Hossō rokuso 法相六祖

Keywords
Art History
Iconography

Lit. Six Patriarchs of the Hossō sect. In Japan: Shin'ei 神叡 (d. 737), Genbō 玄昉 (d. 746), Zenshu 善珠 (723-97), Gyōga 行賀(729-803), Genpin 玄賓 (d. 818), and Jōtō 常騰 (740-815). Sometimes Kasō 嘉操 is included instead of Genbō. The Six Patriarchs, according to tradition, were responsible for establishing the Hossō sect, which was also known as the Consciousness-only sect (Jp: Yuishikishū 唯識宗), in Japan. Genbō, for instance, studied under the Chinese master Zhizhou 智周, and Gyōga of Kōfukuji 興福寺, Nara, studied both Faxiang (Jp: Hossō 法相) and Tientai (Jp: Tendai 天台) Buddhism in China during his stay therein 753. The Hossō Rokuso are depicted in six wooden sculptures by Kōkei 康慶 (fl. late 12th century), made between 1188 and 1189 and housed in Nan'endō 南円堂 at Kōfukuji. In addition to the Japanese Six Patriarchs, Indian and Chinese patriarchs of the Hossō sect, such as the brothers Asanga and Vasubandhu (Jp: *Muchaku Seshin 無著・世親), and the Chinese pilgrim Xuanzang (Jp: Genjō 玄奘, 600-64) are depicted in the Hossō mandara 法相曼茶羅.