butsudan

/ ˈbʊtsəˌdæn /

noun

1. (in Buddhism) a small household altar
2. (in Nichiren Buddhism) an ornate cabinet which holds the Gohonzon

Word History and Origins

Origin of butsudan¹

from Japanese butsu Buddha (from Chinese fu ) + dan shelf

Example Sentences

Finding that he had, she bade him open the butsudan and light a lamp.

From Project Gutenberg

Everybody is a Shintist; and every house seems to have both its kamidana and its butsudan.

From Project Gutenberg

Also, whether the ancestors are ever worshipped before the kamidana in the same way as they are worshipped before the butsudan.

From Project Gutenberg

The old man rose and went to an inner room where hung the Butsudan, the shrine.

From Project Gutenberg

Deign to refrain from taking life in the house; nay, before the very ihai in the Butsudan.

From Project Gutenberg