kebyō 花瓶

Also written 華瓶. A vase used to offer flowers on a Buddhist altar. Made of gold, silver, bronze, crystal, or clay. The vase has a large rounded body, bordered by a narrow neck and base which splay out into a wide rim and foot. The surface is usually plain, but there is sometimes an engraved lotus design. A good example of a gilt-bronze kebyō can be seen in Shōfukuji 勝福寺, Hyōgo Prefecture. The kebyō is sometimes found as an attribute *jimotsu 持物 held in the hand of a *Kannon 観音 figure. In this case the vase shape is simplified and often contains a lotus sprig.