<p>It is called <a href="https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%9D%BF%E5%A1%94%E5%A9%86" rel="nofollow noreferrer">卒塔婆（sotoba）</a> and seen commonly in Japanese cemeteries. They are normally placed at the back of grave stones like the following (<a href="https://ishiyachidori.com/%E5%8D%92%E5%A1%94%E5%A9%86%E3%81%A3%E3%81%A6%E4%BD%95%EF%BC%9F/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">source</a>):</p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/DVT29.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/DVT29.png" alt="enter image description here" /></a></p>
<p>Usually some matra or names of people buried there are written on them.</p>
<p>Apparently the ones similar to the picture you posted can be found in <a href="https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E9%87%91%E5%89%9B%E8%AD%89%E5%AF%BA" rel="nofollow noreferrer">a Japanese temple</a>, but most probably it's unique to this temple (or at least it's rare; I've never seen things like this).</p>
<p><a href="https://itamiwake.com/2014/08/kongoushouji.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">source</a> (also mentioned in the Wikipedia article above):</p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/TZ9pL.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/TZ9pL.jpg" alt="enter image description here" /></a></p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-02-16T05:41:29.683Z
2024-02-16T05:41:29.683Z
sundowner
<p>During episode 2 of Samurai Champloo, Mugen's walking through some wooden posts with kanji on them. What are they? I can't imagine they're grave-stones or something, since they're all bunched in a row like a fence. If it matters, the anime is set in the Edo period-ish, roughly in the 1840s.
<a href="https://i.sstatic.net/TZcNS.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/TZcNS.jpg" alt="mugen walking through fenceposts" /></a></p>

<culture><japan><samurai-champloo>
What are these "fence-posts" with Kanji on them in Samurai Champloo?
# What are these "fence-posts" with Kanji on them in Samurai Champloo?
Posted by: username_0 on 2024-02-15
During episode 2 of Samurai Champloo, Mugen's walking through some wooden posts with kanji on them. What are they? I can't imagine they're grave-stones or something, since they're all bunched in a row like a fence. If it matters, the anime is set in the Edo period-ish, roughly in the 1840s.
[![mugen walking through fenceposts](https://i.sstatic.net/TZcNS.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/TZcNS.jpg)
**Tags:** culture japan samurai-champloo
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## 1 answers
### Answer by username_1 on 2024-02-16. Score: 4 | Accepted answer
It is called [卒塔婆（sotoba）](https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%9D%BF%E5%A1%94%E5%A9%86) and seen commonly in Japanese cemeteries. They are normally placed at the back of grave stones like the following ([source](https://ishiyachidori.com/%E5%8D%92%E5%A1%94%E5%A9%86%E3%81%A3%E3%81%A6%E4%BD%95%EF%BC%9F/)):

[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/DVT29.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/DVT29.png)

Usually some matra or names of people buried there are written on them.

Apparently the ones similar to the picture you posted can be found in [a Japanese temple](https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E9%87%91%E5%89%9B%E8%AD%89%E5%AF%BA), but most probably it's unique to this temple (or at least it's rare; I've never seen things like this).

[source](https://itamiwake.com/2014/08/kongoushouji.html) (also mentioned in the Wikipedia article above):

[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/TZ9pL.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/TZ9pL.jpg)
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