Help with bonji most appreciated

[Guest Simon R]

Hello all,

 

I just bought this on a whim. Yes, I know it's a modern copy but I've always wanted an example of this distinctive style and I'll never be able to afford an original.

That said, I would still be very grateful for assistance in translating the Sanskrit characters. (I believe the one on the right is 'Jizo'.)

 

Thank you in advance.

 

Simon

 

[SteveM]

Top and bottom are

南無 (namu) this is from sanskrit, and is part of buddhist incantations "namu amida butsu" and "namuyōhōrengekyō"

 

The one to the right of the nakago-hitsu is "ka" representing jizō-bosatsu.

https://www.bonji-ichiran.com/jizobosatsu/

 

(Edit: I see you already figured that one out!)

 

The one on the left I can't figure out. Usually one might expect the bonji for Amida Nyōrai, Kannon bosatsu, or Fudō-myōō, but none of these look like the one on your tsuba. 

 

This is my "go to" cheat sheet for bonji.

https://fukoku-kobo.net/html/page1.html

 

 

[Guest Simon R]

15 minutes ago, SteveM said:

Top and bottom are

南無 (namu) this is from sanskrit, and is part of buddhist incantations "namu amida butsu" and "namuyōhōrengekyō"

 

The one to the right of the nakago-hitsu is "ka" representing jizō-bosatsu.

https://www.bonji-ichiran.com/jizobosatsu/

 

(Edit: I see you already figured that one out!)

 

The one on the left I can't figure out. Usually one might expect the bonji for Amida Nyōrai, Kannon bosatsu, or Fudō-myōō, but none of these look like the one on your tsuba. 

 

This is my "go to" cheat sheet for bonji.

https://fukoku-kobo.net/html/page1.html

 

 

That's extremely helpful, Steve - thank you so much!

[Guest Simon R]

14 hours ago, SteveM said:

Top and bottom are

南無 (namu) this is from sanskrit, and is part of buddhist incantations "namu amida butsu" and "namuyōhōrengekyō"

 

The one to the right of the nakago-hitsu is "ka" representing jizō-bosatsu.

https://www.bonji-ichiran.com/jizobosatsu/

 

(Edit: I see you already figured that one out!)

 

The one on the left I can't figure out. Usually one might expect the bonji for Amida Nyōrai, Kannon bosatsu, or Fudō-myōō, but none of these look like the one on your tsuba. 

 

This is my "go to" cheat sheet for bonji.

https://fukoku-kobo.net/html/page1.html

 

 

Talk about not seeing the wood for the trees, Steve!

 

The one on the left is AUM/OM. 🤦🏻‍♂️

[SteveM]

It's close, but isn't this the one for Aum?

(taken from wikipedia)

 

[Guest Simon R]

2 hours ago, SteveM said:

It's close, but isn't this the one for Aum?

(taken from wikipedia)

 

That's the common one but this is a variation apparently 

[SteveM]

Very interesting.

 

Seems to be associated with some esoteric Buddhist sects. 

Digging around some more, the site below indicates its associated with the Kōmyō Shingon 光明真言　sect

 

https://en.wikipedia...wiki/Mantra_of_Light

 

The site that brought me there

https://www.photolib.../201246_2355602.html

 

I don't know how significant any of this is. Anyway, more grist for the mill.  

[Guest Simon R]

I understand the example below , which basically reads "Namu Hachiman" - the deity of war. 

Such a supplication would be logical for any warrior.

 

However, my tsuba appears to read "In the name of the great infinite and the bodhisattva who protects dead children". 

I must confess that that I entirely miss the deeper meaning.

[SteveM]

I think we can only guess at its significance. Jizō is nowadays associated most closely with children, but I don't think it was always the case. I think in general, Jizō is in charge of wandering the earth and making sure dead souls get out of Buddhist hell. So I can see how a warrior might want to invoke that spirit. 

[Guest Simon R]

On 7/6/2023 at 4:08 AM, SteveM said:

I think we can only guess at its significance. Jizō is nowadays associated most closely with children, but I don't think it was always the case. I think in general, Jizō is in charge of wandering the earth and making sure dead souls get out of Buddhist hell. So I can see how a warrior might want to invoke that spirit. 

