Jeff Wilson
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195371932
- eISBN:
- 9780199870967
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195371932.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society, Buddhism
This chapter examines the growing performance of mizuko kuyō-related rituals — often referred to as “water baby ceremonies” — in convert American Zen centers. Since the late 1970s and increasingly ...
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This chapter examines the growing performance of mizuko kuyō-related rituals — often referred to as “water baby ceremonies” — in convert American Zen centers. Since the late 1970s and increasingly since about 1990, Zen centers run mainly by and for white converts to Buddhism have been providing rituals for use after an abortion or miscarriage. Created by first-generation converts rather than imported by Japanese missionary priests, these rituals are partly derived from mizuko kuyō and partly the invention of female Zen teachers seeking to meet the needs of their students in the wake of Roe v. Wade. Tied to the growth of these rituals is the increasing popularity of celestial bodhisattva figures such as Kannon and Jizō, whose convert devotees promote a more devotional side of Buddhism than has been acknowledged in new Buddhist circles.Less
This chapter examines the growing performance of mizuko kuyō-related rituals — often referred to as “water baby ceremonies” — in convert American Zen centers. Since the late 1970s and increasingly since about 1990, Zen centers run mainly by and for white converts to Buddhism have been providing rituals for use after an abortion or miscarriage. Created by first-generation converts rather than imported by Japanese missionary priests, these rituals are partly derived from mizuko kuyō and partly the invention of female Zen teachers seeking to meet the needs of their students in the wake of Roe v. Wade. Tied to the growth of these rituals is the increasing popularity of celestial bodhisattva figures such as Kannon and Jizō, whose convert devotees promote a more devotional side of Buddhism than has been acknowledged in new Buddhist circles.
Sherry D. Fowler
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- May 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780824856229
- eISBN:
- 9780824872977
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of Hawai'i Press
- DOI:
- 10.21313/hawaii/9780824856229.001.0001
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Asian Studies
When Kannon (Avalokiteśvara in Sanskrit) appears in multiple manifestations, the compassionate Buddhist deity’s magnificent powers are believed to increase to even greater heights. This book examines ...
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When Kannon (Avalokiteśvara in Sanskrit) appears in multiple manifestations, the compassionate Buddhist deity’s magnificent powers are believed to increase to even greater heights. This book examines the development of sculptures, paintings, and prints associated with the cult of the Six Kannon, which began in Japan in the tenth century and remained strong until its transition, beginning in sixteenth century, to the still active Thirty-Three Kannon cult. The complete set of Six Kannon made in 1224 and housed at the Kyoto temple Daihōonji is an exemplar of the cult’s images. With a diachronic approach, beginning in the eleventh century, individual case studies are employed to reinstate a context for the sets of Six Kannon, the majority of which have been lost or scattered, in order to clarify the former vibrancy, magnitude, and distribution of the cult and enhance knowledge of religious image-making in Japan. While Kannon’s role of assisting beings trapped in the six paths of transmigration is a well-documented catalyst for the selection of six, there are other significant themes at work. Six Kannon worship includes worldly concerns like childbirth and animal husbandry, strong ties between text and image, and numerous cases of matching with Shinto kami groups of six.Less
When Kannon (Avalokiteśvara in Sanskrit) appears in multiple manifestations, the compassionate Buddhist deity’s magnificent powers are believed to increase to even greater heights. This book examines the development of sculptures, paintings, and prints associated with the cult of the Six Kannon, which began in Japan in the tenth century and remained strong until its transition, beginning in sixteenth century, to the still active Thirty-Three Kannon cult. The complete set of Six Kannon made in 1224 and housed at the Kyoto temple Daihōonji is an exemplar of the cult’s images. With a diachronic approach, beginning in the eleventh century, individual case studies are employed to reinstate a context for the sets of Six Kannon, the majority of which have been lost or scattered, in order to clarify the former vibrancy, magnitude, and distribution of the cult and enhance knowledge of religious image-making in Japan. While Kannon’s role of assisting beings trapped in the six paths of transmigration is a well-documented catalyst for the selection of six, there are other significant themes at work. Six Kannon worship includes worldly concerns like childbirth and animal husbandry, strong ties between text and image, and numerous cases of matching with Shinto kami groups of six.
