Japanese Buddhism x Horiyoshi III

Japanese Buddhism x Horiyoshi III 

Japanese Buddhism x Horiyoshi III is 

the first book of it's kind on an esoteric and difficult to approach subject matter.

 It includes almost 400 pages of beautiful photography illuminating Japanese Buddhist iconography from the top four Buddhist expanses in Japan, with clear and thorough explanations, in English, of the numerous deities and symbols. 

This publication also includes tattoo reference provided by Horiyoshi III and his clients and an interview with him on Buddhism and it's relationship to Japanese tattooing. Text by Manami Okazaki and photography from renowned cameraman Geoff Johnson, this is a must have reference book. The book is a monster, 6" x 9" and softcover with superior binding. 

click for sample pages....

Japanese Buddhism x Horiyoshi III

Size:6" x 9"

Published: 2010

Price: $100

Binding:  Softcover 

GOMINEKO BOOKS

NIO

Kongōrikishi are usually a pair of figures that stand under a separate temple entrance gate usually called Niōmon  

 in Japan, Heng Ha Er Jiang  in China and Geumgangmun  in Korea. 

 The right statue is called Misshaku Kongō  and has his mouth open, representing 

the vocalization of the first grapheme of Sanskrit Devanāgarī (अ) which is pronounced "a". 

The left statue is called Naraen Kongō  and has his mouth closed, representing the vocalization of the

 last grapheme of Devanāgarī (ह [ɦ]) which is pronounced "ɦūṃ" (हूँ). These two characters together symbolize the birth and 

death of all things. (Men are supposedly born speaking the "a" sound with mouths open and die speaking

 an "ɦūṃ" and mouths closed.) Similar to Alpha and Omega in Christianity, 

they signify "everything" or "all creation". The contraction of both is Aum (ॐ), which is Sanskrit for The Absolute.

Fudō-myōō

In Vajrayana Buddhism, Ācala (alternatively, Achala or Acalanātha (अचलनाथ) in Sanskrit or Fudō-myōō in Japanese) is the best known of the Five Wisdom Kings of the Womb Realm. 

He is also known as Ācalanātha, Āryācalanātha, Ācala-vidyā-rāja and Caṇḍamahāroṣaṇa. 

The Sanskrit term ācala means "immovable"; Ācala is also the name of the eighth of the ten completion stages of the Bodhisattva path (the Eighth Bhumi). 

His siddham seed-syllabe is "hāṃ".

Ācala is the destroyer of delusion and a principal protector of Buddhism. 

His immovability refers to that aspect of mind (Buddha Nature) which is forever unmoved - perfectly stable and unchanging. Despite his fearsome appearance, his role is to aid all beings by showing them the true essence of the teachings of the Buddha, 

leading them into perfect mental discipline.

He is seen as a protector and aide in attaining goals. Shingon Buddhist temples dedicated to Ācala perform a periodic fire ritual in devotion to him.

The buddha Akshobhya, whose name also means "the immovable one", is sometimes merged with Ācala. In most traditions, however, Ācala is not technically a Buddha, but one of the Five Wisdom Kings of the Womb Realm as found in the Japanese Shingon sect of Buddhism. 

Acala is also associated with Dharmapala Vajrapani who is also hailed as the Chief Protector of Buddhism and the seed mantra of Fudo Myo is very similar to the seed mantra of Vajrapani.