You were right, Steve.

Finally I'm getting somewhere.

 

Sorry for the huge copy and paste but this explains why Jizo would be found on a tsuba.

 

Shōgun Jizō 勝軍地蔵

Victorious Jizō, Battle-Field Protector, often shown clad in armor. A form of Jizō widely venerated by warriors. Writes scholar Yoshiko Kurata Dykstra: “The idea that Jizō would vicariously receive their injuries and wounds made Jizō immensely attractive among warriors. A story in the Japanese Taiheiki 太平記 (circa 1371) describes how a soldier took refuge in the Jizō Hall of Mibu after fleeing from a battle in the capital. A priest who was the incarnation of the Jizō in the hall appeared and was captured by the enemy in place of the soldier. People later discovered the Jizō statue in the hall was marked as though it had been tightly bound.” (See Shibarare ‘String-Bound’ Jizō for similar stories). Dykstra also writes: “Shōgun Ashikaga Takauji 足利 尊氏 (1305-58), a fervent Jizō devotee, drew a picture of Jizō and worshipped it daily. The deity Shōgun Jizō (Victorious Jizō) of Atago 愛宕 and Shirakawa 白川 was very popular among warriors, who venerated Jizō as protector in battle.” 

 

There are numerous stories about Jizō as a battlefield protector. Jōkōmyōji Temple 浄光明寺 in Kamakura houses a statue of Jizō called the Yahiroi Jizō 矢拾い地蔵, literally Arrow-Gathering Jizō. According to legend, Yahiroi Jizō appeared as a child-monk on the battlefield to save Ashikaga Tadayoshi 足利直義 (1306-52), the younger brother of Ashikaga Takauji, by gathering arrows after Tadayoshi had run out of weapons. Jōkōmyōji Temple is #16 and #17 on the Kamakura Pilgrimage to 24 Jizō Sites. 

 

Within the precints of Tenonji Temple 天恩寺 in Okazaki City (Aichi Prefecture) is a large cedar tree named Ieyasu-ko Mikaeri-no-Sugi (lit. = Cedar Tree Ieyasu Looked Back At). According to legend, Tokugawa Ieyasu 徳川家康 (1542-1616) visited this temple to pray for victory in his campaign to unify Japan. While praying, someone called out his name. As he turned around to address the caller, he saw an assassin hiding behind a huge cedar tree with arrow poised to shoot. Ieyasu narrowly escaped, and as he left the temple for the battlefield, he looked back repeatedly at the tree to show his gratitude, for the voice he had heard was that of Enmei Jizō 延命地蔵 (Life Prolonging Jizō). Enmei Jizō is also one of Six Jizō who protect all beings in the six realms of desire and rebirth. See Six Jizō for details. <Source: Nippon-Kichi>

 

Says the Flammarion Iconographic Guide: “In certain cases, Jizō may also assume a syncretic aspect, and be represented as a warrior when assimilated with Atago Gongen愛宕権現, a Kami considered to be a temporary incarnation of Jizō. This kami (Shintō deity), protector from flame and fire, mainly venerated on Mount Atago in Kyoto Prefecture, has also been identified as being Kaguzuchi-no-Kami or even Susanoo-no-Mikoto 須佐之男命 (storm god and brother of the Sun Goddess Amaterasu 太陽神アマテラス) and sometimes even as Izanagi 伊邪那岐命 (Japanese creator god). He is represented with the features of a Chinese warrior on horseback, carrying a pigrim’s staff and a cintamani (Jp. = hōjunotama 宝珠の玉 or wish-granting jewel). Popular imagery sometimes also symbolizes him by statuettes of a horse carrying a cintamani on its back. The support animal or messenger of this Atago Gongen is the wild boar, the symbol of courage, strength, and perseverance. Many legends relate that warriors in difficulty have been rescued by wild boars or Atago Jizō 愛宕地蔵, which charged at their enemies, putting them to flight.” <end Flammarion quote>.

