Black Lacquer Sutra Desk (Kyodai-Style) with Gold-Tone Gilded Fittings — Maintained Temple-Scale Reading / Offering Stand (Approx. 43.8 cm Wide) — Ritual Furniture for Butsudan & Altar Rooms

Curatorial Overview

This black lacquer sutra desk (kyodai-style) is ritual furniture: a defined working plane for sutra reading and offering practice in front of an altar. In Buddhist interiors, furniture controls posture and attention; a sutra desk brings scripture and implements into a sustainable handling height, turning an altar corner into a usable sanctum.

This piece belongs to the quiet infrastructure of Buddhist interiors: a sutra desk (kyodai-style) that turns devotion from “display” into repeatable practice. It provides a formal working plane for sutra books, prayer texts, and offering implements, positioned at a height that supports posture and focus. In altar architecture, furniture is not secondary — it is the stage that organizes the act.

The finish system here is the classical grammar of altar rooms: black lacquer ground with gold-tone metalwork and gilded accents. Black lacquer reads as controlled silence; gold articulates edges and joints. That contrast is why even small ritual furniture can feel ceremonial. It echoes the visual logic of larger altar cabinetry and helps unify a sanctuary corner into a coherent interior.

This example is described as maintained: surface polishing and cleaning performed to improve presentation. The correct institutional posture remains conservative. Maintenance improves clarity, but does not erase micro-scratches or the fine rubs that accumulate through real use. In devotional furniture, those marks are not failures; they are the imprint of handling. What matters is structural integrity, stable legs, and a working surface that can support repeated practice without compromise.

At this scale, the desk is extremely practical: large enough to hold sutra books or a ritual tray, compact enough to integrate into household altar rooms and diaspora sanctuaries where space is disciplined. It is also an excellent companion piece for gold interior altars — the gold fittings connect visually, while the lacquer ground keeps the object formally quiet.

Finished in black lacquer with gold-tone fittings, it harmonizes with gold interior altars and black lacquer cabinetry, creating ceremonial legibility even under low altar lighting. Maintained presentation is approached conservatively: polishing improves clarity but fine rubs and micro-scratches may remain.

WHAT THIS IS — RITUAL / ARCHITECTURAL LOGIC

Object type:
- Sutra desk / kyodai-style reading and offering stand

Primary ritual functions:
- Supports sutra books, prayer texts, and ritual implements during recitation and services
- Creates a defined working plane in front of an altar (posture control + focus)
- Provides a staging surface for offerings and tools (incense utensils, trays, bells)

Why lacquer + gilded fittings matter:
- Lacquer provides a durable ceremonial surface with controlled reflectivity
- Gold-tone fittings outline joints and edges, increasing legibility under altar lighting
- Harmonizes with gold interior altars and black lacquer cabinets (coherent sanctuary grammar)

Where it belongs:
- Butsudan room / altar corner
- Temple annex or chant room
- Estate-scale sanctuary setup
- Diaspora household sanctum where furniture completes the ritual architecture

Dimensions (Approx.)

• Width: 43.8 cm
• Overall height: 27.2 cm (height to working surface approx. 23.8 cm)
• Depth: 24.9 cm

Materials

• Wood structure with black lacquer finish
• Gold-tone plated metal fittings / hardware
• Gold-tone surface detailing (decorative zones)

Condition

Maintained and generally clean; suitable for use. Fine rubs and micro-scratches may remain (polishing is not full restoration). Avoid chemical cleaners and abrasive compounds on lacquer and fittings.

HS Code Guidance

• Likely: 4420.90
• Alternates used by brokers: 9403.60; 4420.10