2 Dai Nitten daio, santenno Great sun god, three deities 3 Namu Muhengyo Bosatsu, dai roku tenmao, Amaterasu Omikami Hail Bodhisattva Muhengyo, great six demon gods, Amaterasu [the Shinto sun goddess] 4 Namu Jogyo Bosatsu, dai Bontenno, hachi tenno, Kishimojin Hail Bodhisattva Jogyo, great Bonten, the eight deities, Kishimojin [Harita, goddess of mothers and children] 5 Namu Taho Nyorai Hail Buddha Taho [the Buddha of Many Treasures] 6 Namu Myoho Rengekyo, Nichiren ‘Hail the Lotus Sutra’, Nichiren [the odaimokyu or mantra of the Nichiren sect of Japanese Buddhism and the name of its founder, 1222–82] 7 Namu Shakyamuni Butsu Hail Buddha Shakyamuni 8 Namu Jyogyo Bosatsu, Shateikan’in daio, Ju rasetsu nyo Hail Bodhisattva Jyogyo, Buddhist deity Shateikan’in, ten demons [Rakshasa] 9 Namu Anryugyo Bosatsu, Dai Gattenno, Hachiman dai Bosatsu Hail Bodhisattva Anryugyo, great moon god, Bodhisattva Hachiman [originally a Shinto deity popular with samurai] 10 Dai Myojo tenshi Great angel Myojo [the star messenger] 11 Dai Bishamonten Great Bishamonten [Vaisravana, one of the Four Heavenly Kings, armour-clad guardian of the north] 186
Left panel 1 Dai Zochoten Great Zochoten [Virudhaka, one of the Four Heavenly Kings, guardian of the south] 2 Nichiro, Nissh,o Nisshin shonin Holy priests Nichiro, Nissho, and Nisshin [disciples of Nichiren; Nichoro 1245–1320 nephew of Nissho, c. 1236–1323] 3 Nichiju, Nikkan, Nittatsu shonin Holy priests Nichiju, Nikkan, and Nittatsu [later followers of Nichiren; Nichiju 1314–92, converted by Nichijin from the Tendai sect in 1379, Nikkan arrested and executed in 1668, Ryogi Nittatsu 1674–1747, author of the important Shinto work Shinbutsu Myo-oron] 4 Butsumetsudo go nisen nihyaku niju yo nen 5 no aida ichienfutei 6 mizou no dai mandara nari After the death of Buddha more than two thousand, two hundred and twenty years this great mandala to save the people of the world appeared The calligraphy of our armour is carefully arranged in its symmetry, just as on a conventional gohonzen in ink on paper. Placed about the central mandala are the names of the Four Heavenly Kings of Buddhism (the shitenno), reading from right to left across the back Zochoten, Jikokuten, Bishamonten and Komokuten, guardians of the south, east, north and west respectively. At either side of the mandala are invocations (beginning Namu, ‘Hail’) to the Buddhas Shakyamuni and Taho, and to the four Boddhisatvas Muhengyo, Jogyo, Jyogyo and Anryugyo. Sun balances moon, and Shinto deities Amaterasu and Hachiman placed in apposition across the mandala. The mixture of Shinto and Buddhist deities recalls the syncretism of Nichiren’s Buddhism, and reminds us how intertwined the two religions were until their forceful separation following the Meiji restoration of 1868.