 

Writes noted scholar Marinus Willem de Visser (pp. 98-99) about Shōgun Jizō: “The Genkō Shakusho 元亨釈書 (Buddhist Records from the Genkō Era), dated to 1322, contains the biography of the Hossō priest Enchin 延鎮, who in A.D. 798 at the expense of the general Sakanoue Tamuramaro 坂上田村魔麿 (758 - 811) built the famous Kiyomizu-dera 清水寺 on a hill at Kyoto, and thence forward lived in this temple. When the Emperor Kanmu 桓武天皇 (737–806) dispatched Tamuramaro at the head of the imperial troops to Oshu (the ancient province of Mutsu), to suppress the rebellion of Takamaru, before his departure the general visited his friend Enchin and requested the latter to assist him by means of the power of Buddha's doctrine. Enchin promised him to do his utmost, and the general marched against the enemy, filled with confidence in this mighty protection. But chance was against him, and after having been defeated in Suruga province he fled to Oshu, pursued by Takamaru. In a second battle a complete defeat was imminent for lack of arrows, when suddenly a little Buddhist priest and a little boy appeared on the scene and picked up the arrows lying on the battlefield. They gave these to Tamuramaro, who then killed Takamaru, defeated his troops and returned in triumph to his imperial master, whom he offered the rebel's head. Thereupon he went to Kiyomizu-dera and asked Enchin, by which doctrine he had protected him so well. The priest answered: "Among my doctrines (methods) there is one devoted to Shōgun Jizō勝軍地蔵 (Army-Conquering Jizō) and to Shōteki Bishamon 勝敵毘沙門 (Enemy-Conquering Vaiśravaṇa). I made images of both these deities and offered and prayed to them." Now the general understood who had been the little priest and the boy who had picked up the arrows. He entered the temple hall and looked at the images: arrows and swords had apparently wounded them, and their feet were covered with mud! Tamuramaro was struck with wonder and reported the matter to His Majesty, who was also deeply impressed by this miracle.”

 

De Visser continues: “This story formed the base of Shōgun Jizō’s cult, which soon enjoyed the high favour of the warriors of warlike Japan. It was a secret doctrine, as we learn from the document Kokkyōshū 谷響集 (Collection of Echoes of the Valley, written by Buddhist monk Unshō 運敞 in 1689), which at the question, from which sutra Shōgun Jizō and his secret doctrine were derived, answers that his name is not found in the sutras, but that he is the ’Great Manifestation of Atago’ (Atago Daigongen 愛宕大権現), very much adored by great men of remote antiquity like En no Shōkaku 役小角 (father of Shugendō; late 7th century) and Unpen Shōnin 雲遍上人 (founder of the Hakusan mountain cult; early 8th century). Enchin was a priest of the Hossō sect, the doctrine of which was based upon the Yui-shiki-ron 唯識論, i.e. the Vijñaptimātratāsiddhi-śāstra, a work of Vasubandhu (Jp. Seshin 世親), translated in 650 - 669 AD by the famous pilgrim Huen Tsang. Thus this sect is a branch of the Yoga school, and it is clear why Kiyomizu-dera belongs to both the Hossō and the Shingon sects. The cult of Shōgun Jizō, which started from this temple, was accordingly based upon a mystic doctrine of the Yoga school [Yogācāra 瑜伽行派 school from India], which agrees well with Unshō's statement about its being a ’secret doctrine.’ A similar story, evidently borrowed from this passage of the Genkō Shakusho, was told about the Jizō of Jun-in, a shrine in the compound of Jōkōmyōji Temple 浄光明寺 (Temple of the Pure Light) in Kamakura. The standing image of Yahiroi Jizō 矢拾い地蔵 (Jizō who picked up arrows), was said to have been the mamori honzon 守り本尊 or tutelary deity of Ashikaga Tadayoshi 足利直義 (1306-1352), the younger brother of Shōgun Ashikaga Takauji 足利尊氏 (1305-1358), and in the shape of a little priest to have picked up arrows on the battlefield and to have given them to Tadayoshi, when the latter was about to be defeated for lack of arrows. When after the battle Tadayoshi saw his tutelary image, it had an arrow in its band as a second khakkhara (see pohoto at right). ’Even at the present day,’ says the author of the 1685 document Shinpen Kamakura Shi 新編鎌倉志 (Newly Edited Guide to Kamakura), who relates this story, ’the staff of this Jizō is the shaft of an arrow.’"

