shrine tablet (tablet (ritual & belief: religious buildings & furnishings))

Rectangular wooden tablet painted in red, four Chinese characters 'si ming zao jun', literally the Stove God also known as the Kitchen God, carved on the front and painted with gilt. The Kitchen God is an element of a domestic cult. It is believed that on the 23rd of the 12th lunar month of each year, the Kitchen God returns to heaven and reports to the Jade Emperor on the behaviour of the household. The Jade Emperor will then reward or punish each household accordingly. Tablets of this type are usually hung in the kitchen.

The text reads 'The official order (command) of the Kitchen God'. This would have hung in a kitchen to indicate the position of the Kitchen God's shrine.

object
MUSEUM NUMBER
nn12554
PLACE
COLLECTION
MEASUREMENTS
overall: 384 mm x 189 mm x 14 mm
MATERIAL/TECHNIQUE
wood; paint; gilt
CATEGORY
Anthropology: Ethnography
LOCATION
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Collection Information

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