Mishima insisted that nucleus of the integrated, organic culture that embraced the chrysanthemum and the sword was none other than “the emperor as culture.” He explains the concept as follows, using the archaic term miyabi (courtly elegance).

Miyabi was the cultural essence of the imperial court and the people’s longing for it, but during troubled times, miyabi could even take the form of terrorism. That is to say, the emperor as a cultural concept held out his hand not only to the forces of state power and order but also to the forces of chaos.

“On the god shelf below the staircase, alongside the tablet from the Great Ise Shrine, were set photographs of their Imperial Majesties, and regularly every morning , before leaving for duty, the lieutenant would stand with his wife at this hallowed place and together they would bow their heads low. The offering water was renewed each morning, and the sacred sprig of sasaki was always green and fresh.  Their lives were lived beneath the solemn protection of the gods and were filled with an intense happiness which set every fiber in their bodies trembling.”

- Yukio Mishima, Patriotism

The “God Shelf” is a kamidana.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamidana

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ise_Shrine

Some kamidana seem to be quite elaborate, while others are simple and have very clean lines.

There are some images of a very simple antique kamidana here, and an internet search will yield a wide variety of them.

http://www.budomall.com/index.php

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