noun
keeping ashes at home; memorial keepsake with ashes
Refers to the practice of keeping a portion of a deceased person's cremated remains in a small container, pendant, or miniature urn at home, rather than interring all ashes in a family grave. Common in modern memorial practices.
最近は、遺骨の一部を手元供養として自宅に置く人が増えている。
Recently, more people are keeping a portion of the ashes at home as a memorial keepsake.
母の遺骨を小さなペンダントに入れて、手元供養にしている。
I put some of my mother's ashes in a small pendant as a way to keep her close.
Compound of 手元 (てもと, 'at hand, nearby') and 供養 (くよう, 'memorial service, offering'). The term describes a modern practice of keeping cremated remains close by for personal memorialization.