In Japanese, is money offered to the

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. Commonly this money is put in a , a common item at

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s and

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Form

Used to collect offerings, a ''saisen'' box is typically a wooden coin box, with a grate for the top cover. This design allows coins to be tossed in, while still preventing the money from being retrieved easily. Some have grates made of round bars, or have borders that slope downward, allowing the money to slide into the box easily.

Offerings

The amount of money offered is usually small, often in coin format. Five yen coins are a popular offering at ''saisen'' boxes due to the pun between five yen, , and the concept of an unseen connection between humans who know each other, .

Theft

''Saisen'' boxes always have locks, but recently thefts of ''saisen'' are on the rise. Some shrine priests have caught thieves in the act, while others take preventive measures by adding covers to the ''saisen'' boxes.

References

Citations

* Iwanami Japanese dictionary, 6th Edition (2008), DVD version

Form

Offerings

Theft

References

Citations

See also