This is the glossary of Japanese Buddhism, including major terms the casual (or brand-new) reader might find useful in understanding articles on the subject. Words followed by an asterisk (*) are illustrated by an image in one of the photo galleries. Within definitions, words set in boldface are defined elsewhere in the glossary.

A

• agyō* (阿形) - A type of statue (of a Niō, komainu, etc.) with its mouth open to pronounce the sound "a", first letter of the Sanskrit
  Sanskrit
  Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
  
   alphabet and symbol of the beginning of all things. See also ungyō.
• Amida Nyorai (阿弥陀如来) - Japanese name of Amitabha
  Amitabha
  Amitābha is a celestial buddha described in the scriptures of the Mahāyāna school of Buddhism...
  
  , deity worshiped mainly by the Pure Land sect.
• arhat - see arakan.
• arakan* (阿羅漢) - the highest level of Buddhist ascetic practice, or someone who has reached it. The term is often shortened to just rakan (羅漢).

B

• bay - see ken.
• bettō
  Betto
  is a term which originally indicated the head of an institution serving temporarily as the head of another one, but which came to mean also the full-time head of some institution...
  
   (別当) - Previously the title of the head of powerful temples, e.g. Tōdai-ji
  Todai-ji
  , is a Buddhist temple complex located in the city of Nara, Japan. Its Great Buddha Hall , the largest wooden building in the world, houses the world's largest bronze statue of the Buddha Vairocana, known in Japanese simply as Daibutsu . The temple also serves as the Japanese headquarters of the ...
  
  , Kōfuku-ji
  Kofuku-ji
  is a Buddhist temple in the city of Nara, Nara Prefecture, Japan. The temple is the national headquarters of the Hossō school and is one of the eight Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.-History:...
  
  , etc. (still in use at the former). Also a monk who was present at Shinto shrines to perform Buddhist rites until the Meiji period
  Meiji period
  The , also known as the Meiji era, is a Japanese era which extended from September 1868 through July 1912. This period represents the first half of the Empire of Japan.- Meiji Restoration and the emperor :...
  
  , when the government forbade with the shinbutsu bunri policy the mixing of Shinto and Buddhism
  Buddhism
  Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
  
  .
• bodai
  Bodhi
  Bodhi is both a Pāli and Sanskrit word traditionally translated into English with the word "enlightenment", but which means awakened. In Buddhism it is the knowledge possessed by a Buddha into the nature of things...
  
   - from the Pāli
  Páli
  - External links :* *...
  
   and Sanskrit
  Sanskrit
  Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
  
   word for way or knowledge.
  • satori, or Buddhist enlightenment.
  • Ceremonies and other efforts to ensure someone's happiness in the next world, after death.
• bodaiji
  Bodaiji
  A , in Japanese Buddhism is a temple which, generation after generation, takes care of a family's dead giving them burial and performing ceremonies in their soul's favor. The name is because in Japan the term , which originally meant just Buddhist enlightenment , has also come to mean either the...
  
   - lit. "bodhi
  Bodhi
  Bodhi is both a Pāli and Sanskrit word traditionally translated into English with the word "enlightenment", but which means awakened. In Buddhism it is the knowledge possessed by a Buddha into the nature of things...
  
  temple". A temple which, generation after generation, takes care of a family's dead giving them burial and performing ceremonies in their favor. See for example the Tokugawa's Kan'ei-ji
  Kan'ei-ji
  -External links:** * National Diet Library: ; *...
  
  .
• bodhisattva
  Bodhisattva
  In Buddhism, a bodhisattva is either an enlightened existence or an enlightenment-being or, given the variant Sanskrit spelling satva rather than sattva, "heroic-minded one for enlightenment ." The Pali term has sometimes been translated as "wisdom-being," although in modern publications, and...
  
  
  • The historical Gautama Buddha, before enlightenment.
  • In Mahayana Buddhism, someone who could enter paradise but chooses not to, to help others achieve enlightenment.
  • Someone who is in pursuit of satori.
• Bon (盆) - See Bon Festival
  Bon Festival
  or just is a Japanese Buddhist custom to honor the spirits of one's ancestors. This Buddhist-Confucian custom has evolved into a family reunion holiday during which people return to ancestral family places and visit and clean their ancestors' graves, and when the spirits of ancestors are supposed...
  
  
• bosatsu (菩薩)
  • A bodhisattva.
  • during the shinbutsu shūgō period, a honorific used for Japanese kami, as for example in "Hachiman
    Hachiman
    In Japanese mythology, is the Japanese syncretic god of archery and war, incorporating elements from both Shinto and Buddhism. Although often called the god of war, he is more correctly defined as the tutelary god of warriors. He is also divine protector of Japan and the Japanese people...
    
     Bosatsu".

• Buddha
  Gautama Buddha
  Siddhārtha Gautama was a spiritual teacher from the Indian subcontinent, on whose teachings Buddhism was founded. In most Buddhist traditions, he is regarded as the Supreme Buddha Siddhārtha Gautama (Sanskrit: सिद्धार्थ गौतम; Pali: Siddhattha Gotama) was a spiritual teacher from the Indian...
  
