#hōju

[love1kimono]

Miyako Odori - Rice Planters' Dance 1928

Rice planters' dancing in a sacred field. Miyako Odori (Cherry Dance) for November 1928.

Hōju banzai raku (music in celebration of long life), a special performance of the Miyako Odori (Cherry Dance) to celebrate the coronation of Emperor Shōwa in November 1928.

[etymology-of-the-emblem]

Rafail Gem / ラファイルの宝珠, Scythe of Sariel / サリエルの大鎌, Crescent Sickle / 三日月の鎌

The Rafail Gem (JP: ラファイルの宝珠; rōmaji: rafairu no hōju) is a Hero's Relic tied to the Crest of Lamine. The name Rafail is a variant of Raphael common in Greek and Russian. Similarly, in Japanese, the name is most likely a corruption of ラファエル (rōmaji: rafaeru), the name Raphael. This is likely meant to reference the archangel Raphael, one of the four highest ranking angels in Judeo-Christian and Islamic beliefs. As his name means "God has healed," Raphael is depicted in many apocryphal and secular works as being a great healer and remover of demonic curses. These aspects are befitting of the one known person with a Major Crest of Lamine and the attributes of the crest. The protection provided by the Rafail Gem are most likely based on the general idea of a guardian angel.

The Japanese word for the Gem items 宝珠 (rōmaji: hōju) has some additional depth. This is an abbreviation of 宝珠の玉 (rōmaji: hōju no tama) or 如意宝珠 (rōmaji: nyoihōju), the word for the cintamani of Hindu and Buddhist legends. They are said to be pearl-like jewels that are able to grant a single earthly desire; it is impossible to develop one's spirit through the use of a cintamani. Amusing, then, that a character can use a Knowledge Gem to develop their Faith.

The Scythe of Sariel (JP: サリエルの大鎌; rōmaji: sarieru no ōkami) is the Agarthan weapon wielded by the Death Knight. The Judaic angel Sariel is a controversial figure, with many radically different depictions in apocryphal texts and little to no presence in the Bible itself. Sometimes he is depicted as one of the archangels, and believed to hold great healing powers. He's even been considered the right-hand of Raphael. At other times, he has been considered the warden of the spirits that sin, the one to judge the sins of other angels, or even as an Angel of Death tracking lost souls, often depicted with a scythe in artwork. However, the Book of Enoch instead claims that Sariel was one of the leaders of the fallen angels that came to earth to procreate with humanity and grant them knowledge forbidden by God. Sariel himself was said to have taught humanity the lunar calendar. All of these interpretations of Sariel culminate into both the Scythe of Sariel and the character of the Death Knight—a good man with a crest meant for healing, fallen into evil while wearing a reaper persona.

Even the Crescent Sickle, the weapon of the Death Knight's cavalcade, relates to Sariel. Further emphasized in the Japanese name 三日月の鎌 (rōmaji: mikadzuki no kama), the crescent refers to the crescent moon. Not only is the crescent moon, well, a phase of the moon, but it is a prevalent symbol in various religions, from the Greco-Roman lunar deities to Islam. Notably, Isaiah 3:18 speaks ill of jewelry and ornaments, specifying the crescent form among them. Given the Catholic imagery of the Church of Seiros, such imagery among their ancient enemy may be intentional. The Crescent Sickle being a weapon made by techniques lost to time, preserved by the Agarthans may also relate to Sariel teachings, which would be forgotten by humanity after the great deluge culled the population.

This was a segment from a larger document reviewing the name of most every weapon and item in Three Houses and Three Hopes. Click Here to read it in full.

[tenjin-no-shinja]

To Offer Light to the Kami and Buddhas

Lining the main path to a shrine, stone lanterns are one of the typical features of a Shinto shrine.  However, they are also an item that was brought in from Buddhism.  In Buddhism fragrant flowers and incense are one of the fundamental forms of offerings.  This is because the Buddha, who attained enlightenment and renounced greed, is pleased by the smell of incense and flowers, and enjoys light.  As the same thing can be said about the kami, lanterns became the norm at shrines.

This might be due to the fact that at shrines, unlike temples, rituals are sometimes held in the early morning or late at night.

Types of Lanterns

Lanterns can be classified by 2 broad categories: material, and form.  In terms of material there are: stone, metal, and wood.  Stone Lanterns (Ishitōrō 石燈籠), Metal Lanterns (Kanetōrō 金燈籠), and Wood Lanterns (Kitōrō 木燈籠) respectfully. As for form there are three types: Standing Lanterns (Tachitōrō 立燈籠), Hanging Lanterns (Tsuritōrō 釣燈籠), and Portable Lanterns (Okitōrō 置燈籠).

