Hōdō (法道) or Hōdō

Sennin A ''xian'' ( zh, s=仙, t=僊, p=xiān, w=hsien) is any manner of immortal or mythical being within the Taoist pantheon or Chinese folklore. has often been translated into English as "immortal" or "wizard". Traditionally, ''xian'' refers t ...

(法道仙人) was an Indian hermit and sage. According to legend, from the 6th to 7th centuries CE, Hōdō traveled from India peninsula through Tang China and the

Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...

n kingdom of

Baekje Baekje or Paekche (; ) was a Korean kingdom located in southwestern Korea from 18 BCE to 660 CE. It was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, together with Goguryeo and Silla. While the three kingdoms were in separate existence, Baekje had the h ...

and eventually arrived in

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. He is recognized as the founder of temples in the mountains of

Harima Province or Banshū (播州) was a province of Japan in the part of Honshū that is the southwestern part of present-day Hyōgo Prefecture. Harima bordered on Tajima, Tanba, Settsu, Bizen, and Mimasaka Provinces. Its capital was Himeji. During th ...

and is associated with several ''chokugan-ji'' (勅願寺), Buddhist temples built at the request of the reigning emperor. Tradition holds that when Hōdō came to Japan, he was accompanied by the deity

Gozu Tennō Gozu Tennō (牛頭天王, lit. "Ox-Headed Heavenly King") is a syncretic Japanese deity of disease and healing. Originally imported to Japan from mainland Asia, he was regarded since the Heian period both as a causer of and protector against ep ...

(牛頭天王;

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

: ''Gośīrṣa devarāja''), who was later enshrined at

Hiromine Shrine is a Shinto shrine located in Himeji. It is one of the three main shrines of the Gion cult alongside Yasaka Shrine, and Tsushima Shrine. Until the Muromachi period the shrine was perceived as highly prestigious, on par with Kumano Taisha, but li ...

and

Yasaka Shrine , once called , is a Shinto shrine in the Gion District of Kyoto, Japan. Situated at the east end of Shijō-dōri (Fourth Avenue), the shrine includes several buildings, including gates, a main hall and a stage. The Yasaka shrine is dedicated to S ...

and is venerated in the

Gion faith is a Shinto cult. Originally it revolved solely around Gozu Tenno, but during the Shinbutsu bunri, Separation of Shinto and Buddhism of the Meiji (era), Meiji era the government mandated it shift to revolving around Susanoo.川村『牛頭天王� ...

. While engaged in ascetic practice on

Mount Rokkō is the name of a range of mountains in southeastern Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. Outline There is no single mountain or peak called "Rokkō," although the highest peak of the mountains is called , (literally, ''the highest peak of the Rokkō ...

at the Kumoga Iwa Rock (雲ヶ岩), Hōdō is said to have been approached by the deity

Vaiśravaṇa (Sanskrit: वैश्रवण) or (Pali; , zh, s=多闻天王, t=多聞天王, p=Duōwén Tiānwáng, ) is one of the Four Heavenly Kings, and is considered an important figure in Buddhism. He is the god of warfare and usually portrayed as ...

riding on purple clouds. It was after this encounter that Hōdō built Tamon-ji in

Hyōgo Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Hyōgo Prefecture has a population of 5,469,762 () and a geographic area of . Hyōgo Prefecture borders Kyoto Prefecture to the east, Osaka Prefecture to th ...

to enshrine the Kumoga Iwa Rock, Rokkō-Hime-Daizen-no-Kami (六甲比命大善神), and the

Shinkyō Iwa Shinkyo may refer to: *Changchun, formerly named ''Shinkyō'' (新京), the capital of the former Imperial Japanese puppet state of Manchukuo, China *Japanese new religions Japanese new religions are new religious movements established in Japan. ...

Rock.

Ashiya Dōman Ashiya Dōman (ja. 蘆屋道満, spelled also 芦屋道満), also known as Dōma Hōshi (道摩法師) was an onmyōji who lived during the Heian period, in the reign of the Emperor Ichijō. The years of birth and death are unknown. Despite bein ...

describes himself as a student of Hōdō.

Other names

Legend says that Hōdō would fly through the air with food and money in an iron bowl to offer to those in need, which gained him the nickname Hihatsu no Hōdō (飛鉢の法道 lit. "Flying Bowl Hōdō"). It is also said that on one occasion, he happened upon a ship carrying rice that had been paid as land tax. Hōdō asked for one bowl of rice, which the tax man refused. As a result, when Hōdō flew away, the bags of rice rose into the air and followed him. The tax man pursued the ascetic into the mountains and apologized for his miserliness. He promised to provide Hōdō with one bowl of rice for the return of his rice bags. As the area around Ichijō-ji is known for its high-quality rice production, it is said that this originated from the bowl of rice procured by Hōdō. For this reason, he is also known as Kūhatsu Sennin (空鉢仙人, lit. "Empty Bowl Sage"), as he always gave away whatever he had obtained in his iron bowl.

Affiliated temples

* Senkō-ji, in

Tonami is a Cities of Japan, city in Toyama Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 48,659 in 16,739 households and a population density of 384 persons per km2. Its total area was . Geography Tonami is located in the Tonami plain ...

