spirit tablet; memorial tablet; object representing the spirit of the dead
Shinto term for a physical object, often a tablet, that serves as a vessel for the spirit of a deceased person and is venerated. Compare 御霊代 (みたましろ).
See also: 御霊代
They enshrine the ancestral spirit tablet on the household Shinto altar.
imperial seal; privy seal
Historical term for the seal of the emperor; compare 御璽 (ぎょじ). Rare in modern contexts.
See also: 御璽
The document bore the imperial seal.
list of names of the dead · Book of Souls (Yasukuni Shrine)
Standard kanji spelling for both senses; the character 璽 is rare but fixed in this compound.
Kana spelling may be used when the kanji are obscure or for clarity.
Compound of 霊 (spirit) and 璽 (seal). The exact historical derivation is uncertain; the spelling is conventionally associated with both a spirit tablet and an imperial seal.