Sherry D. Fowler
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- May 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780824856229
- eISBN:
- 9780824872977
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Hawai'i Press
- DOI:
- 10.21313/hawaii/9780824856229.003.0001
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Asian Studies
As this book makes former groups of Kannon visible, it also explores the fluidity of numerical categorizations of deities that attempt to quantify invisible beliefs. Although initially formed with ...
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As this book makes former groups of Kannon visible, it also explores the fluidity of numerical categorizations of deities that attempt to quantify invisible beliefs. Although initially formed with the idea of corresponding to the six paths of transmigration in Buddhist thought, the Six Kannon were anything but a monolithic cult. As the Lotus sūtra explains, in order to save a sentient being most expediently Kannon can assume thirty-three different types of bodies. Yet the plethora of images of Kannon seen all over the world reveals that there are many more forms and that the number thirty-three stands for the great number of variations Kannon can take. Pious motivations commonly drove the faithful to use creative calculations to adjust the number of Kannon to suit their needs.Less
As this book makes former groups of Kannon visible, it also explores the fluidity of numerical categorizations of deities that attempt to quantify invisible beliefs. Although initially formed with the idea of corresponding to the six paths of transmigration in Buddhist thought, the Six Kannon were anything but a monolithic cult. As the Lotus sūtra explains, in order to save a sentient being most expediently Kannon can assume thirty-three different types of bodies. Yet the plethora of images of Kannon seen all over the world reveals that there are many more forms and that the number thirty-three stands for the great number of variations Kannon can take. Pious motivations commonly drove the faithful to use creative calculations to adjust the number of Kannon to suit their needs.
James L. Ford
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195188141
- eISBN:
- 9780199850976
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195188141.003.0004
- Subject:
- Religion, Buddhism
This chapter introduces the substantive content of Jōkei's devotion and propagational efforts. Jōkei was by far the most prolific author of a liturgical literary genre known as kōshiki (Buddhist ...
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This chapter introduces the substantive content of Jōkei's devotion and propagational efforts. Jōkei was by far the most prolific author of a liturgical literary genre known as kōshiki (Buddhist ceremonials), popular among prominent monks within the established schools during the early medieval period. These, along with other devotional texts such as ganmon (written prayer or vow), became a central source for analyzing Jōkei's eclectic propagation of devotion toward Sākyamuni, Maitreya, Kannon, and the Kasuga deity, among others.Less
This chapter introduces the substantive content of Jōkei's devotion and propagational efforts. Jōkei was by far the most prolific author of a liturgical literary genre known as kōshiki (Buddhist ceremonials), popular among prominent monks within the established schools during the early medieval period. These, along with other devotional texts such as ganmon (written prayer or vow), became a central source for analyzing Jōkei's eclectic propagation of devotion toward Sākyamuni, Maitreya, Kannon, and the Kasuga deity, among others.
James L. Ford
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195188141
- eISBN:
- 9780199850976
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195188141.003.0005
- Subject:
- Religion, Buddhism
This chapter analyzes the soteriological aims of Jōkei's message and the means he promoted for achieving those aims. Above all, Jōkei encouraged aspiration for birth in the realms of Maitreya and ...
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This chapter analyzes the soteriological aims of Jōkei's message and the means he promoted for achieving those aims. Above all, Jōkei encouraged aspiration for birth in the realms of Maitreya and Kannon, and emphasized the necessity of relying on the “other power” of various Buddhas and bodhisattvas. At the same time, he emphasized the importance of karma and the relevant consequences of our thoughts, words, and deeds.Less
This chapter analyzes the soteriological aims of Jōkei's message and the means he promoted for achieving those aims. Above all, Jōkei encouraged aspiration for birth in the realms of Maitreya and Kannon, and emphasized the necessity of relying on the “other power” of various Buddhas and bodhisattvas. At the same time, he emphasized the importance of karma and the relevant consequences of our thoughts, words, and deeds.