Toyama Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Toyama Prefecture has a population of 993,848 (1 January 2025) and has a geographic area of 4,247.61 km2 (1,640.01 sq mi). Toyama Prefecture borders Ishikawa Prefecture to the ...

* Kannon-ji, in

Fukuchiyama file:Fukuchiyama City Hall.jpg, Fukuchiyama City Hall file:福知山駅プラットフォームより View toward northeast from platform of Fukuchiyama station 2011.1.10 - panoramio.jpg, Fukuchiyama city center is a Cities of Japan, city in north ...

Kyoto Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Kyoto Prefecture has a population of 2,561,358 () and has a geographic area of . Kyoto Prefecture borders Fukui Prefecture to the northeast, Shiga Prefecture ...

* Gaya-in, in Miki,

* Kyōkai-ji, in Miki, Hyōgo Prefecture *

Ichijō-ji is a Buddhist temple of the Tendai sect in Kasai, Hyōgo, Kasai, Hyōgo Prefecture, Hyōgo, Japan. It was first established in 650 at Emperor Kōtoku's request, and the temple complex and buildings have undergone several periods of destruction ...

, in Kasai, Hyōgo Prefecture * Fukō-ji, in Kasai, Hyōgo Prefecture * Okusan-ji, in Kasai, Hyōgo Prefecture * Nyoi-ji, in

Kōbe Kobe ( ; , ), officially , is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. With a population of around 1.5 million, Kobe is Japan's seventh-largest city and the third-largest port city after Tokyo and Yokohama. It is located in the Kansai re ...

, Hyōgo Prefecture * Shakubu-ji, in Kōbe, Hyōgo Prefecture * Tōri Tenjō-ji, in Kōbe, Hyōgo Prefecture * Kinkō-ji, in Kōbe, Hyōgo Prefecture * Hōju-ji, in Kōbe, Hyōgo Prefecture * Tamon-ji, in

, Hyōgo Prefecture *

Chōkō-ji Chōkō-ji (朝光寺 ''Chōkōji'') is a Buddhist temple, in Yashiro, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. History According to the official record of the temple, this temple was originally constructed on the Mount Gongen in the 7th century, by Hodo-Shon ...

, in Katō, Hyōgo Prefecture * Zenryū-ji, in Katō, Hyōgo Prefecture *

Kiyomizu-dera is a Buddhist temple located in eastern Kyoto, Japan. The temple is part of the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto UNESCO World Heritage Site. History The temple was established in 778, during the late Nara period, by Enchin Shonin, who ...

, in Katō, Hyōgo Prefecture * Kōmyō-ji, in Katō, Hyōgo Prefecture * Saihō-ji, in

Tamba-Sasayama , formerly known as , is a city in the central eastern part of Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 40,050 in 17,523 households and a population density of 110 persons per km2. The total area of the city is Geograp ...

, Hyōgo Prefecture * Tōkutsu-ji, in Tamba-Sasayama, Hyōgo Prefecture * Sairin-ji, in Nishiwaki, Hyōgo Prefecture * Bodai-ji, in Sanda, Hyōgo Prefecture *

Jōshō-ji was a former Buddhist monastery in northeastern Kyoto, Japan, endowed by Emperor Sutoku in fulfillment of a sacred vow. It is known as one of the ,Adophson, Mikael S. (2000) ''The Gates of Power: Monks, Courtiers, and Warriors in Premodern Japan, ...

, in Tanba, Hyōgo Prefecture * Hōraku-ji, in Kamikawa, Hyōgo Prefecture * Shippō-ji, in Kamikawa, Hyōgo Prefecture * Enman-ji, in

Taka The taka (, , sign: , code: BDT, short form: Tk) is the currency of Bangladesh. In Unicode, it is encoded at . Issuance of banknotes 10 and larger is controlled by Bangladesh Bank, while the 2 and 5 govt. notes are the responsibility of the ...

, Hyōgo Prefecture * Hōdō-ji, in Asago, Hyōgo Prefecture * Chōkoku-ji, in

Kurayoshi 270px, Kurayoshi City Hall 270px, Kurayoshi Utsubuki-Tamagawa Historic Preservation District 270px, View from Utsubuki Castle ruins is a city located in the central part of Tottori Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 44 ...

Tottori Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Tottori Prefecture is the List of Japanese prefectures by population, least populous prefecture of Japan at 538,525 (2023) and has a geographic area of . ...

* Senryū-ji, in

Shikokuchūō is a city located in Ehime Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 83,635 in 28876 households and a population density of 200 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Shikokuchūō is the leading producer of pape ...

Ehime Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Shikoku. Ehime Prefecture has a population of 1,334,841 and a geographic area of 5,676 km2 (2,191 sq mi). Ehime Prefecture borders Kagawa Prefecture to the northeast, Toku ...

* Rakan-ji, in Nakatsu,

Ōita Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Ōita Prefecture has a population of 1,081,646 (1 February 2025) and has a geographic area of 6,340 km2 (2,448 sq mi). Ōita Prefecture borders Fukuoka Prefecture to the northwest, K ...

References

External links

* Indian Buddhists Japanese people of Indian descent India–Japan relations Shinbutsu shūgō Gion cult Onmyōji {{Gion cult

Other names

Affiliated temples

See also

References

External links