🎎 Japanese Temple Offering Stamp (奉納) – Japan Antique Roadshow

🎎 This hand-carved Japanese woodblock stamp bears the characters 奉納 (hōnō), which translate to “offering.” These characters are traditionally used in both Shinto and Buddhist contexts, often stamped on votive slips, donation records, or ceremonial items presented to temples and shrines in reverence.

This piece shows clear signs of age and use: red and black ink deeply stain the stamp face, accumulated through many years of ritual stamping. On the top of the handle is the single hand-brushed character 多 (ta, meaning “many” or “abundance”), likely indicating a user, section, or inventory notation. The block is carved from a dense hardwood and fits well in the hand, with visible handling wear that enhances its antique charm.

The stamp measures 4 cm long by 3.5 cm wide and 3.5 cm tall, and weighs 40 grams. It likely dates to the early-to-mid Showa period (1926–1989), though the traditional construction and wear patterns could indicate it’s older still.