0-BON
THE BUTSUDAN
The household family altar, where Caitlin remembers her childhood friend
"Caitlin stood and turned to follow the others clearing dishes. But as she rounded the end of the table her breath caught. Tucked into the wall she’d had her back to throughout the meal sat a small altar--the butsudan. The shutters were swung open, and set before it were assorted items--a bowl of rice, a small cup of water, some incense, and a bell on a small pillow." (PAGE 173)
| Although most Japanese follow rituals of Shinto as well as Buddhism throughout their lives, it is Buddhism that is associated with death and ancestor veneration. Therefore the Buddhist household altar, not the Shinto one, remains the focus of attention during O-Bon, the summer festival when the spirits of the dead are believed to return home. The household Buddhist altar, or butsudan, is a shuttered case containing an image of Buddha, surrounded by photographs, mortuary tablets with the names of the deceased, and objects commemorating the deceased. It also serves as a repository for the souls of the dead where daily offerings of rice and tea can be made. A butsudan can be a simple plastic case or a large elaborately carved and hardwood gilt piece with multiple shelves and drawers. Not every home has a butsudan, and today butsudan are often purchased only after the death of a parent, spouse or child. Although the butsudan is the site of daily offerings and rites throughout the year, before O-Bon it is carefully cleaned, offering stands and a small tray with tiny dishes for the symbolic meals are brought out, and a special shelf is set up down in front of the main altar. It is to this shelf that the spirits are believed to return and in which they are said to dwell during O-Bon. For Caitlin, the butsudan poses a difficult encounter, for this is where Mie's soul is said to reside during the O-Bon period and where offerings of comfort are presented. |
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The butsudan
