gasshō　合掌

1　The triangular frame created by joining a pair of cruck-like members *sasu 叉首, together to support the ridge purlin *munagi 棟木, of a thatched roof. The roof shape is thought to resemble hands pressed together in prayer. Sometimes the sasu were merely lashed together at the apex with straw rope. Sometimes they were joined with a mortise and tenon joint. The base of the triangular frame was formed by a transverse beam *hari 梁, the most common form of roof structure for thatched vernacular dwellings *minka 民家, during the Edo period. Gasshō were used in Toyama Prefecture from the second quarter of the 18th century, and also in Tokyo, Saitama, and Gunma Prefectures. The term is also used in most parts of Hokuriku 北陸, Kinki 近畿, parts of Shikoku 四国 and Kyūshū 九州 and Okayama and Hiroshima Prefectures in western Honshū 本州. see *gasshō-zukuri 合掌造.

2　Lit. handclasp (Sk: anjali). A mudra or hand gesture *in 印 formed by bringing together the palms of both hands, fingers extended, held level with the chest. In India this was the traditional manner of showing respect to elders, and it came to be used by Buddhists for worshipping Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. In Buddhist iconography this mudra appeared frequently with various bodhisattvas such as *Fugen 普賢 (Sk: Samantabhadra) and variant forms of *Kannon 観音. It was rarely used with Tathagatas *nyorai 如来 who, considering the Buddha to be the supreme form of existence, did not worship other beings. The Tathagatas *Shaka 釈迦 and Tahō 多宝 (Sk: Prabhutaratna) were exceptions, appearing in the *Hokke mandara 法華曼荼羅, for they were often depicted with their hands clasped together in the form of this mudra. This is derived from an episode in the Hokekyō 法華経 (Lotus Sutra), according to which, when Shaka was expounding the Lotus Sutra an immense stupa containing Tahō arose out of the earth, opened, and Tahō seated inside, offered half his seat to Shaka. The gasshō was used because in this context Tathagatas showed respect to one another. Popular in North Wei China, this iconography was not very common in Japan and only a few examples are known, such as the painting at Hokekyōji 法華経寺, Chiba Prefecture, dated 1335. Other examples are the ittō ryōson 一塔両尊 (one stupa, two deities) images of the *Nichiren 日蓮 sect . In Esoteric Buddhist iconography, on the other hand, numerous variations of this mudra evolved, eventually reaching twelve in number. The most important are as follows: kongō gasshō 金剛合掌 (adamantine handclasp), formed by interlocking the tips of the fingers of both hands, with the right thumb covering the left thumb; renge gasshō 蓮華合掌 (lotus handclasp), in which the palms and fingers of both hands are pressed firmly together; and koshin gasshō 虚心合掌 (handclasp with an empty center; Sk: samputanjali), in which a small space is left between the two palms. When the koshin gasshō was used for the two principal hands of images of variant forms of Kannon, there were instances of a precious stone being inserted in the space between the two palms. This practice was especially common in Nepal and Tibet, but there are a few examples in Japan in which the stone still remains; one such example is the image of *Fukūkenjaku Kannon 不空羂索観音 (Sk: Amoghapasa) enshrined in the *Hokkedō 法華堂 at Tōdaiji 東大寺.