Shinto religious objects

thumb|Altar in Roskilde Cathedral|Roskilde Lutheran Cathedral beneath a carved [[reredos]] An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, churches, and other places of worship. They are used particularly in Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, and modern paganism. Many historical-medieval faiths also made use of them, including the Roman, Greek, and Norse religions.

thumb|right|A burning torch, discarded on the road in the wake of the Lewes Bonfire Night celebrations

thumb|A mikoshi of Hiyoshi-taisha thumb|Mikoshi fighting on Nada-no-Kenka Matsuri at Himeji thumb|This mikoshi enshrines Tokugawa Ieyasu at the [[Tōshō-gū in Nikkō.]] A is a sacred religious palanquin (also translated as portable Shinto shrine). Shinto followers believe that it serves as the vehicle to transport a deity in Japan while moving between main shrine and temporary shrine during a festival or when moving to a new shrine. Often, the mikoshi resembles a miniature building, with pillars, walls, a roof, a veranda and a railing.

species of tree native to warm areas of Japan, Korea and mainland China

right|thumb| dating from Jōmon period to 8th century thumb|right|Magatama from Kofun period（[[Tokyo National Museum）]]

wood plaque deposited in a Japanese shrine or temple to ask for a wish

are random fortunes written on strips of paper at Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples in Japan. Literally "sacred lot", these are usually received by making a small offering and randomly choosing one from a box, hoping for the resulting fortune to be good. , vending machines sometimes dispense .

300px|right|thumb|A displaying a and are miniature household altars provided to enshrine a Shinto . They are most commonly found in Japan, the home of worship.

Japanese doll

thumb|upright=0.6|A study-dedicated . The logo above denotes a Shinto shrine dedicated to the Tenjin.

Traditional stone-crafted lighting fixtures seen throughout the East Asia

thumb|275 px|Mount Fuji is one of Japan's shintai.

thumb| upright=1.4|thumb|Tenugui are also worn, including by athletes. This is a typical Kendo#clothing|Kendo-style . A is a traditional Japanese decorative towel made from a thin and light cotton. It dates back to the Heian period or earlier. By the Edo period, became what they are today; about in size, plain woven, and almost always dyed with plain color or some pattern. The long sides are finished with a selvage, while the short sides are left unfinished to allow fraying.

thumb|260px|A pair of komainu, the "a" on the right, the "um" on the left

thumb|The , an () issued by the Ise Grand Shrine|Grand Shrines of Ise (center) flanked by the ofuda of [[Yasaka Shrine (right) and Fushimi Inari-taisha (left)]]

thumb|A himorogi at Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū thumb|Himorogi of Ame-no-hohi|Amenohohi-no-mikoto at [[Rokkosan Country House.]] in Shinto terminology are sacred spaces or altars used to worship. In their simplest form, they are square areas with green bamboo or sakaki at the corners without architecture. These in turn support sacred ropes (shimenawa) decorated with streamers called shide. A branch of sakaki or some other evergreen at the center acts as a yorishiro, a physical representation of the presence of the kami, a being which is in itself incorporeal.

right|thumb|Two variations of kusudama. The kusudama in the lower photo is not threaded together.

thumb|150px| in front of Shinto shrine , , or are wooden wands, decorated with two (zigzagging paper streamers) used in Shinto rituals. It may be considered an Ōnusa with only two Shide.

paper streamer used in Shinto rituals

thumb|A small hokora in Kyoto. Though the hokora are usually categorized as Shintoist, they are often decorated with a swastika which in Japan is a symbol associated with Buddhism. In Kyoto especially, many hokora are actually dedicated to Kannon, a [[bodhisattva, rather than Shinto deities.]] thumb|The character 祠

thumb|upright=0.6|right|alt=A wooden pole stood on a square base. It is covered in shaggy paper streamers tied at the top of the pole.|An

East Asian ceremonial sceptre

thumb|upright=0.9|A classic : a giant tree, or A in Shinto terminology is an object capable of attracting spirits called , thus giving them a physical space to occupy during religious ceremonies. are used during ceremonies to call the for worship. The word itself literally means "approach substitute". Once a actually houses a , it is called a . Ropes called decorated with paper streamers called often surround to make their sacredness manifest. Persons can play the same role as a , and in that case are called or .

thumb|Many fūrin at Nyoirin-ji (Ogori)|Nyoirin-ji with colorful tanzaku paperA is a small, bowl-shaped Japanese wind chime typically hung during the summer. A piece of paper called tanzaku (短冊) is usually hung from each fūrin to cause it to ring even with just a slight breeze. The sound of the fūrin and the sight of the paper blowing in the wind are seen by many Japanese people as having a cooling effect during the hot Japanese summer.　 thumb|Sound of fūrin in a slight breeze

right|thumb|267x267px|Ceremonial arrow used to drive off evil thumb|Nishiki-e depicting a ceremony for a newly constructed building in the [[Edo period. Behind the gohei staff held by the man in the front, two hamaya can be seen, used to ward off evil. (Hiroshige, One Hundred Famous Views of Edo, Ōdenmachō gofukuten)]] is a type of arrow given at Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples as a Japanese New Year's talisman or sacred tool. It is often paired with a bow called a . right|thumb|254x254px|New Year's Day decoration for a family with a baby boy In addition to this, hamaya and hama yumi are

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thumb|A tamagushi on a table (an (Shinto)|an) during a ceremony thumb|A kannushi holding a tamagushi

thumb|Hishaku (Itsukushima Shrine) A hishaku (柄杓) is a tool for scooping water or soup native to Japan. It has a vessel shape with a handle.

Shinto sacred rock

thumb|upright=1.5| wrapped around the sacred tree: Yuki Shrine thumb|upright=1.1|The sacred tree of Sugiwabemikoto Shrine, Natural monument thumb|Ohtamiya Gora Prince Katsura's Ruins (Fujiyoshida City, Yamanashi) A is a tree or forest worshipped as a – a physical object of worship at or near a Shinto shrine, worshipped as a repository in which spirits or reside. They are often distinctly visible due to the wrapped around them.

sacred mirrors used in Shinto

thumb|right|300px|19th-century portraying Jō and Uba in a scene from the Noh play ; embroidered silk and couched gold-wrapped thread on indigo-dyed satin silk

fashion accessory

right|thumb|300px| pasted on a shrine gate in Gifu, Gifu|Gifu

thumb|A sugidama at Senjō Sake Brewery in Ina, Nagano|Ina, [[Nagano Prefecture]] A sugidama (杉玉), or sakabayashi (酒林), is an object of Japanese origin made by shaping sugi (Cryptomeria) leaves into a ball. Green sugidama are hung from the eaves of sake breweries to indicate that new sake is ready.

thumb|250px|A (right) wearing a is a garment worn in Japan by people attending religious ceremonies and activities, including Buddhist and Shinto related occasions. The is essentially a white , traditional hunting robes worn by nobles during the Heian period.

A masakaki () is an object used in Shinto rituals. It is put on both sides of a table where the event takes place. A masakaki is made with the branches of a sakaki tree. These branches are attached to the top of cloth banners, which come in five colors - green, yellow, red, white, and blue. These five colors stand for the wuxing (five elements). At funerals, masakaki with yellow and white banners are used.

thumb|A mitamaya

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