Description
Brand new Japanese Shinto altar offering
tray (sanbou). Wooden trays such as this are used in Japan to present offerings upon a deity altar within a Japanese
Shinto shrine (please read below to learn more about Shinto).
The tray is made of high quality Hinoki Japanese
cypress. This
is the prime variety of Japanese cypress and has been known and used in Japan
since ancient times. Its habitat extends from the mountainous reaches of
Fukushima prefecture on the Japanese island of Honshu,
south to the island of Shikoku. Hinoki is favored by Japanese
craftsmen who appreciate it's resilience and resistance to cracking, high
density and light weight. Hinoki woodcraft are normally left unfinished
in order that the fine straight grain and natural whiteness may be appreciated.
Hinoki has long been the preferred wood for the making of Shinto
ceremonial objects. The Shinto religion
places great emphasis on purity, and the clean white appearance and pleasant
fragrance of freshly planed (Japanese craftsmen rarely use sandpaper) hinoki
make it perfect for the manufacture of religious implements. Shinto offering stands differ
from Buddhist offering stands (keshoku) in that the latter are commonly
round with a lacquer finish while Shinto
sanbou are more frequently square shaped with no finish.
The Shinto sanbou offered with this listing features a tray
which is four (yon) sun units wide, where a single sun unit
equals approximately 1.2 inches. The sun unit is part of an ancient
Oriental system of measure called kanejaku in Japan. This system of
measure is no longer commonly used by the Japanese, though it is still sometimes
encountered especially in the fields of architecture and with the manufacture of
traditional woodcraft and religious items. We offer this same sanbou
in larger 5 and 6 sun unit sizes (5.9 inch and 7.1 inch respectively).
Please click
here to see all available sizes or refer to the size chart
below for a particular size tray.
Size:
Height: 2.1 inches (5.5 centimeters)
Width of tray: four Japanese sun units = 4.7 inches (12.1 centimeters)
Weight: 2.9 ounces (83 grams)
Additional Sizes
- 4.7 inch (12.1 cm) - click
here
- 5.9 inch (15.2 cm) - click
here
- 7.1 inch (18.2 cm - click
here
Click
here
to see other new and old offering stands and trays!
Click
here
to see more Shinto items!
Click
here
to see additional treasures from Japan!
More about the Shinto religion
Shinto
is one of the two major religions of Japan (the other is Buddhism). Shinto
is often considered to be the native religion
of Japan, and is as old as Japan itself. The name Shinto means "the way
of the gods." Shinto is a pantheistic religion, in which many thousands
of major and minor gods are thought to exist. The Japanese have built
thousands
of shrines (jinja) throughout the country to honor and worship these gods. Some shrines
are huge and are devoted to important deities, while other shrines are small and may
be easily missed when strolling along roads in the countryside.
Shinto gods are called kami. Kami are thought to have
influence on human affairs, and for this reason many Japanese make regular
pilgrimage to community shrines in order to offer prayers to local kami.
The act of prayer involves approaching the shrine structure, passing through the
gate-like torii, cleansing the hands and mouth
with water and possibly ascending stairs to the main entrance of the shrine.
Usually without entering the shrine the worshipper will throw some coins into a
stone or wooden collection box and then rattle the suzu bell which is at
the top of a long hemp rope. The worshiper grabs hold of the rope and shakes it
back and forth causing the copper bell at the top to rattle. This is thought to
get the attention of the shrine god. The worshipper then bows twice, claps his
or her hands twice and then bows again. In addition, the worshipper may clasp
their hands together in silent prayer. Shintoism and Buddhism have managed to
find a comfortable coexistence in Japan. Evidence of this harmonious relationship is
found in the fact that that most Japanese are married in a Shinto shrine,
but buried by a Buddhist priest.
More photos below!
item code: INV-0000065_01 REL-0000315
category code: (keshoku_sanbou)
ship code: G3
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