A variety of *besson mandara 別尊曼荼羅, or *…

Also Aizen'ō 愛染王. Sk: Ragaraja. A deity unknown in India. The word 'raga' originally referred to the…

Sk: acarya. Teacher or master. A title conferred on an eminent priest who guides his pupils and sets a good example…

Lit. red youth. Also often called Kasuga Akadōji 春日赤童子. A mysterious human figure said to have appeared on a rock…

Also Amida Nyorai 阿弥陀如来. Buddha of Infinite Light (Sk: Amitabha, Jp: Muryōkō 無量光), also Buddha of Infinite…

Lit. Amida Pure Land Transformation Scene. A large scale depiction of the Pure Land Paradise, gokuraku jōdo 極楽浄土 of…

Lit. Amida triad. A triad consisting of the Buddha *Amida 阿弥陀 (Sk:Amitabha/Amitayus) at…

A variety of *besson mandara 別尊曼荼羅 used for performing the anchinhō…

Ashuku, also Ashiku. Immovable One (Sk: Aksobhya). The name of a Buddha today generally associated with Esoteric Buddhism…

Sk: Asura. Also abbreviated to shura 修羅. Among the Indo-Iranians, the term Asura Ashura in Avestan,…

Hungry ghosts. One of the types within the group *rokudō-e 六道絵 (paintings of…

Heavenly musicians. Heavenly beings *hiten 飛天, playing musical instruments,…

Ch: Xuanzhuang/Xuanzang (600/2-664). A Chinese monk of the Tang Dynasty and the founder of the Hossō sect (see *…

Genzu mandala. A version of the *Taizōkai mandara 胎蔵界曼荼羅 that is…

Goddess of the Arts. A minor Buddhist deity revered in Japan as patroness of the arts. According to the Gigei tennyo…

Sk: kalpa. Regulations prescribing Esoteric Buddhist mikkyō 密教 ceremonies, incantations and services, and the…

A collection of iconographical line drawings *hakubyō 白描 in handscroll form…

Lit. Five Wisdom *nyorai 如来 (Sk: Tathagatas); this refers to the Five Buddhas…

Also sometimes called godaison 五大尊. Lit. five great *myōō 明王. Myōō…

Lit. five great bodhisattvas of strength. Also godairikiku 五大力吼 (five roars of great strength) or godairikison…

Ch: wubai luohan. Five hundred arhats *rakan 羅漢, a Buddhist art subject…

Also read gokōshiyui Amida. Lit. *Amida 阿弥陀 Meditating for Five Kalpas, a kalpa…

Ch: Wuzu. The Chinese priest Kōnin 弘忍 (Ch: Hongren, 601-75). The fifth patriarch of the Zen (Ch: Chan) sect. Representations…

Also Shōzanze Myōō 勝三世明王. Lit. *myōō 明王 who subjugates the three worlds…

Also called Butō 武塔, Gion Tenjin 祇園天神, or simply Tennō 天王. The deity of Yasaka Jinja 八坂神社 in Gion 祇園, Kyoto, also called…

Lit. *Amida 阿弥陀 with Red Skin. An image of Amida depicted in red, or less commonly…

Also Kanro Gundari 甘露軍荼利 (Sk: Amrtakundalin); also known as Kirikiri Myōō 吉里吉里明王. One of the five great myōō *…

A name often used for *Shōkannon 聖観音, it refers to the simple (non-esoteric) form of…