Bishamonten (Sanskrit"Vaiśravaṇa") has been one of Japan's most popular deities since Buddhism's arrival in the 6th century. Dressed in a warrior's armor, he holds a spear in his right hand and a Stupa or "Treasure Tower" in his left.

An image of Kannon from the Chichibu Kannon Pilgrimage Route Kanzeon (more commonly Kannon), the Bodhisattva of Compassion, is the...

Last year I made a couple of videos about the standard Henro prayer service done by most modern pilgrims for people to learn and practice...

A wooden image of Dainichi Nyorai from Fukusho-ji Temple in Wakayama Pref. In the center of Shingon's mandalas we find a youthful figure,...

For thousands of years, Buddhist art has vividly depicted the scene of the Buddha's death. In Japanese these are called nehan-zu...

Several months ago I started working on poetic translations of the Goeika (御詠歌 - Sacred Songs) of the Shikoku Henro. Goeika are waka ,...

The smashing popularity of the show Shogun seems to have brought the martial history of Japan back into the Western cultural spotlight....