Divinity Atlas

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Where It Sits in the House, and Who Is Allowed to Tend It

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Where It Sits in the House, and Who Is Allowed to Tend It

A kamidana ranges from a simple wooden shelf to a small building shaped shrine styled after famous examples such as Ise or Izumo, factory produced versions available cheaply and widely, with finer hand built ones commissioned from specialist woodworkers for households that want something more than the standard mass market design.

Placement rules

Where a kamidana is installed follows specific customary rules rather than simple convenience, placed at an elevated, clean spot, ideally facing south or east, and specifically not positioned where people would pass beneath it or above a doorway, since walking under it would be considered disrespectful.

Everyday care, and what happens when it is no longer wanted

Ordinary household members clean the kamidana and change its offerings, rice, salt, water and sometimes sake, on a regular schedule without needing a priest present, though a priest is often invited to bless a newly installed one. If a household no longer wants its kamidana, whether from moving house or a change in practice, the shrine itself and any ofuda kept within it are returned to a shrine for respectful disposal, typically ritual burning, rather than simply discarded with household waste.

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