Keywords
Art History
Sculpture
The principal image (or group of images) of worship at a Buddhist temple or a single building within the temple complex. The honzon of the *hondō 本堂 or *kondō 金堂 can also be the honzon for the whole temple complex. Many different types of deities are used as honzon, though *Shaka 釈迦, *Amida 阿弥陀, and *Kannon 観音 are the most popular. Usually a honzon is a sculpted image, but it can also be a painting or mandala *mandara 曼荼羅. Honzon sometimes refers to the central image *chūson 中尊 within a group of three or five images, *sanzonbutsu 三尊仏 and goson 五尊 respectively. The image of *Fudō Myōō 不動明王 in the group of *Godai Myōō 五大明王 at Kyōōgokokuji 教王護国寺 (Tōji 東寺) is an example.