The most well known would be the Standing Stone Lanterns. There are many varieties of standing stone lanterns, but the most common type is the one seen along the main road to a shrine is the Kasuga-tōrō 春日燈籠, which originated at Kasuga Taisha. By the way there are over 3,000 Standing and Hanging lanterns at Kasuga Taisha.

Lanterns at Kasuga Taisha my photos do not use without permission

Traditional Standing Wooden Lantern

What a portable lantern might look like

Parts of a Lantern

From the top of the diagram down

Hōju 宝珠：uppermost spherical part of a lantern (represents the Wish Fulfilling Stone)

Ukebana 請花：lotus shaped support on a lantern (right below the hōju)

Kasa 笠：lantern shade

Warabite 蕨手：curved (like a fiddlehead) decorative edge of the shade of a lantern

Hibukuro 火袋：fire box

Chūdai 中台：platform on which the fire box rests

Sao 竿：pillar on which a lantern sits

Kiso 基礎：foundation

The cat says: The Thousand Lantern 万燈籠 festival at Kasuga Taisha, where around 3,000 lanterns are lit, is fantastic and beautiful. 

[k-star-holic]

Nine-year-old international couple "Marriage If You Want to Be a Uncle" .."You Meet Your Peers" Wound (Breaking Crédit Agricole)

[crazyfox-archives]

A hanging scroll of the Mani Hōju Mandara (摩尼宝珠曼荼羅), a mandala focused on the wish-fulfilling jewels of Buddhist lore along with the dragon kings guarding them and a host of buddhas & deities empowering them, dating to the Muromachi period (1336-1573) from the collection of Mimurotoji Temple (三室戸寺) in Uji, Kyoto Prefecture

Image from the temple’s official website (see source)

[mia-japanese-korean]

Welcoming Descent of Jizō Bodhisattva, Unknown Japanese, first half 14th century, Minneapolis Institute of Art: Japanese and Korean Art

standing Jizo in 3/4 view, holds transluscent ball in left hand, staff in right and each foot on lotus leave base which are on a cloud; rays emanate from head, first immediately around head encircled, then more extensions in back; Jizo is elaborately clad in garment decorated with kirikane in motifs of the various layers of clothing Jizō is a bodhisattva (bosatsu in Japanese), a divine being who postpones enlightenment in order to assist the living. Here he descends to the earth on a cloud to save a suffering believer. He carries a staff and a wish-granting jewel (hōju). His feet rest on lotus blossoms. Although his head is shaved and his robes are those of a monk, Jizō’s body is adorned with gold jewelry and his outer garments are lavishly decorated with gold, signaling his status as a bodhisattva. Images of the descent of Jizō, which developed in Japan in the 1200s, likely originated at the religious complex made up of the Buddhist temple Kōfukuji and the Shinto shrine Kasuga in the city of Nara, a center for the worship of Jizō. s Size: 42 3/4 × 15 3/4 in. (108.59 × 40.01 cm) (image) 75 1/4 × 22 5/8 in. (191.14 × 57.47 cm) (mount) Medium: Ink, color, and gold leaf on silk

https://collections.artsmia.org/art/118458/

[artemisdreaming]

如意輪観音坐像 Nyoirin Kannon

Period::  Edo period (1615–1868)

dated 1693

Culture: Japan

Medium: Wood with gold, gold leaf, lacquer,and crystal inlay

Dimensions: H. 16 9/16 in. (42.1 cm); W. 12 1/8 in. (30.8 cm); D. 10 1/4 in.

Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1956

Accession Number: 56.39, Metropolitan Museum of Art

The bodhisattva Kannon (Sanskrit: Avalokiteshvara) is represented here with Esoteric Buddhist attributes: the wish-fulfilling jewel (nyoi hōju) and the wheel (rin) of Buddhist teachings. Carved into the base are female donors’ names; this votive offering to a temple may have been in connection with the monthly jūkuya-kō ritual for the health and safe delivery of children

[japanesetattoo]

Wish Fullfilling Jewel Hōju 宝珠, or 寶珠 It is said to Grants wishes, brings wealth. Often depicted as a single orb with a pointed top, or as a set of three jewels, sometimes with a flame nimbus. This grouping of three probably represents the Three Jewels (Sanbō 三宝) of Buddhism, which are Buddha, the Dharma (Buddhist law), and the Sangha (community of Buddhist believers). As a trilogy, I guess it could also refer to body, speech and mind. The jewel appears in a wide range of artistic forms, e.g., as a temple-roof ornament, as an object held by Buddhist deities or atop the weapons their carry, and as a sacred symbol in mandala paintings. It is a concept I have been wanting to work on for a while.
It finally came out.

