Honzon Explained

, sometimes referred to as a Gohonzon (or), is the enshrined main image^[1] or principal deity^[2] in Japanese Buddhism. The buddha, bodhisattva, or mandala image is located in either a temple or a household butsudan.^[3]

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 (hondō) or treasure (kondō) hall of the temple can be for that particular hall or the entire temple complex. Sometimes honzon is the central image (chūson) of a cluster of three (sanzonbutsu) or five (goson) images.^[4]

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.^[5]

Butsuzō

A honzon that takes the form of a statue is called a Butsuzō or Honzonbutsu,^[6] most likely crafted out of cypress wood or metal such as copper or bronze. The Butsuzō is more common than other types of images.^[7] 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.

In various sects

Before the introduction of Buddhism to Japan in the sixth century there is no evidence of honzon in Shinto worship. Instead, its use was a cultural influence from Buddhism.^[8] 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.^[9]

Some images (hibutsu, literally "secret buddhas") are considered too sacred for public presentation.^{[10] [11]}

Shingon Buddhism

In Mikkyō practices such as in Shingon Buddhism, the term refers to the divinity honored in a rite. When Kūkai introduced Shingon Esoteric Buddhism and its Buddhist Pantheon to Japan in the 9th century, the statuary worship practices found in China were incorporated.^{[12] [13]} Over the centuries this developed into the Japanese Buddhist pantheon.

The role of the tutelary figure is similar to that of the yidam in Tibetan Buddhism. Tutelary deities in Vajrayana Buddhism, including Mikkyō, Tangmi and Tibetan Buddhism, are crucial to many religious practices.

Pure Land Buddhism

In the Jōdo Shinshū school of Pure Land Buddhism, under the leadership of Honen and Shinran, 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.^[14] Rennyo 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^{[15] [16]} At the Rissho Kosei-kai headquarters there is a Gohonzon that is a statue of Shakyamuni.^[17]

Zen Buddhism

According to Suzuki, the proper honzon for the Zen altar is Shakyamuni Buddha. He is often attended by other Bodhisattvas and arhats such as statues of Kannon (Avalokitesvara), Yakushi (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.^[18]

See also

• Buddharupa
• Butsudan
• Cult image
• Gohonzon (Nichiren Buddhism)
• Murti
• Prana Pratishtha
• Thangka

Further reading

• Chiba, Joryu (1991). Honzon-Object of Worship in Shin Buddhism, Pacific World: Journal of the Institute of Buddhist Studies, New series 7, 90–93
• Grotenhuis, Elizabeth Ten (1999). Japanese mandalas: representations of sacred geography, Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press
• Horton, S. (2007). Living Buddhist Statues in Early Medieval and Modern Japan. Springer
• Rambelli, Fabio (2010). Home Buddhas: Historical Processes and Modes of Representation of the Sacred in the Japanese Buddhist Family Altar, Japanese Religions 35 (1–2), 63-86

Notes and References

1. Book: Harding. John S.. Studying Buddhism in practice. 2012. Routledge. London. 9781136501890. 82.
2. Book: Sharf. Robert H.. Living images : Japanese Buddhist icons in context. 2001. Stanford Univ. Press. Stanford, Calif.. 9780804739894. 3. Orig. print..
3. Book: Borup. Jørn. Japanese Rinzai Zen Buddhism : Myōshinji, a living religion. 2008. Brill. Leiden. 9789004165571. 8. [Online-Ausg.]..
4. http://www.aisf.or.jp/jaanus/{{dead link|date=November 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
5. Book: Boldrick. Stacy. Brubaker. Leslie. Clay. Richard. Striking images, iconoclasms past and present. 2013. Ashgate. Farnham [u.a.]. 9781472413673. 43.
6. Web site: 本尊(ホンゾン)とは？ 意味や使い方 - コトバンク . . Kotobank . . ① 寺院・仏壇などで中央にまつられ、信仰・祈りの主な対象となる仏像。また、個人が特に信仰する仏。本尊仏。 . ① A Buddhist statue situated in the middle of a [building of a] temple or butsudan that is the object for belief and prayer. Or the Buddha that an individual believe in with attention. (It is also called) Honzonbutsu..
7. Book: Horton. Sarah J.. Living Buddhist statues in early medieval and modern Japan. 2007. Palgrave Macmillan. New York. 9780230607149. 1–2. 1st.
8. Book: Kleiner. Fred S.. Gardner's art through the ages : non-Western perspective. limited. 2010. Wadsworth Cengage Learning. [Boston, Mass.]. 9780495573678. 89. 13th ed., Custom ed. for Santa Barbara City College.
9. Book: Auerback. Micah L.. A Storied Sage: Canon and Creation in the Making of a Japanese Buddha. 2016. University of Chicago Press. 9780226286389. 4 . Kawaguchi recounted these details to illustrate the absurdity and disorder resulting from the lack of any single, unifying focus of devotion in Japanese Buddhism. His enumeration begins with deities inherited from India: transcendent, "cosmic" buddhas, and bodhisattvas, "wisdom-beings" who serve as compassionate saviors. The "Great Masters" whom he mentions each stand as the font of a different Buddhist denomination; in each case, the extraordinary life and works of the founder earned him a place as an object of devotion in his own right. The remaining "extreme cases" include a celebrated warrior of medieval Japan, along with lowly trickster animals, among a legion of Indian deities brought to Japan as part of the broader Buddhist pantheon..
10. Weinstein, Lucie R. (1989). [The Yumedono Kannon: Problems in Seventh-Century Sculpture], Archives of Asian Art 42, 29
11. Rambelli, Fabio (2002). Secret Buddhas: The Limits of Buddhist Representation, Monumenta Nipponica 57 (3), 271-307
12. Book: Bogel. Cynthea J.. With a Single Glance: Buddhist Icon and Early Mikkyō Vision. 2009. University of Washington Press. 9780295989204. 197. University of Washington Press, 2009.
13. The body: toward an Eastern mind-body theory Yasuo Yuasa, Thomas P. Kasulis p.125 https://books.google.com/books?id=_DOku4pM5wYC&pg=PA125
14. Book: Blum. Mark L. (ed.). Yasutomi. Shinʼya. Rennyo and the Roots of Modern Japanese Buddhism.. 2005. Oxford University Press, USA. Oxford. 9780195350999.
15. Book: Dharma World, Volume 12. 1985. Kosei Publishing Company.
16. Book: Guthrie. Stewart. A Japanese new religion: Risshō Kōsei-kai in a mountain hamlet. 1988. 120. Center for Japanese Studies, the University of Michigan. Ann Arbor.
17. Web site: A Japanese new religion : Risshō Kōsei-kai in a mountain hamlet . Stewart Guthrie . 136. 2017-05-29.
18. Book: Suzuki. Daisetz Teitaro. Manual of Zen Buddhism. 2005. Buddha Dharma Education Association. 108–109.