At SANKOTSUYAMA, we propose not having a Buddhist altar at home. Many people are troubled by the fact that their Buddhist altar no longer fits their needs due to changing lifestyles. While the Buddhist altar is a uniquely Japanese culture, it serves as a smaller version of a temple's main hall. It originally spread to ordinary households during the Edo period due to the ban on Christianity, triggered by the Danka system. Even earlier, there were different customs. During the Heian period, aristocrats were known to have built "jibutsu-do" (a hall dedicated to offering offerings of worship), indicating that a space for worship was originally separate from the home. The prototype of the Buddhist altar is the "Tamamushi Zushi" (a Buddhist altar kept at Horyuji Temple), said to be the oldest surviving Buddhist altar in Japan. The Buddhist altar was originally intended to enshrine and worship the principal image of a religious sect. However, Japan has long had a culture of ancestor worship, and the role of the altar in enshrining and holding memorial services for ancestors' memorial tablets is given greater importance. The culture of Buddhist altars spread in Japan during the Kamakura period, when Zen monks introduced memorial tablets, known as one of the ritual implements of Chinese Confucianism, to Japan. The Edo Shogunate's religious policy of the danka system also had a significant influence, leading to a strong connection between Buddhism and ancestor worship and funerals. It wasn't until the Edo period that they began to spread among the common people. It was during the Edo period that common people nationwide began to worship Buddhist altars. It was also during the Edo period that common people began to worship memorial tablets. This connection between Buddhism and ancestor worship and funerals became strong. It is said that the Edo Shogunate's religious policy of the danka system was a major factor behind this. However, in modern times, with changing social conditions, grave closures are becoming more common, and it is no longer uncommon for people to dissolve ties with temples. Cherishing one's ancestors and enshrining a Buddhist altar in one's home are fundamentally separate entities. The custom of having a Buddhist altar in one's home no longer fits into people's lifestyles, and it is said that this custom places a burden on bereaved families. At Scattering Bone Mountain, we offer a service to collect and burn Buddhist altars. We also offer a service to store and burn memorial tablets. |
