Buddhist Altar Incense Burner Meiji Japan Butsudan Koro

Description

Small porcelain 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 has seen previous use is a bit dusty with incense ash at the bottom.  The incense burner does have some cracks which someone attempted to strengthen and reinforce through the application of a glaze-like coating.  The repair job appears to have been successful as the koro is firm and solid and the repair seams though visible are not too distracting.  The cracks are noted in the detail photos below.  In addition to the repaired cracks the koro also has some scratches and marks as evidence of its past service.  This wonderful artifact of Japanese Buddhism dates from the Japanese Meiji period (1868-1912) and was acquired in the historic city of Shizuoka, Japan near the foot of Mt. Fuji.  Please click here for packages of ash to use with your incense burner or here to see more items for the butsudan altar!

Size:
Height: 1.6 inches (4.0 centimeters)
Diameter of body: 3.3 inches (8.5 centimeters)
Weight: 3.5 ounces (101 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: R1S6-0002918
category code: (butsudannomono)
ship code: L1650