Bernard Faure
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- November 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780824839338
- eISBN:
- 9780824868260
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of Hawai'i Press
- DOI:
- 10.21313/hawaii/9780824839338.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Religious Studies
The book constitutes an attempt to rethink medieval Japanese religion in light of the recently discovered documents and of the innovative contributions by Japanese scholars. Drawing on the ...
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The book constitutes an attempt to rethink medieval Japanese religion in light of the recently discovered documents and of the innovative contributions by Japanese scholars. Drawing on the theoretical insights of structuralism, post-structuralism, and Actor-Network Theory, it retrieves what could be called the “implicit pantheon” (by opposition to the “explicit,” orthodox pantheon) of medieval esoteric Buddhism (mikkyō). Through a number of case studies, the book introduces readers to the labyrinthine world of medieval Japanese religiosity, and shows the centrality of the gods in religious discourse and practice. It describes and analyzes the impressive mythological and ritual efflorescence that marked the medieval period, not only in the religious domain, but also in the political, artistic, and literary spheres. While the individual chapters of the book give seem to follow the general taxonomic structure of the esoteric Buddhist pantheon, the proliferation of oblique relationships within and between chapters undermines that hierarchical structure and reveals the existence of a complex network, linking, not only deities, but also rituals, symbols, people, institutions, sacred objects and places.Less
The book constitutes an attempt to rethink medieval Japanese religion in light of the recently discovered documents and of the innovative contributions by Japanese scholars. Drawing on the theoretical insights of structuralism, post-structuralism, and Actor-Network Theory, it retrieves what could be called the “implicit pantheon” (by opposition to the “explicit,” orthodox pantheon) of medieval esoteric Buddhism (mikkyō). Through a number of case studies, the book introduces readers to the labyrinthine world of medieval Japanese religiosity, and shows the centrality of the gods in religious discourse and practice. It describes and analyzes the impressive mythological and ritual efflorescence that marked the medieval period, not only in the religious domain, but also in the political, artistic, and literary spheres. While the individual chapters of the book give seem to follow the general taxonomic structure of the esoteric Buddhist pantheon, the proliferation of oblique relationships within and between chapters undermines that hierarchical structure and reveals the existence of a complex network, linking, not only deities, but also rituals, symbols, people, institutions, sacred objects and places.
Jeff Wilson, Tomoe Moriya, and Richard M. Jaffe (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- January 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780520269170
- eISBN:
- 9780520965355
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520269170.003.0020
- Subject:
- Religion, Buddhism
This chapter contains an essay by D. T. Suzuki in which he discusses the significance of “hands” in a contemplative, poetic manner using parables from Zen literature and ideas from the poet and ...
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This chapter contains an essay by D. T. Suzuki in which he discusses the significance of “hands” in a contemplative, poetic manner using parables from Zen literature and ideas from the poet and painter William Blake that oppose the “mechanization” of human minds. Suzuki explains how hands and consciousness function together. He argues that hands communicate the essence of spirit whereas machines are functions of the intellect. Suzuki concludes this essay by focusing on the goddess of mercy, Kannon, who possesses one thousand arms representing loving kindness and helps sentient beings; this emphasizes the loving and creative function of the hands.Less
This chapter contains an essay by D. T. Suzuki in which he discusses the significance of “hands” in a contemplative, poetic manner using parables from Zen literature and ideas from the poet and painter William Blake that oppose the “mechanization” of human minds. Suzuki explains how hands and consciousness function together. He argues that hands communicate the essence of spirit whereas machines are functions of the intellect. Suzuki concludes this essay by focusing on the goddess of mercy, Kannon, who possesses one thousand arms representing loving kindness and helps sentient beings; this emphasizes the loving and creative function of the hands.
Sherry D. Fowler
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- May 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780824856229
- eISBN:
- 9780824872977
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Hawai'i Press
- DOI:
- 10.21313/hawaii/9780824856229.003.0006
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Asian Studies
A centerpiece of the corpus of extant iconic image sets of Six Kannon painting, of which five originals survive, is the large fourteenth-century set from the Hosomi Museum in Kyoto. Just how unstable ...
