Honzon

, sometimes referred to as a Gohonzon (ご本尊 or 御本尊), is the enshrined main image or principal deity in Japanese Buddhism. The buddha, bodhisattva, or mandala image is located in either a temple or a household butsudan. The image can be either a statue or a small scroll and varies from sect to sect. It can be a singular image or a group of images; the honzon in the main (hondou) or treasure (kondou) hall of the temple can be for that particular hall or the entire temple complex. Sometimes honzon is the central image (chuuson) of a cluster of three (sanzonbutu) or five (goson) images. The physical creation of an icon is followed by a consecration ceremony (known as kaigen, literally 'opening the eyes' or 'dotting the eyes'). It is believed this transforms the honzon into a 'vessel' of the deity which in its own right has power. A honzon that takes the form of a statue is called a Butsuzō (仏像), most likely crafted out of cypress wood or metal such as copper or bronze. The Butsuzō is more common than other types of images. Tori Busshi was an early and renowned creator of worship statues. The Butsuzōzui, originally published in 1690, is a compendium of reproductions of 800 Butsuzō. Before the introduction of Buddhism to Japan in the sixth century there is no evidence of honzon in Shinto worship. Instead, its use was a cultural influence from Buddhism. Each sect of Japanese Buddhism has its own honzon which sometimes varies from temple to temple or even from hall to hall within a given temple. This is a practice that was criticized by Ekai Kawaguchi, a 20th century Japanese religious reformer. Some images (hibutsu, literally "secret buddhas") are considered too sacred for public presentation. In Mikkyō practices such as in Shingon Buddhism, the term refers to the divinity honored in a rite. When Kūkai introduced Shingon Esoteric Buddhism and its Buddhist Pantheon to Japan in the 9th century, the statuary worship practices found in China were incorporated. Over the centuries this developed into the Japanese Buddhist pantheon.