at least in modern Japanese.

Etymologically, [お陰](https://jisho.org/word/%E3%81%8A%E8%94%AD) has something
to do with religious beliefs, so some people in the past may have used this in
connection with religion.
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2022-11-28T04:22:05.270
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2022-11-28T04:22:05.270
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answer