, sometimes referred to as a

Gohonzon is a generic term for a venerated religious object in Japanese Buddhism. It may take the form of a scroll or statuary. The term typically refers to the mainstream use of venerated objects within Nichiren Buddhism, referring to the calligr ...

( or ), is the enshrined main image or principal deity in

Japanese Buddhism Buddhism has been practiced in Japan since about the 6th century CE. Japanese Buddhism () created many new Buddhist schools, and some schools are original to Japan and some are derived from Chinese Buddhist schools. Japanese Buddhism has had ...

. The

buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was born in ...

bodhisattva In Buddhism, a bodhisattva ( ; sa, 𑀩𑁄𑀥𑀺𑀲𑀢𑁆𑀢𑁆𑀯 (Brahmī), translit=bodhisattva, label=Sanskrit) or bodhisatva is a person who is on the path towards bodhi ('awakening') or Buddhahood. In the Early Buddhist schoo ...

, or

mandala A mandala ( sa, मण्डल, maṇḍala, circle, ) is a geometric configuration of symbols. In various spiritual traditions, mandalas may be employed for focusing attention of practitioners and adepts, as a spiritual guidance tool, for e ...

image is located in either a temple or a household

butsudan A , sometimes spelled Butudan, is a shrine commonly found in temples and homes in Japanese Buddhist cultures. A ''butsudan'' is either a defined, often ornate platform or simply a wooden cabinet sometimes crafted with doors that enclose and ...

. The image can be either a statue or a small scroll and varies from sect to sect. It can be a singular image or a group of images; the ''honzon'' in the main (''hondou'') or treasure (''kondou'') hall of the temple can be for that particular hall or the entire temple complex. Sometimes ''honzon'' is the central image (''chuuson'') of a cluster of three (''sanzonbutu'') or five (''goson'') images. The physical creation of an icon is followed by a consecration ceremony (known as ''kaigen'', literally 'opening the eyes' or 'dotting the eyes'). It is believed this transforms the ''honzon'' into a 'vessel' of the deity which in its own right has power. Shingon Altar Ming Ya Buddhist Foundation of L

Shingon Altar Ming Ya Buddhist Foundation of L

Butsuzō

A honzon that takes the form of a statue is called a ''Butsuzō'' (), most likely crafted out of cypress wood or metal such as copper or bronze. The Butsuzō is more common than other types of images. Tori Busshi was an early and renowned creator of worship statues. The Butsuzōzui, originally published in 1690, is a compendium of reproductions of 800 Butsuzō. Amida_Nyorai

In various sects

Before the introduction of Buddhism to Japan in the sixth century there is no evidence of ''honzon'' in

Shinto Shinto () is a religion from Japan. Classified as an East Asian religion by scholars of religion, its practitioners often regard it as Japan's indigenous religion and as a nature religion. Scholars sometimes call its practitioners ''Shintoist ...

worship. Instead, its use was a cultural influence from Buddhism. Each sect of Japanese Buddhism has its own ''honzon'' which sometimes varies from temple to temple or even from hall to hall within a given temple. This is a practice that was criticized by Ekai Kawaguchi, a 20th century Japanese religious reformer. Some images (hibutsu, literally "secret buddhas") are considered too sacred for public presentation.

Shingon Buddhism

Mikkyō is a Japanese term for the Vajrayana practices of Shingon Buddhism and the related practices that make up part of the Tendai and Kegon schools. There are also Shingon and Tendai influenced practices of Shugendō. Mikkyō is a "lineage traditi ...

practices such as in

Shingon Buddhism Shingon monks at Mount Koya is one of the major schools of Buddhism in Japan and one of the few surviving Vajrayana lineages in East Asia, originally spread from India to China through traveling monks such as Vajrabodhi and Amoghavajra. ...

, the term refers to the divinity honored in a rite. When

Kūkai Kūkai (; 27 July 774 – 22 April 835Kūkai was born in 774, the 5th year of the Hōki era; his exact date of birth was designated as the fifteenth day of the sixth month of the Japanese lunar calendar, some 400 years later, by the Shingon s ...

introduced

Shingon Shingon monks at Mount Koya is one of the major schools of Buddhism in Japan and one of the few surviving Vajrayana lineages in East Asia, originally spread from India to China through traveling monks such as Vajrabodhi and Amoghavajra. Kn ...

