Honzon

After an image is made, the temple holds a ceremony called . This turns the honzon into a vessel of the deity, and makes it sacred.

A honzon that is a statue is called a  or . Most Honzon statues are made from cypress wood or metal such as copper or bronze. Statues are the most common type of Honzon. The usage of statue icons came from China in the 9th century.The body: toward an Eastern mind-body theory Yasuo Yuasa, Thomas P. Kasulis p.125 thumb|A Shingon altar with a Honzon

Some Honzon called  are too sacred for public presentation.Weinstein, Lucie R. (1989). [The Yumedono Kannon: Problems in Seventh-Century Sculpture], Archives of Asian Art 42, 29Rambelli, Fabio (2002). Secret Buddhas: The Limits of Buddhist Representation, Monumenta Nipponica 57 (3), 271-307

 Related pages 
 Murti

 References 

 Further reading 
 Chiba, Joryu (1991). Honzon-Object of Worship in Shin Buddhism,  Pacific World: Journal of the Institute of Buddhist Studies, New series 7, 90–93 
 Grotenhuis, Elizabeth Ten (1999). Japanese mandalas: representations of sacred geography, Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press 
 Horton, S. (2007). Living Buddhist Statues in Early Medieval and Modern Japan. Springer
 Rambelli, Fabio (2010). Home Buddhas: Historical Processes and Modes of Representation of the Sacred in the Japanese Buddhist Family Altar, Japanese Religions 35 (1–2), 63-86

Category:Buddhism