Description
Small ceramic Japanese Buddhist altar incense burner (koro). This
type of incense burner is used with Buddhist home altars called Butsudan
(please read below to learn more about Butsudan). The burner is in very good condition with only small scratches and marks as evidence of its past
service This incense burner is less than 40 years old and was acquired in the historic city of Shizuoka, Japan near the foot of Mt. Fuji.
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Size:
Height: 3.4 inches (8.7 centimeters)
Diameter of body: 3.5 inches (9.0 centimeters)
Weight: 8.2 ounces (234 grams)
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More about Japanese Buddhist home altars
At the start of the long
Japanese Edo period (1600-1868) the Shogun, Tokugawa Ieyasu determined that the country of Nippon (Japan) should
be closed to the outside world with the exception of a few ports of trade.
This was done in an effort to protect Japan from the colonizing forces of the
west and in particular to isolate the Japanese people from the influences of
Christianity, which the Shogun viewed as a threat to the principals of
Confucianism upon which his rule did depend. Over time this ruler's fear
of Christianity grew such that laws were eventually passed requiring the
Japanese to annually swear devotion to Buddhism. Fearing the threat and
penalties of Christian belief, many Japanese families began to erect small
Buddhist altars within their home as further proof of their loyalty to Buddhism.
These home altars or butsudan were commonly outfitted with
religious implements such as bells, incense burners, candlesticks and statues
such that they might resemble Buddhist temples in miniature. Specialist
crafts developed for the sole purpose of manufacturing beautiful wooden
butsudan and their associated articles of worship. Over time, the
practice of maintaining a home altar lost it's original purpose of publicly
expressing one's loyalty to Buddhism and instead became an accepted and
important household function, particularly with families acting as the head of
the household name (usually the first born son's household). Far from
being forgotten as a relic of Japan's past, the butsudan is today an
important household fixture which may receive daily attention by family members
who consider the altar to symbolically enshrine the spirits and memories of
departed ancestors.
In my wife's (Japanese) parent's home a large butsudan
can be found in the central family room. My
wife's parents are very traditional Japanese and each morning and evening the
butsudan receives a ceremonial offering of fresh water and the first scoop
of rice from the rice cooker. The offering is prepared in the kitchen by my
mother-in-law and delivered to the altar by my father-in-law who also rings the
altar bell and offers a prayer upon delivering the water and rice. This
practice is still quite common in Japan (particularly with the older
generation) and represents an interesting example of how the butsudan
retains an important function in Japanese life. My wife's family also makes similar
daily offerings to a Shinto (native Japanese religion) shrine situated in
their kitchen. The latter offering is to the kitchen god who protects the
home from
fire.
item code: R1S2-0005810
category code: (butsudannomono)
ship code: G3
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