E0388: Japanese Wooden Shrine Box

Ethnographic

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Identifier:

E0388

Classification Category:

8:Communication Artifacts ➞ Ceremonial Artifact

Marks/Labels:

The inscription in the kamidana reads- "In my fifteenth year I offer [this kamidana], This land that I live on, This figure [deity figure] I will keep safe, Looking forward, I pray for good things, Hiroshi (or Kan) Yano, Born in the seventh year and eighth month of the Meiji Period"
There is a line of script that is covered up by the inside wall of the kamidana that is illegible. Because the Meiji Era began in 1868, this inscription dates the production of the kamidana in the year 1889, if 1868 is considered year one of the Meiji Era. Because of the personal nature of the inscription, which I will explain more of in the next section, and because the inscription was hand written and the construction seems haphazard, there are a few nails sticking out and the last line of script is covered, it seems to be handmade, especially for this particular person Hiroshi Yano. Also, kamidana are a household item, and it would not be surprising if it had been hand made. Even though the inscription says that Hiroshi Yano is the one offering the kamidana, it was probably not made by him, for reasons I will explain in the next section.
On a side note, I only found one source that mentioned the invention of kamidana, but it said that kamidana were invented in either the late Tokugawa, the period before Meiji, or early Meiji Periods, which means that this was probably one of the earliest kamidanas created. Not only that, it would explain the design inconsistencies, such as the presence of the deity and the writing, which are not found in a typical kamidana today.
The inscription that dates the figurine reads- "Eighth year of the Tenmei Era, November in the year of the monkey, Takatoshi (or Takanori) Sono"
This dates the figure at 1788, eight years after the Tenmei Era began in 1781, if 1781 is counted as Tenmei year one. This suggests that the figure was constructed before the kamidana and put together later. It looks handmade as well, those its origins are less obvious. A few suggestions, it may have been bought or made by one of Hiroshi Yano’s ancestors and passed down to him. The personal nature of the kamidana and its inscription suggest some sort of value to the kamidana which may extend towards the figure, in which case it would not be too far of a stretch to theorize that his family passed down this figure to Hiroshi Yano.
However if especially it was bought, the date may or may not prove to be accurate. The eighth year of the Tenmei Period was the year of the monkey, which is implied in the character 申in the first line, was a particularly auspicious and lucky year. Because the figure, Daikokuten, was also lucky, he is one of the Seven Gods of Luck and the god of wealth, this would make the figure particularly lucky. If the figure was meant to be sold, there would be a good reason to fake the date to make the figure desirable or to make it more expensive. (Hist361)

Materials:

botanical ➔ wood
metal
botanical ➔ wood

Dimensions:

19 cm L
8.5 cm W
5.5 cm H

Provenance of Object:

Japan.
The object most closely resembles a kamidana, literally translates as "god-shelf," which is used in practices of Shinto, a religion indigenous and exclusive to Japan. The script inside the object is also Japanese and written in a Japanese style. There seems to be no definite way to tell the exact region of the object, however I did notice on my research that tere were festivals, or matsuri, that were held for the deity Daikokuten, the figurine that goes with this object, and some of those festivities would be specific by locality. However there does not seem to be any easy way to figure out the region of this particular object, especially since it was not mentioned in the inscription. (Hist361)

This object was held in the museum that Luther College started in 1877. This museum eventually grew into the Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum, and following this, non-Norwegian American ethnographic objects were returned to Luther and accessioned into the college’s Anthropology Collection. Without additional documentation, was likely obtained by the Luther College Museum (later the Norwegian-American Museum) between the late 19th century and early 20th century.

Production Date:

Kamidana: Meiji Era 1889
Daikokuten: Tenmei Era 1788
The date is written on them for both pieces.

Use/Function:

Kamidana usually act as a mini-shrine inside the house. It is used as a place of worship towards Shinto gods in the home. The hope, generally, is that by inviting the gods into the home, one will gain the favor of the god and bring the luck or particular power, such as longevity, that they may have into the home. With the Daikokuten deity that represented luck and wealth, this family most likely wanted to bring luck and wealth into their home, and in particular, to Hiroshi Yano.
The inscription in the kamidana on the first line, says that Hiroshi Yano offers the kamidana in his fifteenth year. I did not find any sources on this, but one of my translators mentioned that in the beginning of the Meiji Era, the age of adulthood used to be fifteen and later on was changed to twenty. The age of adulthood was usually celebrated in a ceremony, and this Coming of Age Ceremony is still celebrated today according to both my translators though I was unable to find any sources on this ceremony either. This implies that the kamidana was given to Hiroshi Yano, probably by his parents or grandparents, as part of this ceremony when he turned fifteen. Because a kamidana is not usually part of this ceremony, this implies that it was personal gift.
Because of the emphasis on his adulthood and the special treatment suggested in the gift, this could suggest that Hiroshi Yano was the eldest son. The line “This land that I live on” could be a reference to his future land inheritance, as there was the high expectation that the eldest son would inherit the father’s place in the house and take over the house. However, there is no concrete evidence that he was the only son, and the parents or grandparents may have given one of these to all their sons. Furthermore, the line in the inscription is only be a vague reference because the characters literally mean “This land I live on” and nothing more and there is no way of deciphering any more than that. (Hist361)

Source Locality:

China

Description:

"Diakoku", wooden shrine building. Removable box with double doors. Inside there is a "god" figure inside sitting on a platform.

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