Esoteric Buddhism Vajrayāna ( sa, वज्रयान, "thunderbolt vehicle", "diamond vehicle", or "indestructible vehicle"), along with Mantrayāna, Guhyamantrayāna, Tantrayāna, Secret Mantra, Tantric Buddhism, and Esoteric Buddhism, are names referring t ...

and its Buddhist Pantheon to Japan in the 9th century, the statuary worship practices found in China were incorporated. Over the centuries this developed into the Japanese Buddhist pantheon. The role of the tutelary figure is similar to that of the

yidam ''Yidam'' is a type of deity associated with tantric or Vajrayana Buddhism said to be manifestations of Buddhahood or enlightened mind. During personal meditation (''sādhana'') practice, the yogi identifies their own form, attributes and m ...

Tibetan Buddhism Tibetan Buddhism (also referred to as Indo-Tibetan Buddhism, Lamaism, Lamaistic Buddhism, Himalayan Buddhism, and Northern Buddhism) is the form of Buddhism practiced in Tibet and Bhutan, where it is the dominant religion. It is also in maj ...

. Tutelary deities in

Vajrayana Buddhism Vajrayāna ( sa, वज्रयान, "thunderbolt vehicle", "diamond vehicle", or "indestructible vehicle"), along with Mantrayāna, Guhyamantrayāna, Tantrayāna, Secret Mantra, Tantric Buddhism, and Esoteric Buddhism, are names referring t ...

, including Mikkyō, Tangmi and Tibetan Buddhism, are crucial to many religious practices.

Pure Land Buddhism

In the

Jōdo Shinshū , also known as Shin Buddhism or True Pure Land Buddhism, is a school of Pure Land Buddhism. It was founded by the former Tendai Japanese monk Shinran. Shin Buddhism is the most widely practiced branch of Buddhism in Japan. History Shinran ...

school of Pure Land Buddhism, under the leadership of Honen and

Shinran ''Popular Buddhism in Japan: Shin Buddhist Religion & Culture'' by Esben Andreasen, pp. 13, 14, 15, 17. University of Hawaii Press 1998, was a Japanese Buddhist monk, who was born in Hino (now a part of Fushimi, Kyoto) at the turbulent close of ...

, the use of "honzon" became more prevalent. The honzon took the form of inscriptions of the nembutsu: Namu Amida Buddha, other phrases, images of the Buddha, statuary, and even representations of the founder.

Rennyo Rennyo (, 1415–1499) was the 8th Monshu (head priest) of the Hongan-ji Temple of the Jōdo Shinshū sect of Buddhism, and descendant of founder Shinran. Jodo Shinshu Buddhists often referred to as the restorer of the sect ( in Japanese). H ...

thought a honzon in the form of the written nembutsu was more appropriate than that of statue.

Rissho Koseikai

In the Rissho Kosei Kai members receive and practice to a honzon enshrined in their homes they label a "Daigohonzon". The scroll consists of an image of Shakyamuni At the Rissho Kosei-kai headquarters there is a Gohonzon that is a statue of Shakyamuni.

Zen Buddhism

According to Suzuki, the proper honzon for the Zen altar is Shakyamuni Buddha. He is often attended by other Bodhisattvas and

arhat In Buddhism, an ''arhat'' (Sanskrit: अर्हत्) or ''arahant'' (Pali: अरहन्त्, 𑀅𑀭𑀳𑀦𑁆𑀢𑁆) is one who has gained insight into the true nature of existence and has achieved '' Nirvana'' and liberated ...

s such as statues of Kannon ( Avalokitesvara), Yakusi ( Bhaishajyaguru), Jizō ( Kshitigarbha), or Miroku ( Maitreya). Sometimes there is a trio of Amida (representing the past), Shakyamuni (the present), and Miroku (the future). There are other choices and combinations often influenced by the guiding philosophy of a temple.

References

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