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A centerpiece of the corpus of extant iconic image sets of Six Kannon painting, of which five originals survive, is the large fourteenth-century set from the Hosomi Museum in Kyoto. Just how unstable the number six can be is demonstrated in the Six Kannon cult by the establishment of the Seven Kannon group, which is a phenomenon where both alternate Kannon types (Fukūkenjaku and Juntei used by Shingon and Tendai respectively) are included in one group. The Kyoto temple called Shichi Kannon’in historically enshrined such an example. Six Kannon joined by one Seishi (Skt. Mahāsthāmaprāpta), commonly misidentified as “Seven Kannon,” were worshipped in the practice of the once popular but now almost unknown Edo-period ritual called Shichiyamachi (Seven nights of waiting). Other paintings of Six Kannon, such as the sixteenth-century set from Kōdaiji that includes paintings of the Six Kannon along with Thirty-three Kannon, served a pivotal role in the transmission and subsequent expansion of the Six Kannon cult.Less
A centerpiece of the corpus of extant iconic image sets of Six Kannon painting, of which five originals survive, is the large fourteenth-century set from the Hosomi Museum in Kyoto. Just how unstable the number six can be is demonstrated in the Six Kannon cult by the establishment of the Seven Kannon group, which is a phenomenon where both alternate Kannon types (Fukūkenjaku and Juntei used by Shingon and Tendai respectively) are included in one group. The Kyoto temple called Shichi Kannon’in historically enshrined such an example. Six Kannon joined by one Seishi (Skt. Mahāsthāmaprāpta), commonly misidentified as “Seven Kannon,” were worshipped in the practice of the once popular but now almost unknown Edo-period ritual called Shichiyamachi (Seven nights of waiting). Other paintings of Six Kannon, such as the sixteenth-century set from Kōdaiji that includes paintings of the Six Kannon along with Thirty-three Kannon, served a pivotal role in the transmission and subsequent expansion of the Six Kannon cult.
Sherry D. Fowler
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- May 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780824856229
- eISBN:
- 9780824872977
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Hawai'i Press
- DOI:
- 10.21313/hawaii/9780824856229.003.0002
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Asian Studies
In the tenth century Tendai and Shingon School monks adopted and modified six types of Guanyin found in early Chinese texts, especially Mohe zhiguan, into a cult in Japan. As the monks promoted the ...
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In the tenth century Tendai and Shingon School monks adopted and modified six types of Guanyin found in early Chinese texts, especially Mohe zhiguan, into a cult in Japan. As the monks promoted the constellation of these images as particularly efficacious, sculpture sets were installed at temples in the capital. Many of the main sites that housed Six Kannon images in the Heian period (794–1185) are gone and known only through records, such as the Kyoto temples Hosshōji and Hōjōji. However, rare early vestiges of former sets from this period are found in sculptures from Buzaiin in Ishikawa and Konkaikōmyōji in Kyoto. Evidence for early Japanese images of Six Kannon and their records, such as iconographic manuals, diaries, and chronicles, demonstrate the wide extent of the cult and its images that flourished under elite patronage in the Heian period.Less
In the tenth century Tendai and Shingon School monks adopted and modified six types of Guanyin found in early Chinese texts, especially Mohe zhiguan, into a cult in Japan. As the monks promoted the constellation of these images as particularly efficacious, sculpture sets were installed at temples in the capital. Many of the main sites that housed Six Kannon images in the Heian period (794–1185) are gone and known only through records, such as the Kyoto temples Hosshōji and Hōjōji. However, rare early vestiges of former sets from this period are found in sculptures from Buzaiin in Ishikawa and Konkaikōmyōji in Kyoto. Evidence for early Japanese images of Six Kannon and their records, such as iconographic manuals, diaries, and chronicles, demonstrate the wide extent of the cult and its images that flourished under elite patronage in the Heian period.
Sherry D. Fowler
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- May 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780824856229
- eISBN:
- 9780824872977
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Hawai'i Press
- DOI:
- 10.21313/hawaii/9780824856229.003.0003
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Asian Studies
The island of Kyushu has an exceptionally high concentration of documentary and physical evidence of past Six Kannon practice in Japan. The miraculous story of the Six Kannon images that appeared at ...
