Sekitenki formerly kept at Yushima Confucian Shrine

Sekiten is the ceremony to honor Confucius and his students. It was introduced from China in the Nara period (710-794). The word sekiten means to place offerings for Confucius and his students. The vessels used in this ceremony are called sekitenki.

In the Edo period, the ceremony was held twice each year, in spring and autumn, at fief schools and Confucian shrines throughout Japan. Even today, the ceremony is held on the fourth Sunday in April as Confucius's Festival at the Yushima Confucian Shrine (Seido), which was established by the Tokugawa government.

The Yushima Seido was constructed in 1690 (Genroku 3) under the order of the Shogun Tokugawa Tsunayoshi. Because the building suffered fire many times, only a few of its original sekitenki and other utensils survive today. The majority of existing pieces are later replacements. The production dates inscribed on them indicate that they were made during and after the An'ei era (1772 - 1781). Decorated with elaborate maki-e lacquer, they are important works for the study of pre-Modern lacquer art.

The Yushima Seido was used as the national museum (which later became the Tokyo National Museum) at one time after the Meiji Restoration (1868), when its sekitenki were placed under the custody of the Japanese government. The sekitenki were moved to this museum and survived the Great Kanto Earthquake as well as the devastation of World War II.