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  FREE GIFT TO CUSTOMERS
The birthday of the Historical Buddha is celebrated in Japan on April 8th in a ceremony called Kanbutsu-e 潅仏会. In commeration of this event, our store is offering a FREE prayer-bead bracelet to all customers who purchase any product valued at $70 or more during April and May. These prayer beads ($15 retail value) are called Juzu 数珠 in Japan. We offer two different types:
- Purple Rosewood (Jp. Shitan 紫檀)
Lacquered beads with elastic silk band
- Black Ebony (Jp. Kokutan 黒檀)
Lacquered beads with elastic silk band
About Prayer Beads. Called Juzu 数珠 in Japan. A string of beads or a rosary, used for Buddhist prayer and invocation, and to gain the protection of the Buddha. The number and shape of the beads varies among traditions. Rosaries were introduced to Japan with Buddhism. Originally rare and precious, prayer beads became widely used after the spread of Buddhism in the Heian Period (8th-12th century) and Kamakura Period (12th-14th century). Permission to trade in rosaries during the Edo Period (17th-19th century) made them available to the general public.
About the Buddha's Birthday Ceremony (Kanbutsu-e 潅仏会). Every year on April 8th in Japan, a ceremony called Kanbutsu-e 潅仏会 is held to commemorate the Historical Buddha's birthday. A small statue of the Buddha is typically sprinkled with hydrangea tea or with scented water called Goshiki Sui 五色水 (lit. Five-Colored Water). The ceremony recreates a legend, in which the newly born Buddha was sprinkled with perfume by the dragon god (ryū-ō 竜王). A small shrine, known as the Hanamidō 花御堂 is set up and decorated with flowers. A small image of the Buddha, in the form of a child as he appeared at birth (Tanjōbutsu 誕生仏), is placed on a wide, shallow metal bowl, known as the Kanbutsu-ban 潅仏盤. The statue of Buddha has the right hand held up, and the left hand pointing down, depicting the moment when Buddha took seven steps forward and pronounced the words "Tenjō tenga yuiga dokuson 天上天下唯我独尊" (I alone am honored in heaven and on earth). Visitors to the temple where the ceremony is performed use a small ladle to sprinkle scented water over the top of the statue. The kanbutsu-e ceremony was brought to Japan from China, and the first recorded celebration in Japan was at Gankōji 元興寺 in Nara in 606. It spread to become a regular part of Buddhist tradition in other temples, the court, and among ordinary citizens. A famous Kanbutsu-ban decorated with hunting scenes is preserved in Nara's Tōdaiji 東大寺. It dates from the Nara Period and shows outstanding metal craftsmanship. <Source JAANUS>
Tanjōbutsu 誕生仏 (Shaka Buddha at Birth).
Standing, H = 47.5 cm, Bowl C = 89.4 cm. Bronze coated with gold (tokin 鍍金).
Tōdaiji Temple 東大寺, Nara Era. Photo: Ogawa Kōzō.
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