Keman signifies ritual implements ornamenting the inner sanctuary of a church, and is typically made from materials such as gilt bronze, oxhide, wooden boards, or threads.
As its Sanskrit name suggests, it originated as a term for fresh flowers strung together and tied in a loop, but became a name for such implements as used to pay respect to the dead (hotoke), and eventually signified ritual implements ornamenting the inner sanctuary (naijin (), corresponding to the chancel of a church. They are typically made from gilt bronze in the shape of a round fan (uchiwa). Other materials used for making it are oxhide, wooden boards, or threads. 
