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Old 10-06-2010, 06:27 PM   #30
Josh Reyer
 
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Location: Aichi-ken, Nagoya-shi
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Re: Bowing in question - Clapping?

Quote:
David Orange wrote: View Post
Alejandro, it's really a matter of whether there's a Shinto shrine in the room. The clapping is done toward the shrine, where there would be a mirror and other Shinto implements. And in serious Shinto, the person who maintains the shrine would maintain it for a kami--a Shinto deity that would bless, protect and inspire the place and all the people in it. That's why it's called a "kamiza," meaning "seat of the god."
"Kamiza" - 上座, merely means "upper seat, seat of honor", and is purely a convention of etiquette, with no inherent religious meaning.

What you are thinking of is "kamidana" - 神棚, a miniture shrine.

There is a word that means "seat of the god" - 神座, but this is read "shinza", and refers NOT to miniture Shinto shrines in dojo and other places, but rather to the actual place where the kami is held to reside in full size Shinto shrines (jinja).

Josh Reyer

The lyf so short, the crafte so longe to lerne,
Th'assay so harde, so sharpe the conquerynge...
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