\nwww.onmarkproductions.com\/html\/28-moon-stations.html#myoken<\/a>
\nAdded 40+ photos and revised text. In Japan, worship of the northern Pole Star (Hokushin \u5317\u8fb0) along with the seven stars of the Big Dipper (Hokuto Shichisei \u5317\u6597\u4e03\u661f) is a syncretic blend of Buddhism, Taoism, Onmy\u014dd\u014d \u9670\u967d\u9053 (Yin-Yang Divination), and local kami cults, but it is especially important within Esoteric Buddhism, and from the Heian period (794-1180) onward, My\u014dken was venerated under various guises as the central star controlling all other celestial bodies, one believed to control the life and fortunes of the people, one who protected not only the emperor and country, but also warded off diseases, prevented calamities of fire and other disasters, increased life spans, and healed eye diseases. As a deification of the Pole Star, My\u014dken was also worshipped as the deity of safe voyages and navigators. In Japan, even today, s\/he is venerated at both Buddhist temples and Shint\u014d shrines. The annual Myokensai (or My\u014dken Festival) is held on Nov. 22-23 each year. See Events below for details.<\/p>\n
![\"Four-armed](\"https:\/\/onmarkproductions.com\/Buddha-Statues\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/10\/myoken-buddha-blog21.jpg\" "\\"Myoken")
<\/a>Four-armed Myoken atop dragon, holding sun & moon discs, and brush & tablet (on which s\/he records our good\/bad deeds). Surrounded by two attendants. Handscroll, color on paper. Kamakura Era (13th-14th century). Important Cultural Property ICP. Treasure of Shomyo-ji Temple, Kanagawa, but now housed by the Kanagawa Prefectural Kanazawa Bunko Museum . Image based on drawing in the Zuzosho, or the Encyclopedia of Buddhist Icons, a text edited by Eju (1060-1145 AD).<\/p><\/div>\n
Current & Upcoming Events in Japan<\/h2>\n
\u00bb My\u014dkensai<\/strong> \u5999\u898b\u796d. The My\u014dken Festival at Yatsushiro Shrine \u516b\u4ee3\u795e\u793e (aka My\u014dkeng\u016b \u5999\u898b\u5bae\uff09in Yatsushiro City \u516b\u4ee3\u5e02 (Kumamoto Prefecture \u718a\u672c\u770c) is held annually for two days on Nov. 22-23. This lively festival involves a parade featuring a six-meter-long turtle with a two-meter-long snake head that is carried around town. This half-snake half-turtle is called a Kida \u4e80\u86c7. See numerous photos of the festival at this J-site www.yado.co.jp\/kankou\/kumamoto\/kumanan\/yatsushiro\/yatsushiro2.htm<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u00bb Shichi-go-san<\/strong> \u4e03\u4e94\u4e09. Seven-five-three ceremony. In mid-November each year, children aged seven, five, and three don their finest traditional garb and visit their local shrines to be blessed. Special Shint\u014d rites are performed to formally welcome girls (age 3) and boys (age 5) into the community. Girls (age 7) are welcomed into womanhood and allowed to wear the obi (decorative sash worn with kimono).<\/p>\n \u00bb Bunka no Hi<\/strong> \u6587\u5316\u306e\u65e5. Culture Day, November 3. National Holiday. Establish in 1948, but before that celebrated as the birthday of the Meiji emperor.<\/p>\n \u00bb Kinr\u014d Kansha no Hi<\/strong> \u52e4\u52b4\u611f\u8b1d\u306e\u65e5. Labor Thanksgiving Day, November 23. National Holiday. Established in 1948, but before then it was celebrated as the Imperial Harvest Festival (Niinamesai \u65b0\u5617\u796d). A rice-tasting ceremony (one of Shint\u014d’s main rituals) is performed each year when the emperor offers the newly harvested rice to the gods and then eats a little himself.<\/p>\n \u00bb Tokyo National Museum<\/strong> November Schedule. www.tnm.go.jp\/en\/servlet\/Con?pageId=X00&processId=01<\/a><\/p>\n \u00bb Nara National Museum,<\/strong> The 62nd Annual Exhibition of Sh\u014ds\u014d-in Treasures ends on November 11. www.narahaku.go.jp\/english\/exhibition\/special.html<\/a><\/p>\n \u00bb Kyoto National Museum,<\/strong> The World of Buddhist Kasaya (or the robes worn by monks) runs until Nov. 23. www.kyohaku.go.jp\/eng\/tokubetsu\/101009\/sakuhin.html<\/a>. Hello Subscribers, Knowledge updates for\u00a0October 2010. A-to-Z Photo Dictionary of Japanese Buddhism \u00bb My\u014dken Bosatsu \u5999\u898b\u83e9\u85a9 \u2013 Deification of North Pole Star & Big Dipper. www.onmarkproductions.com\/html\/28-moon-stations.html#myoken Added 40+ photos and revised text. In Japan, worship of the northern Pole Star (Hokushin \u5317\u8fb0) along with the seven stars of the Big Dipper (Hokuto Shichisei \u5317\u6597\u4e03\u661f) is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-285","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-buddha-and-buddhist-statues-in-japan"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/onmarkproductions.com\/Buddha-Statues\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/285","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/onmarkproductions.com\/Buddha-Statues\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/onmarkproductions.com\/Buddha-Statues\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onmarkproductions.com\/Buddha-Statues\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onmarkproductions.com\/Buddha-Statues\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=285"}],"version-history":[{"count":35,"href":"https:\/\/onmarkproductions.com\/Buddha-Statues\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/285\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1496,"href":"https:\/\/onmarkproductions.com\/Buddha-Statues\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/285\/revisions\/1496"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/onmarkproductions.com\/Buddha-Statues\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=285"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onmarkproductions.com\/Buddha-Statues\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=285"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onmarkproductions.com\/Buddha-Statues\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=285"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nA must-see for those interested in the symbolism and art of robes in Buddhist faith. For those interested in the robe’s creation, types of robes, care of robes, sewing practices, and other matters, see Jean Selkirk’s site Buddha’s Robe is Sewn. www.buddhasrobeissewn.org<\/a>\u00a0<end post><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"