Abbreviation of Tenryū hachibushū 天竜八部衆. Eight classes of Indian deities who were converted by *…

Lit. eight great youths. Eight attendants of either *Monju 文殊 or more commonly *…

Lit. *Amida, 阿弥陀, with teeth exposed. An image of a standing Amida with his…

Devotional paintings of the cult of Hakusan 白山 (white mountains), a group of mountains that border Gifu, Fukui,…

In full Hannya-haramitsu (or Hannya-haramitta) bosatsu 般若波羅蜜(般若波羅蜜多)菩薩. A bodhisattva *…

The transformations in which *Kannon 観音 appears in order to save sentient…

Flying apsaras. Heavenly beings invisible to the human eye, believed to fly with superhuman power and speed. Found in Middle…

Lit. *Amida 阿弥陀 with a Jeweled Crown. A typical representation of Buddha *…

Drawings or paintings, zu 図 depicting the doctrine and stories of the Lotus Sutra Hokekyō 法華経,…

Lit. Lotus Mandala. Also Hokekyō mandara 法華経曼荼羅 (mandala depiction of the Lotus Sutra), Hokekyō hōtō mandara…

A variety of mandala dedicated to specific deities *besson mandara 別尊曼荼羅…

Commonly known as Hōnen Shōnin 法然上人 or St. Hōnen (1133-1212), founder of the Pure Land, Jōdo 浄土 sect in…

The original Buddhist identity of a Shinto deity *kami 神. Sometime before the…

Lit. Illustrations of original lives. The original lives; honjō 本生 or honshō, or former lives of the…

A specific type of mandala *besson mandara 別尊曼荼羅, based on the Daihō…

Lit. star mandara. A variety of dedicated mandala *Butsugen mandara…

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-…

Ch: Budai. A semi-legendary, itinerant 10th-century Buddhist monk who became a popular subject in Chinese and Japanese ink…

Sk: yaksa. Evil spirits believed to harm human beings and hinder Buddhist teaching. Usually appear in sculptures as small…

Commonly known as Jie Daishi 慈恵大師 or Great Master Jie. The posthumous name of Ryōgen 良源 (912-85), abbot at…

Lit. Picture of the ten realms. In Buddhism the ten realms jikkai 十界 refer to the ten realms of being, which are…

Sk: Dhrtarastra. A guardian deity with fierce expression *funnusō 忿怒相,…

Also read Jinja Daishō. Lit. General Deep-Sand. A divinity said to have appeared in a dream to the renowned Chinese…

Lit. earth repository (Sk: Ksitigarbha). A bodhisattva *bosatsu 菩薩 believed to…

Amida with the jō-in 定印 or *zenjō-in 禅定印 (Sk: dhyanamudra;…

The Five Chinese Patriarchs of the Pure Land Jōdo 浄土 sect. The sect was organized in Japan by *…

Abbreviation of jōdo hensō zu 浄土変相図. Also known as jōdo mandara 浄土曼荼羅. Pictorial representations, often…

Lit. three Pure Land Mandalas. Traditionally refers to the three most famous types of *…

Also read Jōe Monju (Ch: shengyi wenshu). Lit. rope-robed *Monju…

Abbreviation of Shaka jūdai deshi 釈迦十大弟子. The Ten Chief Disciples of the historical Buddha *…

Sk: Ekadasamukha. Eleven-headed Kannon; a form of *Kannon 観音 with eleven miniature faces…

Also jūni yakusha taishō 十二薬叉大将, jūni shinshō 十二神王. The twelve protective deities *…

Twelve Deities. A group of tutelary deities consisting of various Hindu gods, which was incorporated into Esoteric Buddhism…

Sk: Cundi. Also Juntei Butsumo 准胝仏母, Shichigutei Butsumo 七倶胝仏母, or Butsumo Juntei 仏母准胝. …

Ten Kings. The ten kings of hell who preside at the gates of the underworld, assigning souls to heaven or hell. The Buddhist…

Ch: Shou laoren. A Chinese Taoist god known as the immortal of the Northern Song and also considered the personification of…

Sixteen arhats *rakan 羅漢. The saintly ascetics who gathered at the death and…

Also read jūroku zenjin. Abbreviation of Shaka jūroku zenshin 釈迦十六善神 or Shaka sanzon jūroku…

Thirteen Buddhas. A set of thirteen Buddhist deities, including *myōō 明王 (Sk…