hōju 宝珠

1　Also pronounced hōshu. A sacred gem. Usually a ball or tear-drop shape object that is sacred to Buddhism. It is believed to have the power to expel evil, cleanse corruption, and fulfill wishes. See *nyoi hōju 如意宝珠. The term *gibōshi 擬宝珠 is often used to refer to the hōju shape reproduced as an architectural decoration. This shape is used on the top of a pagoda *sōrin 相輪, on the top of a pyramidal roof *hōgyō-zukuri 宝形造, of a Buddhist hall *endō 円堂, on a stone lantern, ishidōrō 石灯籠, or on the sculptured head of railing pillars. Hōju shaped pillar heads are called hōjugashira 宝珠頭; pillars topped with a hōju are called hōjubashira 宝珠柱 or giboshibashira 擬宝珠柱; and railings with this type of pillar are called *giboshi kōran 擬宝珠高欄. The hōju on pagodas and Buddhist halls are usually made of bronze and often decorated with flame designs. The hōju with flames rising from it is called kaen hōju 火焔宝珠. When used as a decoration for a lantern, the tip of the ball may be sharply pointed or gently rounded depending on the date of the lantern's production, and may be supported by a lotus petal form *ukebana 受花. Generally, the earlier hōju have more gentle points and are rounder in form. The tip becomes more sharply pointed and the form more square shaped in the Momoyama period.

2　A hōju with a lotus petal base is found as an attribute *jimotsu 持物 of Buddhist figures such as *Jizō 地蔵, *Kokūzō 虚空蔵, and *Kichijōten 吉祥天, as seen on the 9th century Jizō bosatsuzō 地蔵菩薩像 in Hōryūji 法隆寺, Nara.