If any of you are thinking of getting a tattoo in this style! Hit me up! Best wishes! 🙏 Y. 
website : https://tattoo.yoso.eu/ 
 Bookings: yosotattoo@gmail.com 
 Enjoy! Y. - Make your bookings for 2020 - Miyazaki, Brussels, Zurich, Copenhagen, Barcelona, London or other locations on request! 🙏🙏🙏 #brussels #zurich #jewel #tattoo #orientaltattoo #irezumicollective #japanesetattoo #irezumi #tattoodesign #tattooart #tattooartist #illustration #刺青 #brusselstattoo #tattoobrussels #londontattoo #love #drawing #art #tattootour #tattoolife #japan #zurichtattoo #copenhagen #buddhism #japaneseart #宮崎市 #miyazaki #宮崎 https://www.instagram.com/p/B9TdSlZFpXL/?igshid=a2bio7px8lbs

[maxrojastatuajes]

HŌJU es una joya que elimina la desgracia, Otorga bendiciones a todos los que sufren, porque concede deseos de pacificación y una clara comprensión del Dharma (ley budista) DISPONIBLE Consulta por DM o Wsp: +56945079322 ♦️♦️♦️ metro plaza de armas, san antonio 378, piso 3, of 311 . . . . . . . #maxrojas #madeink #maxrojastatuajes #chiletattoo #chiletatuajes #tatuajechileno #flashtattoo #PortalChileTattoo #hōju #houju #santiago #tattoosantiago #japanesetattoo (en Iron Tattoo Studio)

[love1kimono]

Kitsune Silk Label 1920s

A vintage Japanese silk label with a kitsune (fox spirit), the messenger of O-Inari, the rice god. The kitsune holds an hōju-no-tama (wish fulfilling jewel) in its mouth, which signifies the bestowal of blessings, and it has a triad of sacred jewels on its tail.

[eldragggon]

Also, I’m having a flash day tomorrow at @eastrivertattoo. Black dragon silhouettes and Hōjus can be free handed to fit gaps or blast older tattoos. Starting tomorrow at 11 a.m., first come first served. Prices starting at $150. See you then! #formerlythecrocodile #newyorktattoo #eastrivertattoo — view on Instagram http://bit.ly/2GmHgXW

[hi-technique]

Edo Period Jizō with Hōju by Rekishi no Tabi on Flickr

[thekimonogallery]

Miyako Odori - Rice Planters' Dance 1928.  Rice planters' dancing in a sacred field. Miyako Odori (Cherry Dance) for November 1928. Hōju banzai raku (music in celebration of long life), a special performance of the Miyako Odori (Cherry Dance) to celebrate the coronation of Emperor Shōwa in November 1928.  Text and image via Blue Ruin 1 on Flickr

[thebluebloodstudios]

Hoju by @martialtattoo! ⠀ ⠀ ‘Known as the hōju 宝珠 or hōju-no-tama 宝珠の玉 or nyoi houju 如意宝珠 in Japan, this jewel signifies the bestowal of blessings on all who suffer, for it grants wishes, pacifies desires, and brings clear understanding of the Dharma (Buddhist law). In Japan, the hoju is often appears as giboshi bridge ornaments and are said to resemble the onion domes seen in Western or Baltic cultures, however, they are mostly likely the form of the peach which is the fruit symbolic of immortality and healing (known from the myths and legends of the ancient chronicles of Japan).’ - taken from japanesemythology.wordpress.com ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ #tattoosbymartial #martialtattoos #amsterdam #amsterdamtattoos #amsterdamtattooshop #tattoo #hoju #hojutattoo #tattoos #qualitytattoos #qualitytattooing #tattooshopamsterdam #amsterdamtattooartists #amsterdamtattoo #thebluebloodstudios #kinkerstraat #amsterdamwest #bluebloodfamily (at The Blue Blood Studios) https://www.instagram.com/p/CiM5hKoL-3M/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[oldadvertising]

<strong>Kitsune Silk Label 1920s <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/blue_ruin_1/">by Blue Ruin 1</a></strong>

A vintage Japanese silk label with a kitsune (fox spirit), the messenger of O-Inari, the rice god. The kitsune holds an hōju-no-tama (wish fulfilling jewel) in its mouth, which signifies the bestowal of blessings, and it has a triad of sacred jewels on its tail.

[nihongokawaii]

📕   ほうじゅ   📙   Hōju   📒   Gem   📗   Gema   📘   宝珠