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The island of Kyushu has an exceptionally high concentration of documentary and physical evidence of past Six Kannon practice in Japan. The miraculous story of the Six Kannon images that appeared at Six Kannon Lake in the Kirishima Mountains fueled the worship of the cult. The varied cult imagery from Kyushu includes the incised bronze sutra container from Chōanji dated to 1141 that had been buried in a mountain in Kunisaki, to a sixteenth-century set from Chōkyūji made by the Shukuin busshi group of sculptors, to the Fumonji seventeenth-century set that had dual Buddhist-kami identities, which was relocated several times over the centuries between different temples and shrines in the Sagara domain. This chapter’s geographic approach makes clear that the strategy of matching Six Kannon with six kami, or six gongen, was a major driving force for the cult in the region of Kyushu.Less
The island of Kyushu has an exceptionally high concentration of documentary and physical evidence of past Six Kannon practice in Japan. The miraculous story of the Six Kannon images that appeared at Six Kannon Lake in the Kirishima Mountains fueled the worship of the cult. The varied cult imagery from Kyushu includes the incised bronze sutra container from Chōanji dated to 1141 that had been buried in a mountain in Kunisaki, to a sixteenth-century set from Chōkyūji made by the Shukuin busshi group of sculptors, to the Fumonji seventeenth-century set that had dual Buddhist-kami identities, which was relocated several times over the centuries between different temples and shrines in the Sagara domain. This chapter’s geographic approach makes clear that the strategy of matching Six Kannon with six kami, or six gongen, was a major driving force for the cult in the region of Kyushu.
Sherry D. Fowler
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- May 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780824856229
- eISBN:
- 9780824872977
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Hawai'i Press
- DOI:
- 10.21313/hawaii/9780824856229.003.0004
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Asian Studies
Two wooden sculpture sets of Six Kannon, the thirteenth-century set from Daihōonji in Kyoto attributed to the artist Higō Jōkei and the fourteenth-century set from Tōmyōji in the Minami Yamashiro ...
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Two wooden sculpture sets of Six Kannon, the thirteenth-century set from Daihōonji in Kyoto attributed to the artist Higō Jōkei and the fourteenth-century set from Tōmyōji in the Minami Yamashiro district of Kyoto, are well-documented sets that show the history, modifications, and movement of the cult. Copious inscriptions inside images in the respective sets reveal diverse sponsorship, from an elite female patron in the former to a huge group of patrons from a variety of backgrounds in the latter. Extant thirteenth- to fifteenth-century written records on ritual procedures, such as Roku Kannon gōgyōki, which focused on Six Kannon, contribute to the knowledge of how the rituals related to Six Kannon were performed as well as how the Six Kannon functioned in response to different needs, such as assisting with the six paths, protecting the dharma, or bolstering sectarian heritage, throughout their changing circumstances and movement over time.Less
Two wooden sculpture sets of Six Kannon, the thirteenth-century set from Daihōonji in Kyoto attributed to the artist Higō Jōkei and the fourteenth-century set from Tōmyōji in the Minami Yamashiro district of Kyoto, are well-documented sets that show the history, modifications, and movement of the cult. Copious inscriptions inside images in the respective sets reveal diverse sponsorship, from an elite female patron in the former to a huge group of patrons from a variety of backgrounds in the latter. Extant thirteenth- to fifteenth-century written records on ritual procedures, such as Roku Kannon gōgyōki, which focused on Six Kannon, contribute to the knowledge of how the rituals related to Six Kannon were performed as well as how the Six Kannon functioned in response to different needs, such as assisting with the six paths, protecting the dharma, or bolstering sectarian heritage, throughout their changing circumstances and movement over time.
Sherry D. Fowler
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- May 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780824856229
- eISBN:
- 9780824872977
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Hawai'i Press
- DOI:
- 10.21313/hawaii/9780824856229.003.0007
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Asian Studies
Painted and printed sets of Thirty-three Kannon transported from China in the fifteenth century inspired the shift to Thirty-three Kannon worship. This new theme in Japan is exemplified by the ...