   - the term Buddha in the upper case can refer to:
  • Shakyamuni Buddha, Indian spiritual and philosophical teacher and founder of Buddhism; Gautama Buddha.
  • one who has become enlightened (i.e., awakened to the truth, or Dharma
    Dharma
    Dharma means Law or Natural Law and is a concept of central importance in Indian philosophy and religion. In the context of Hinduism, it refers to one's personal obligations, calling and duties, and a Hindu's dharma is affected by the person's age, caste, class, occupation, and gender...
    
    )
  • Any of the other Buddhas named in Buddhist scriptures.
  • A statue or image of any Buddha.
• buddha - the term 'buddha' in the lower case refers not to Gautama Buddha but to:
  • a statue of Gautama Buddha
  • any of the other buddha
    Buddhahood
    In Buddhism, buddhahood is the state of perfect enlightenment attained by a buddha .In Buddhism, the term buddha usually refers to one who has become enlightened...
    
    s (enlightened ones) named in Buddhist scriptures.
• Buddha's footprints - see bussokuseki
• bussokuseki
  Buddha footprint
  The footprint of the Buddha is an imprint of Gautama Buddha's one or both feet. There are two forms: natural, as found in stone or rock, and those made artificially...
  
  * (仏足) - lit. Buddha's foot (print) stone. A stone carved with footprints representing Buddha. Before the instruction of the human figure, Buddha was represented only indirectly through his footprints.
• Butsuden or Butsu-dō* (仏殿・仏堂) - lit. "Hall of Buddha".
  • A Zen temple's main hall. Seems to have two stories, but has in fact only one and measures either 3x3 or 5x5 bays.
  • Any building enshrining the statue of Buddha or of a bodhisattva and dedicated to prayer.
• butsudan
  Butsudan
  A butsudan is a shrine commonly found in temples and homes in Japanese Buddhist cultures. A butsudan is a wooden cabinet with doors that enclose and protect a gohonzon or religious icon, typically a statue or painting of a Buddha or Bodhisattva, or a "script" mandala scroll...
  
  * (仏壇) - a tabernacle used in homes to install Buddhist images and tablets recording the posthumous names of deceased family members.
• buppō (仏法) - see hō
• buttō
  Tō
  The , sometimes also called or is the Japanese version of the Chinese pagoda, itself an interpretation of the Indian stupa. Pagodas are quintessentially Buddhist and an important component of Japanese Buddhist temple compounds but, because until the Kami and Buddhas Separation Act of 1868 a...
  
   (仏塔) - a stupa or one of its relatives. See also tō, pagoda, gorintō, hōkyōintō, sotoba, sekitō and tahōtō.

C

• chinju (鎮守/鎮主) - the tutelary kami or tutelary shrine of a certain area or Buddhist temple
  Buddhist temples in Japan
  Along with Shinto shrines, Buddhist temples are the most numerous, famous, and important religious buildings in Japan.The term "Shinto shrine" is used in opposition to "Buddhist temple" to mirror in English the distinction made in Japanese between Shinto and Buddhist religious structures. In...
  
  .
• chinjusha
  Chinjusha
  In Japanese is a Shinto shrine which enshrines a , that is a spirit protecting a given area, village, building or Buddhist temple. The Imperial Palace has its own tutelary shrine dedicated to the 21 guardian gods of Ise Shrine. Tutelary shrines are usually very small, but can sometimes be very...
  
  * (鎮守社/鎮主社) - a small shrine built at a Buddhist temple and dedicated to its tutelary kami.
• chōzuya (手水舎) - see temizuya.
• chūmon* (中門) - in a temple, the gate after the naindaimon connected to a kairō. See also mon.

D

• Daihi Kannon (大悲観音) -See Senju Kannon.
• Dainichi
  Five Dhyani Buddhas
  In Vajrayana Buddhism, the Five Dhyani Buddhas , also known as the Five Wisdom Tathāgatas, the Five Great Buddhas and the Five Jinas , are representations of the five qualities of the Buddha...
  
   Nyorai (大日如来) - Japanese name of Vairocana
  Vairocana
  Vairocana is a celestial Buddha who is often interpreted as the Bliss Body of the historical Gautama Buddha; he can also be referred to as the dharmakaya Buddha and the great solar Buddha. In Sino-Japanese Buddhism, Vairocana is also seen as the embodiment of the Buddhist concept of shunyata or...
  
  , of which the Japanese kami Amaterasu
  Amaterasu
  , or is apart of the Japanese myth cycle and also a major deity of the Shinto religion. She is the goddess of the sun, but also of the universe. the name Amaterasu derived from Amateru meaning "shining in heaven." The meaning of her whole name, Amaterasu-ōmikami, is "the great August kami who...
  
   is considered an emanation (see honji suijaku).
• danka
  Danka system
  The , also known as is a system of voluntary and long-term affiliation between Buddhist temples and households in use in Japan since the Heian period. In it, households financially support a Buddhist temple which, in exchange, provides for their spiritual needs...
  
