Spirit tablet
A spirit tablet,[1] is a sign used to honor an ancestor or a deity. The name of the deity or past ancestor is usually inscribed onto the tablet. They originated in China and are common across the East Asian cultural sphere. Spirit tablets are commonly seen in temples, shrines, and household altars throughout China and Taiwan.[2]
| Spirit tablet | |||||||||||||||||
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| Spirit tablets for ancestors in Hong Kong | |||||||||||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||||||||||
| Chinese | 神主牌 | ||||||||||||||||
| Literal meaning | spirit master sign | ||||||||||||||||
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| Alternative Chinese name | |||||||||||||||||
| Chinese | 神位 | ||||||||||||||||
| Literal meaning | spirit seat | ||||||||||||||||
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| Second alternative Chinese name | |||||||||||||||||
| Chinese | 神牌 | ||||||||||||||||
| Literal meaning | spirit sign | ||||||||||||||||
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| Korean name | |||||||||||||||||
| Hangul | 1. 위패 2. 신위 | ||||||||||||||||
| Hanja | 1. 位牌 2. 神位 | ||||||||||||||||
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| Japanese name | |||||||||||||||||
| Kanji | 位牌 | ||||||||||||||||
Spirit Tablet Media
The memorial tablet for spirits in Pingtung County, Taiwan
A stone tablet of a tombstone(Name has been blurred for protection)
Memorial tablets used in Nichiren Shoshu Buddhism
A Japanese spirit tablet in a Butsudan
A Vietnamese spirit tablet dedicated to emperor Lê Trang Tông
A Vietnamese spirit tablet dedicated to Võ Văn Dũng
A Vietnamese spirit tablet dedicated to ancestors in Hoian
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References
- ↑ Li, Xiaoxiang; Fu, Chunjiang; Goh, Geraldine (2004). Origins of Chinese people and customs (Revised ed.). Singapore: Asiapac Books. p. 130. ISBN 978-981-229-384-8.
ancestral tablet
[dead link] - ↑ "Ancestors and Deities: Chinese Spirit Tablets". Museum of Anthropology. University of Missouri. Retrieved 19 September 2011.