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Painted and printed sets of Thirty-three Kannon transported from China in the fifteenth century inspired the shift to Thirty-three Kannon worship. This new theme in Japan is exemplified by the celebrated set from 1412 attributed to Minchō. Another area of transition between the Six and Thirty-three Kannon cults is in the fact that the main temple icons of the major Thirty-three Kannon pilgrimage routes all feature one of the Six Kannon rather than any of the thirty-three images described in the Lotus sūtra or those imported from China. Within the context of pilgrimage, one surprising area of transition between the cults is found in the imagery cast into large bronze bells used at Buddhist temples. Finally, beginning in the seventeenth century, boundaries of the distribution of multiple Kannon imagery were pushed even further as publications of the printed iconographic manual Butsuzō zui, which clearly organized illustrations of groups of Seven and Thirty-three Kannon, rapidly proliferated throughout Japan and then abroad, giving Kannon worldwide exposure.Less
Painted and printed sets of Thirty-three Kannon transported from China in the fifteenth century inspired the shift to Thirty-three Kannon worship. This new theme in Japan is exemplified by the celebrated set from 1412 attributed to Minchō. Another area of transition between the Six and Thirty-three Kannon cults is in the fact that the main temple icons of the major Thirty-three Kannon pilgrimage routes all feature one of the Six Kannon rather than any of the thirty-three images described in the Lotus sūtra or those imported from China. Within the context of pilgrimage, one surprising area of transition between the cults is found in the imagery cast into large bronze bells used at Buddhist temples. Finally, beginning in the seventeenth century, boundaries of the distribution of multiple Kannon imagery were pushed even further as publications of the printed iconographic manual Butsuzō zui, which clearly organized illustrations of groups of Seven and Thirty-three Kannon, rapidly proliferated throughout Japan and then abroad, giving Kannon worldwide exposure.
Sherry D. Fowler
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- May 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780824856229
- eISBN:
- 9780824872977
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Hawai'i Press
- DOI:
- 10.21313/hawaii/9780824856229.003.0008
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Asian Studies
In a remote setting at the base of Mount Wakakusa in Nara, not far from Tōdaiji Great Buddha Hall and Kasuga Shrine, is an unusual stone Buddha head, known as “Hora no buttōseki” (Stone Buddha head ...
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In a remote setting at the base of Mount Wakakusa in Nara, not far from Tōdaiji Great Buddha Hall and Kasuga Shrine, is an unusual stone Buddha head, known as “Hora no buttōseki” (Stone Buddha head in the grotto). The head is perched atop a pillar that has reliefs of the Six Kannon and an inscription dating to 1520. By way of a conclusion, this monument is examined in terms of the themes treated in the book: landscape and sacred geography, text and image relationships, ritual practice, ritual lives of objects, and numbers of Kannon.Less
In a remote setting at the base of Mount Wakakusa in Nara, not far from Tōdaiji Great Buddha Hall and Kasuga Shrine, is an unusual stone Buddha head, known as “Hora no buttōseki” (Stone Buddha head in the grotto). The head is perched atop a pillar that has reliefs of the Six Kannon and an inscription dating to 1520. By way of a conclusion, this monument is examined in terms of the themes treated in the book: landscape and sacred geography, text and image relationships, ritual practice, ritual lives of objects, and numbers of Kannon.
Bernard Faure
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- November 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780824839338
- eISBN:
- 9780824868260
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Hawai'i Press
- DOI:
- 10.21313/hawaii/9780824839338.003.0008
- Subject:
- Religion, Religious Studies
Buddhist deities and Japanese gods like Hachiman, Amaterasu, and Uhō Dōji were seen as embodiments of the wish-fulfilling jewel. The paradigmatic jewel deity is Nyoirin Kannon. This Bodhisattva ...
