Japanese Zhushi Shrine with Standing Buddha on Lotus Base with Buddha Attendants

Open the doors and the gold comes out.

This shrine, a zushi with a standing Buddha on a lotus base and Buddha attendants, comes from Japan and dates to the Edo period, in polychrome wood with bronze fittings. Portable shrines like this let Japanese Buddhists keep a sacred image at home or carry it on a journey, closing it away when not in prayer. The standing figure rises before a pierced halo of cloud scrolls, with two seated attendants at the foot. Gold lines the curved doors, under a painted valance and a domed black lid. Nine and three quarter inches high.

Closed, it is a small black box. The doors keep their counsel.