Japan Shinto Altar Set Offering Vessels & Sakaki Vase Start Price USD 58.31 Current Price USD 58.31 Time Left - Bid Count 0 Buy It Now Price - Reserve Price - Start Time Wednesday, December 03, 2008 End Time Monday, December 22, 2008 Location Shizuoka City See more about 'Japan Shinto Altar Set Offering Vessels & Sakaki Vase' Description       Payment | Shipping | Store Policies Japan Shinto Altar Set – Offering Vessels & Sakaki Vase   Description Brand new set of high quality porcelain altar pieces for use with Japanese Shinto kamidana.  This set includes a single lidded mizuire for holding fresh water as well as a pair of flat dishes for salt and rice and two lidded flasks (tokkuri) for sake rice wine.  This set also includes a pair of altar vases (sakaki tate) for holding stems of the sacred sakaki tree.  The set ships in a custom fitted storage box and is suitable for use with small to medium size kamidana.  Please click here to see artificial sakaki branches to use with your altar set and please read below to learn more about Japan's native religion, Shinto. Size of vases (2): Height: 4.7 inches (12.0 centimeters) Diameter (at widest point of body): 2.7 inches (6.8 centimeters) Size of sake flasks (2): Height: 3.7 inches (9.5 centimeters) Diameter (at widest point of body): 2.3 inches (6.0 centimeters) Size of water vessel (1): Height: 2.7 inches (7.0 centimeters) Diameter (at widest point of body): 2.1 inches (5.5 centimeters) Size of flat trays (2): Height: 0.7 inches (1.8 centimeters) Diameter (at widest point of body): 3.2 inches (8.3 centimeters) Weight: Weight of all items in original box: 27.6 ounces (788 grams) Click here to see more Shinto items! Click here to see additional treasures from Japan! More about the Shinto religion Shinto is one of the two major religions of Japan (the other is Buddhism).  Shinto is often considered to be the native religion of Japan, and is as old as Japan itself.  The name Shinto means "the way of the gods."  Shinto is a pantheistic religion, in which many thousands of major and minor gods are thought to exist.  The Japanese have built thousands of shrines throughout the country to honor and worship these gods.  Some shrines are huge and are devoted to important deities.  Other shrines are small and may be easily missed when strolling along roads in the countryside (please see the photo below showing our daughter at a very small local shrine near our home in Japan). Shinto gods are called kami.  Kami are thought to have influence on human affairs, and for this reason many Japanese make regular pilgrimage to community shrines in order to offer prayers to local kami.  The act of prayer involves approaching the shrine structure, passing through the gate-like torii (red gates in the shrine photos below), cleansing the hands and mouth with water and possibly ascending stairs to the main entrance of the shrine.  Usually without entering the shrine the worshipper will throw some coins into a stone or wooden collection box and then rattle the suzu bell which is at the top of a long hemp rope.  The worshiper grabs hold of the rope and shakes it back and forth causing the copper bell at the top to rattle.  This is thought to get the attention of the shrine god.  The worshipper then bows twice, claps his or her hands twice and then bows again.  In addition, the worshipper may clasp their hands together in silent prayer.  Shintoism and Buddhism have managed to find a comfortable coexistence in Japan.  Evidence of this harmonious relationship is found in the fact that that most Japanese are married in a Shinto shrine, but buried by a Buddhist priest. item code: INV-0000120_01 (previously INV-0000063_01) ship code: G6 Payment Back to Top       I accept the following forms of payment: ProPayPayPal Shipping & Handling Back to Top Please see the Store Policies section for additional information.  US Shipping$14.88 Airmail to USA $22.43 EMS Express to USA   International Shipping$16.46 Airmail to rest of world $25.78 EMS Express to rest of world Click to View Image Album  Click to View Image Album  Click to View Image Album  Click to View Image Album  Click to View Image Album  Click to View Image Album  Click to View Image Album  Click to View Image Album  Click to View Image Album  Click to View Image Album  Click to View Image Album  Click to View Image Album  Click to View Image Album  Click to View Image Album  Click to View Image Album  Click to View Image Album    Store Policies Satisfaction Guarantee Back to Top We really want you to be happy with your purchase! For this reason all items include a 100% money back guarantee. If you are unsatisfied for any reason, you may return your purchase immediately for a full refund. Your purchase and all shipping costs will then be refunded to you after the item has been returned to our office in Japan. Please see our Contact page if you need to reach us for any reason. Shipping and Insurance Back to Top Please see our Shipping page for full details regarding shipping rates, available shipping methods and combined shipping discounts. All shipments are via Japan Post standard airmail or Express Mail Service (EMS) airmail. EMS airmail includes a tracking number and is typically faster than standard airmail. Please note that we do not use less secure shipping methods such as surface or SAL delivery due to the higher incidence of loss, damage and significant delay which we have previously encountered using these methods. Your understanding and consideration prior to bidding is greatly appreciated. We ship anywhere and happily combine orders to help you save money. We carefully weigh and measure each item prior to listing in order to determine that item's actual shipping cost. This allows us to then include a shipping quote within each listing which is sufficient to cover postage and handling costs to any address worldwide. Purchases are carefully packed and shipped within 72 hours of receipt of payment though holidays and weekends may cause additional delay. Standard airmail delivery to addresses in North America and Europe average one to three weeks with more or less time sometimes required for other areas of the world. International buyers should be aware of the laws of their own country and be prepared to deal with any and all customs-related fees and charges. Taxes, duties, VAT and any other levies accessed are the responsibility of the buyer. We self insure the full purchase value of each order. Checkout and Payment Back to Top Shopping with us is easy. Buy one item or shop for several days. There is never any hurry and we are happy to hold purchases while you continue shopping. Within 24 hours of the close of each transaction you will be sent an invoice including instructions to help you complete your purchase. When you pay for your purchase we will begin the shipment process. Please do not make payments for any individual items you wish us to combine as we are unable to combine items once payment has been received. When you are all done shopping please just send us an email to let us know and we will combine your unpaid purchases into a single order and send you an invoice with combined shipping. PayPal and ProPay are our preferred methods of payment. Listing Photography Back to Top Please note that we frequently use photographic models with our listings. This means that when we create a new listing we will randomly select from inventory a sample of the item for the purpose of photography. The item you receive therefore may differ slightly from the sample shown in the listing photos. Your satisfaction guarantee however is always in force and we will promptly refund or replace the item if you are not pleased with your purchase. Please contact us to ask if a model was used with any listing you may be interested in. Interested in Japan? Back to Top Our family business is located in one of the most beautiful and historic areas of Japan (Shizuoka) and we take great pleasure in sharing videos, stories, facts and images from this exciting and interesting culture. Please consider visiting our About Japan page where you can read our exclusive articles about Japan, Japanese culture and even our recommended travel itinerary for those considering a visit to the land of the rising sun.       More than just a pretty picture. Try Vendio Image Hosting.Make your listings stand out withFREE Vendio custom templates!  FREE scheduling, supersized images and templates. 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