butsudan

/ (ˈbʊtsəˌdæn) /

noun plural butsudan or -dans

(in Buddhism) a small household altar

(in Nichiren Buddhism) an ornate cabinet which holds the Gohonzon

Nearby words

butlery, buto, butoconazole nitrate, butorphanol, butsu, butsudan, butt, butt bra, butt chisel, butt end, butt hinge

Word Origin for butsudan

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Examples from the Web for butsudan

The old man rose and went to an inner room where hung the Butsudan, the shrine.
The Dragon Painter|Mary McNeil Fenollosa
The farmer expressed his fear of spirits, whereupon the woman inquired if her host had a butsudan (a family altar).
Myths & Legends of Japan|F. Hadland (Frederick Hadland) Davis
Deign to refrain from taking life in the house; nay, before the very ihai in the Butsudan.
The Yotsuya Kwaidan or O'Iwa Inari|James S. De Benneville
Finding that he had, she bade him open the butsudan and light a lamp.
Myths & Legends of Japan|F. Hadland (Frederick Hadland) Davis

Going to the Butsudan, or house altar, at once he lit the lamps.
The Yotsuya Kwaidan or O'Iwa Inari|James S. De Benneville