Many people seem to be struggling with household issues where 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, when the Danka system was implemented in response to the ban on Christianity. Even earlier, there were different customs. During the Heian period, aristocrats were known to have "jibutsu-do" (household altars), indicating that a space for worship was originally separate from the home. Even today, there is no rule requiring a Buddhist altar to be kept in the home.
The Buddhist altar is often referred to as the "home temple," and when closing down a Buddhist altar, it is common to hold a "closing ceremony" with a monk chanting sutras, just like closing a grave. Even after the closing ceremony, memorial tablets (ihai) remain the dwelling place of the ancestors' spirits, so the most respectful way to handle them is to respectfully dispose of them through a permanent memorial service or cremation. If this doesn't bother you, you can simply dispose of the tablet as combustible waste. Since the Buddhist altar is also a part of the home where the memorial tablets are enshrined, it would be ideal if the altar or Buddhist accessory store could take it and burn it after the closing ceremony, but recently, there have been an increasing number of cases where this is refused. In the past, Buddhist altars were burned within the grounds of the family temple, but in modern times, an increasing number of municipalities have banned this practice due to fire safety concerns, and family temples are increasingly refusing to take them.
"Closing the grave" and "closing the Buddhist altar" do not necessarily have to be done together, so even if you have performed a perpetual memorial service, you can still choose to leave the Buddhist altar in the home. The timing for "closing the Buddhist altar" is often when closing the grave, demolishing the house, or moving, but there is no particular time, so you can do it whenever you like.
When closing the Buddhist altar, the memorial tablets, Buddhist altar, and Buddhist accessories are first targeted. After the closing ceremony, the memorial tablets, Buddhist altar, and Buddhist accessories become interior furnishings. All of these items can be disposed of as bulky waste by local governments, but in reality, it seems that many people are reluctant to treat them as combustible waste.
★ At SANKOTSUYAMA, we offer a service to collect and cremate memorial tablets, Buddhist altars, and Buddhist implements. Yamato Transport cannot send Buddhist statues, Buddhist altars, memorial tablets, or stupas via courier service, so we are limited to Tokyo, Kanagawa Prefecture, and surrounding areas. However, it seems that antique Buddhist statues and Buddhist implements are being shipped via courier service as fine art at online auctions. This service offers a service where specialized staff pack and safely transport art pieces according to their characteristics. However, it seems that one-of-a-kind, irreplaceable, or expensive items may not be accepted via courier service.
★At "SANKOTSUYAMA," we propose placing the Buddhist altar outside your home while retaining its functionality. This service allows us to store your precious memorial tablets without having to place a Buddhist altar. There is no need to remove the soul or perform a memorial service to close the eyes. You can also return home temporarily when necessary, so there is no inconvenience. We will store your memorial tablets for you by mail or by picking them up. Memorial tablets can be sent using the post office's "Yu-Pack." Other courier services, such as Yamato Transport and Sagawa Express, cannot send memorial tablets, Buddhist altars, or ashes.
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