hōkanbutsu 宝冠仏

A statue of Buddha wearing a crown ornamented with precious stones. This tradition originated in India, first with crowned Buddha *nyorai 如来 statues, and later with bodhisattva *bosatsu 菩薩 that had a crown and a necklace. The form of the crown varied; it sometimes covered the whole head and sometimes only the front portion. In Japanese Esoteric Buddhism mikkyō 密教, *Dainichi 大日 appears with a crown, and some hōkanbutsu representing *Amida 阿弥陀, and others representing the seated figure of *Shaka 釈迦 were occasionally produced.