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 six (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 smaller 4 and 5 sun unit sizes (4.7 inch and 5.9 inch respectively). Please click here to see all available sizes or refer to the size chart below for a particular size tray.

Size:
Height: 2.7 inches (7.0 centimeters)
Width of tray: six Japanese sun units = 7.1 inches (18.2 centimeters)
Weight: 6.7 ounces (191 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

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. 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.

item code: INV-0000065_03 REL-0000317
category code: (keshoku_sanbou)
ship code: G3