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Buddhist deities and Japanese gods like Hachiman, Amaterasu, and Uhō Dōji were seen as embodiments of the wish-fulfilling jewel. The paradigmatic jewel deity is Nyoirin Kannon. This Bodhisattva formed with the Wisdom kings Aizen and Fudō a powerful triad, which transformed into a ritual weapon in political and military struggles opposing the Emperor and the shōgun. Beyond the obvious apotropaic and soteriological nature of these gods, the embryological code is essential to understand their true meaning and function.Less
Buddhist deities and Japanese gods like Hachiman, Amaterasu, and Uhō Dōji were seen as embodiments of the wish-fulfilling jewel. The paradigmatic jewel deity is Nyoirin Kannon. This Bodhisattva formed with the Wisdom kings Aizen and Fudō a powerful triad, which transformed into a ritual weapon in political and military struggles opposing the Emperor and the shōgun. Beyond the obvious apotropaic and soteriological nature of these gods, the embryological code is essential to understand their true meaning and function.
Bardwell L. Smith
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- September 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780199942138
- eISBN:
- 9780199345915
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199942138.003.0002
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
Introduces reader to the architecture, iconography, and doctrine of Hasedera, a prominent Buddhist temple in Kamakura. This temple provides a graphic example of how pre-modern and contemporary forms ...
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Introduces reader to the architecture, iconography, and doctrine of Hasedera, a prominent Buddhist temple in Kamakura. This temple provides a graphic example of how pre-modern and contemporary forms of Buddhist teaching and practice relate to ongoing life concerns. Central to both teaching and practice are the sacred figures of Kannon and Jizō, which continue to be perceived as responding to the needs of women. Recent Tokugawa research reveals evidence of rituals for grieving child loss long before emergence of mizuko kuyō. The chapter discusses the head priest’s comments about when and in what form this practice began at Hasedera. Also included are responses to questionnaires left at this temple by those who came in quest of its healing rituals in the 1980s and 1990s.Less
Introduces reader to the architecture, iconography, and doctrine of Hasedera, a prominent Buddhist temple in Kamakura. This temple provides a graphic example of how pre-modern and contemporary forms of Buddhist teaching and practice relate to ongoing life concerns. Central to both teaching and practice are the sacred figures of Kannon and Jizō, which continue to be perceived as responding to the needs of women. Recent Tokugawa research reveals evidence of rituals for grieving child loss long before emergence of mizuko kuyō. The chapter discusses the head priest’s comments about when and in what form this practice began at Hasedera. Also included are responses to questionnaires left at this temple by those who came in quest of its healing rituals in the 1980s and 1990s.
Patricia Fister
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- July 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780190469290
- eISBN:
- 9780190469320
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780190469290.003.0006
- Subject:
- Religion, Buddhism
This chapter focuses on the lives and creative output of two Rinzai nuns, Daitsū Bunchi (1619–1697) and Tokugon Rihō (1672–1745). They both served for decades as abbesses of imperial convents, and ...
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This chapter focuses on the lives and creative output of two Rinzai nuns, Daitsū Bunchi (1619–1697) and Tokugon Rihō (1672–1745). They both served for decades as abbesses of imperial convents, and both created chinzō portraits, paintings and/or sculptures of Kannon, Bodhidharma, Ś
ākyamuni, and other images that distinguished them from their male counterparts (e.g., images made of needlework, hair, and other bodily relics). Relying on their own written accounts, this chapter demonstrates that these two women were motivated to create votive objects, images, and calligraphies themselves as an integral aspect of their practice, rather than commissioning them from professional artisans, which as imperial nuns they had the financial means to do.Less
This chapter focuses on the lives and creative output of two Rinzai nuns, Daitsū Bunchi (1619–1697) and Tokugon Rihō (1672–1745). They both served for decades as abbesses of imperial convents, and both created chinzō portraits, paintings and/or sculptures of Kannon, Bodhidharma, Ś
ākyamuni, and other images that distinguished them from their male counterparts (e.g., images made of needlework, hair, and other bodily relics). Relying on their own written accounts, this chapter demonstrates that these two women were motivated to create votive objects, images, and calligraphies themselves as an integral aspect of their practice, rather than commissioning them from professional artisans, which as imperial nuns they had the financial means to do.
