The kamidana (literally, “god shelf”) is a miniature family altar found in many homes across Japan. Created as a way to bring the Shinto shrine into the home, most kamidana are fairly simple floating shelves, placed high on a wall. Architect Naohiko Shimoda has taken the concept a step further to create actual miniature shrines in an awe-inspiring scale.
Naohiko Shimoda is a practicing architect but at the request of a client he took on a side project to create this spectacularly detailed miniature kamidana. It was designed specifically for an inner corner, which contrasts nicely with a similarly-designed kamidana that Shimoda created two years ago for an outer corner (scroll down for photos).
You can see more of Shimoda’s work on his website, as well as follow him on Instagram.
Shimoda created this kamidana for an outer corner two years ago.
February 7, 2021 at 3:53 pm
These are quite lovely sculptures. I love that he incorporates the under support structures, beams keeping the shrine ‘afloat.’