Portable shrine

In Buddhism, portable shrines were made so that devout travelers with nowhere to worship could carry their shrines with them. The shrines were two-piece, and could be shut together to preserve the artwork.

Miniature Buddhas and Goddesses could be carried in small lacquer cases, much resembling the portable phone cases of today, carried on the wrist.

In Tibet, the shrines were sometimes made of metal, and carried with over-the-shoulder straps.

The mikoshi is a Japanese type of portable shrine used mostly during Shinto religious festivals called matsuri.