Muza-chan's Gate to Japan

Shinto Shrines, Saisenbako

Thu, January 24, 2013, by Muza-chan
Although with different origin and evolution, Shinto and Japanese Buddhism share some common elements. One of them is the way of receiving the monetary offerings: in front of the main building, you will always find a wooden box called Saisenbako (saisen means "coin offerings"), often beautifully ornate, like the one in my photo, with a special design: the box is covered with a metallic grid, so that the coins thrown in will make a loud noise.

Actually, unlike the usually silent rituals from the western world, the Shinto praying ritual (hairei) is quite loud: the visitor shakes the red-white rope to ring the bell, the coins are thrown in the saisenbako, then the visitor bows two time and claps the hands twice. After remaining for a moment with the hands united in front of the heart, the prayer ends with another bow...

Saisenbako, Hie Shrine, Nagatacho, Tokyo
EXIF info:

Nikon D80
Lens: VR 18-55mm F/3.5-5.6G
Focal Length: 28mm
Aperture: F/5.6
Shutter Speed: 1/60s
ISO Sensitivity: ISO 400


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