HIROSHIMA BUTSUDAN / HIROSHIMA BUDDHIST ALTARS
About 400 years ago / 1600s / Edo Period (1603–1868)
Hiroshima Buddhist altars developed in the early Edo period as the castle town expanded and Jodo Shinshu Buddhism became deeply rooted in the region. Techniques used for temple furnishings—gold leaf, lacquer, carving, decorative metal and maki-e—were brought together in elaborate household altars.
For Hiroshima families, the altar historically served not only religious practice but the memory of ancestors within the home. Large traditional examples are less common in modern interiors, yet the same skills are being adapted to compact altars and contemporary ritual objects.
Inside many altars is a miniature architectural structure called a kuguden, assembled almost like a real temple. Roofs, pillars, carvings and metal fittings overlap in multiple layers. From outside it appears to be furniture; inside it contains an entire small building.