Abstract

This article examines the craft patriarch’s temple and traditional village festival in Tống Xá bronze-casting village, now part of Ý Yên commune, Ninh Bình province, through the relationships among sacred space, ritual practices, and the occupational community. Drawing on local gazetteers, deity biographies, royal decrees, Hán- Nôm materials, studies of traditional crafts and craft villages, and fieldwork data, the article addresses three dimensions: the formation of the village’s historical and cultural space and the place of Zen master Nguyễn Minh Không in the community’s occupational memory; the structure and sequence of the festival, particularly the Trình nghề ritual involving offerings of bronze objects; and the role of craft patriarch worship in sustaining community identity, social relationships, and the transmission of craft knowledge.

Keywords: Craft patriarch worship, craft patriarch’s temple, nguyễn Minh Không, tống Xá, village festival.