Kamidana (神棚, lit.'god/spirit-shelf') are miniature household altars provided to enshrine a Shinto kami. They are most commonly found in Japan, the home of kami worship.[1]
The kamidana is typically placed high on a wall and contains a wide variety of items related to Shinto-style ceremonies, the most prominent of which is the shintai, an object meant to house a chosen kami, thus giving it a physical form to allow worship. Kamidana shintai[a] are most commonly small circular mirrors, though they can also be magatama jewels, or some other object with largely symbolic value. The kami within the shintai is often the deity of the local shrine or one particular to the house owner's profession. A part of the kami (bunrei) was obtained specifically for that purpose from a shrine through a process called kanjō.[2]
Worship at the kamidana typically consists of the offering of simple prayers, food (e.g., rice, fruit, water) and flowers.[2] Before worshipping at the kamidana it is ritually important for family members to cleanse their hands or mouth.
Kamidana can also be found in some traditional Japanese martial arts dojos.
^Basic Terms of Shinto, Kokugakuin University, Institute for Japanese Culture and Classics, Tokyo 1985
^ abBocking, Brian (1997). A Popular Dictionary of Shinto. Lincolnwood, Illinois: NTC Publishing. ISBN 9780844204253. OCLC 36977290.
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