Ihai - Ancestral Tablets
Wooden tablets inscribed with ancestors' posthumous names, representing their spirits.
Ihai are the memorial tablets placed in the butsudan, inscribed with the deceased's posthumous Buddhist name. They serve as the dwelling place of the ancestor's spirit within the home, receiving daily offerings and special attention during anniversary observances.
The ihai holds the spirit of our ancestor, present among us still.
Ihai demonstrate how ancestral spirits are given permanent presence in the home.
Buddhist-Shinto synthesis