 

Independent scholar Patricia Yamada, a longtime resident of Kyoto, disagrees with De Visser. She convincingly argues that the above Kiyomizu legend from the 14th-century Genkō Shakusho 元亨釈書 is apocryphal. The Shōgun Jizō cult did not originate in the Heian period, she says, and later writings that cited the 1322 Genkō Shakusho should be considered wrong. Writes Yamada: "[The legend that] Shōgun Jizō originated in Kyoto in the early Heian period is based on the tale of Tamuramaro being hemmed-in by foes and rescued by the appearance and aid of a Shōgun Jizō and a Shōteki 勝敵 Bishamonten picking up spent arrows, recorded in the 1322 Genkō shakusho 元亨釈書 Enchin-den 延鎮伝 section. A much earlier account of the history of Kiyomizu-dera [Fusō ryakki 扶桑略記], written in the latter half of the Heian period by the courtier Fujiwara no Akihira 藤原明衡, makes no mention of a Tamuramaro-Shōgun Jizō tale. Moreover, the Kiyomizu-dera Konryū-ki 清水寺建立記 (Annals of the Construction of Kiyomizu Temple), compiled in 1207, states only that a Jizō and Bishamonten attended the Kiyomizu Kannon. Nor does the late 1200s story collection, Konjaku Monogatari 今昔物語 provide a tale of a Shōgun Jizō, although there is one about a priestly, yatori (arrow-collecting) Jizō........Nor is Shōgun Jizō found in the 1318 history Keiran Shūyō-shū 渓嵐拾葉集 (Collection of Leaves Gathered in a Stormy Valley).........The two-roll Kiyomizu-dera Engi 清水寺縁起, compiled in 1517, and later writings wrongly relied on the 1322 Genkō Shakusho story that the Kiyomizu Shōgun Jizō cult originated in the Heian period.." <end quote, pp. 29-30> See Yamada’s story Bodhisattva as Warrior God: The Curious Case of Shōgun Jizō,Japanese Religions, Vol. 34, No. 1, Jan. 2009.

[Guest Simon R]

@Ford Hallam

Dear Mr Hallam, 

 

As well as reading your highly informative comments on this site, I knew of you and saw your extraordinary work through my long acquaintance with Richard Adams in Kent.

For the past 18 years. I have lived in Japan and, whilst only on the very meagre salary of an English teacher, have still maintained my interest in Japanese art, particularly swords. Indeed, I have in fact even managed to occasionally pick up the odd item here and there. 

Most recently, I purchased this thread's subject; a copy of an old armourer's tsuba cut with bonji which is a style I admire enough to willingly accept a modern replica.

However, I have now come to the sad conclusion that it is probably sand-cast rather than actually forged - which, despite its intriguing design, basically makes it a nice wall hanger and nothing more. 

 

Therefore, I would be extremely grateful if you could please cast your expert eyes over the pictures below and tell me if you believe me to be correct in my fears!

 

With very best regards and deepest respect,

 

Simon Rowson 

Edited July 9, 2023 by SRDRowson
To add more pictures.

[Larason2]

Ford just got out of the hospital, and is recovering at home, and hasn't been very active on his Patreon page, so he probably still isn't very well.

 

Also, while he used to offer a lot of free advice on tsuba, he just got too busy and too unwell with his medical concerns. When he was still well, he started only offering advice on a consultancy basis. Given all this, I think it is unlikely you'll receive a response.

[Guest Simon R]

13 hours ago, Larason2 said:

Ford just got out of the hospital, and is recovering at home, and hasn't been very active on his Patreon page, so he probably still isn't very well.

 

Also, while he used to offer a lot of free advice on tsuba, he just got too busy and too unwell with his medical concerns. When he was still well, he started only offering advice on a consultancy basis. Given all this, I think it is unlikely you'll receive a response.

Thank you.

I was unaware of this.