Butsudan Guden de dos niveles de alta calidad de Otani-ha, laca negra, interior dorado, altar Jōdo Shinshū, 140.8 cm

Domestic Buddhist architecture rather than furniture: a high-grade Otani-ha Shinshu butsudan in the two-tier guden, or palace-style, format. Its deep black lacquer shell opens onto a concentrated gold sanctum, a miniature temple interior that holds ritual continuity across decades, presented here in unused display condition.

The Piece

This altar is domestic Buddhist architecture, an interior sanctuary designed to be lived with rather than a cabinet designed to be moved. It presents as a high-grade Otani-ha Shinshu butsudan of the Higashi lineage in the two-tier guden (palace-style) format: a miniature temple interior resolved within a domestic architectural envelope.

The exterior is a deep black lacquer shell that reads as restrained architecture. Opened, it reveals a concentrated gold sanctum, a luminous devotional chamber where emphasis shifts inward toward the central axis. That contrast between dark casing and radiant interior steadies attention and structures ritual continuity over decades, in keeping with Pure Land visual doctrine.

At approximately 140.8 cm in height, the altar sits in the upper domestic tier, bridging serious household sanctum and annex-scale placement. The upper sanctum is an elevated devotional chamber reserved for the principal focus and its immediate doctrinal field, with vertical emphasis guiding the eye inward and upward and staged offering platforms for incense, light and flowers. The lower tier supports continuity, providing storage and structural ballast integrated into the architecture. The doors open wide enough to turn the cabinet into a visible interior environment.

Materially it is an interdependent craft object, uniting wood construction, black lacquer finishing, gold interior surface treatment, relief ornament and metal fittings at its structural and visual nodes. Installed once, it becomes a generational anchor: a complete Shinshu domestic sanctuary whose architecture is legible even before it is lived with.

Details

• Line/Series: Otani-ha, Jodo Shinshu (Higashi lineage)
• Origin: Japan
• Material: Wood construction; black lacquer exterior; gold interior surface treatment; relief ornament and metal fittings
• Form: Two-tier guden (palace-style sanctuary); fixed domestic shrine
• Measurements: Total height approx. 140.8 cm (upper approx. 105.2 cm; lower approx. 25.6 cm) · Width (max, upper) approx. 72.0 cm (lower approx. 61.2 cm) · Door opening width approx. 55.2 cm · Door open clearance approx. 113 cm · Depth approx. 56.5 cm (lower depth approx. 51.0 cm)
• Weight: Net approx. 70–95 kg (estimate)

Condition

Japonista grade S · Unworn or as new, complete with original packaging.

• Unused display condition, with surfaces and fittings retaining clarity consistent with controlled storage.
• Preservation priorities: controlled handling, stable humidity, gentle dust management, and no direct sunlight or heat sources near the lacquer and gilt surfaces.

Freight & Crating

Because of its height, mass and architectural fragility, this altar travels by cargo only, with professional crating and internal bracing; parcel services such as EMS, DHL, FedEx or UPS cannot carry it. Cargo shipments need extra preparation, including custom crating, reinforced packing and coordination with domestic logistics, freight consolidators and export brokers, so delivery typically takes 6 to 10 weeks depending on routing, carrier availability and customs clearance.

Actual freight cost may differ from automated calculator estimates, and part of the expected cost may be reflected in the price, and any difference is quoted separately once destination, delivery method and handling are confirmed. Please request an exact freight quotation for your destination before purchase.

• Weight: net approx. 70–95 kg; crated approx. 130–180 kg
• Crate: approx. 155 × 95 × 95 cm
• Estimated total US landed cost (domestic transport, export crating, LCL ocean freight, port clearance and inland delivery): approx. $4,500–$7,330 USD
• Insurance recommended at replacement value
• HS code 9403.60 (other wooden furniture); alternates used by brokers 9403.89 and 4420.10, with final classification set by the customs broker at shipment

Authenticity & Care

Sect alignment and two-tier guden form follow Otani-ha Shinshu standards; dating is conservative and stylistic only, with no period claimed in the absence of documentation. Every piece is examined and documented in Japan before dispatch and is offered with the Japonista authenticity guarantee.

Delivery from Japan

Crated in Japan and shipped insured by air or sea freight. A freight quote is confirmed with you before dispatch through our Museum-Grade Logistics Suite™. Import duties and taxes, where applicable, are payable on arrival. Returns follow our published policy.

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