Household Shrine

We designed a household shrine for a house we designed.

In a modern home, setting up a kamidana and treasuring prayer as part of daily life seems to express the spirit and will of those who live there.

What we considered was how to make a place of prayer within an everyday space. It is a dining room where the family eats and talks, yet when attention turns to it, a place of prayer appears. We aimed for a way in which the two coexist without strain.

The shrine is designed as a thin form with as little depth as possible, so that it sits neatly against the wall. The corners of the base are rounded to soften its appearance. We intended it to keep the quiet presence of a shrine while harmonising naturally with the interior of the dining room.

For the materials we used keyaki (zelkova) and copper, which run through the whole house, linking the shrine to the materials of the home. For the ritual implements we used vessels made one by one, with care, by a ceramic artist.

Standing quietly in daily life, it takes on meaning as a place of prayer when attention is turned to it. We aimed for a shrine that blends into the scenery of the household and yet has a definite presence.

The shrine was made by Mr. Masuda, an Edo sashimono craftsman.