   (檀家) - a family or individual affiliated to a particular temple is called one of its danka. See also danka system
• danka system
  Danka system
  The , also known as is a system of voluntary and long-term affiliation between Buddhist temples and households in use in Japan since the Heian period. In it, households financially support a Buddhist temple which, in exchange, provides for their spiritual needs...
  
   (檀家制度)- a system in which a family (the danka) contributes to the support of a particular Buddhist temple, which in return provides its services. This kind of temple affiliation became mandatory during the Edo period
  Edo period
  The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....
  
  , when was used by the shogunate for political ends (see also terauke).
• -dō (堂) - Lit. hall. Suffix for the name of the buildings part of a temple. The prefix can be the name of a deity associated with it (e.g. Yakushi-dō, or Yakushi hall) or express the building's function within the temple's compound (e.g. hon-dō, or main hall). See also Butsu-dō, hō-dō, hon-dō, jiki-dō, kaisan-dō, kō-dō, kon-dō, kyō-dō, mandara-dō, miei-dō, mi-dō, sō-dō, Yakushi-dō and zen-dō.

E

• Enma*, Emmaten or Emmaō (閻魔, 閻魔天 or 閻魔王) - Japanese transliteration of Yama
  Yama
  Yama , also known as Yamarāja in India and Nepal, Shinje in Tibet, Yanluowang or simply Yan in China, Yeomla Daewang in South Korea and Enma Dai-Ō in Japan, is the lord of death, in Hinduism and then adopted into Buddhism and then further into Chinese mythology and Japanese mythology. First...
  
  , the ruler of the underworld in Buddhist mythology.
• enlightenment - see satori.

F

• family temple - see bodaiji.
• funeral temple - see bodaiji.
• Fuju-fuse-gi (不受不施義) - the duty of a Nichiren
  Nichiren
  Nichiren was a Buddhist monk who lived during the Kamakura period in Japan. Nichiren taught devotion to the Lotus Sutra, entitled Myōhō-Renge-Kyō in Japanese, as the exclusive means to attain enlightenment and the chanting of Nam-Myōhō-Renge-Kyō as the essential practice of the teaching...
  
   sect member not to accept anything from, or give anything to a non-believer.
• Five Mountain System
  Five Mountain System
  The system, more commonly called simply Five Mountain System, was a network of state-sponsored Zen Buddhist temples created in China during the Southern Song Dynasty . The term "mountain" in this context means "temple" or "monastery", and was adopted because many monasteries were built on isolated...
  
   - See Gozan Seido.

G

• garan - see shichi-dō garan.
• gejin (外陣) - the portion of a hon-dō (main hall) open to the public, as opposed to the naijin, reserved to the deity.
• Goma
  Homa (ritual)
  Homa is a Sanskrit word which refers to any ritual in which making offerings into a consecrated fire is the primary action...
  
   (護摩) - a ritual involving making offerings into a consecrated fire. Initiated mostly by the Shingon
  Shingon Buddhism
  is one of the mainstream major schools of Japanese Buddhism and one of the few surviving Esoteric Buddhist lineages that started in the 3rd to 4th century CE that originally spread from India to China through traveling monks such as Vajrabodhi and Amoghavajra...
  
   sect.
• Gozan Seido
  Five Mountain System
  The system, more commonly called simply Five Mountain System, was a network of state-sponsored Zen Buddhist temples created in China during the Southern Song Dynasty . The term "mountain" in this context means "temple" or "monastery", and was adopted because many monasteries were built on isolated...
  
   (五山制度) - A nationwide network of Zen temples, called Five Mountain system or Five Mountains in English, with at its top five temples in Kamakura (the Kamakura Gozan) and five in Kyoto (the Kyoto Gozan), which during the Muromachi period
  Muromachi period
  The is a division of Japanese history running from approximately 1336 to 1573. The period marks the governance of the Muromachi or Ashikaga shogunate, which was officially established in 1338 by the first Muromachi shogun, Ashikaga Takauji, two years after the brief Kemmu restoration of imperial...
  
   was a de facto part of the government's infrastructure, helping rule the country.
• gongen
  Gongen
  During the era of shinbutsu shūgō , in Japan a During the era of shinbutsu shūgō (religious syncretism of kami and buddhas), in Japan a During the era of shinbutsu shūgō (religious syncretism of kami and buddhas), in Japan a ( was believed to be a Japanese kami which was really just the local...
  
   (権現)
  • A Buddhist god that chooses to appear as a Japanese kami in order to take the Japanese to spiritual salvation.
  • Name sometimes used for shrines (e.g. "Tokusō Gongen") before the shinbutsu bunri.
• gorintō
  Gorinto
  is the name of a Japanese type of Buddhist pagoda believed to have been first adopted by the Shingon and Tendai sects during the mid Heian period. It is used for memorial or funerary purposes and is therefore common in Buddhist temples and cemeteries. It is also called or , where the term sotoba...
  
  * (五輪塔) - a type of stupa common in Buddhist temples and cemeteries consisting of five shapes (a cube, a sphere, a pyramid, a crescent and a lotus flower) one on top of the other representing the five elements
  Five elements (Japanese philosophy)
  One may encounter two kinds of five elements philosophy in Japan. One is called, in Japanese, gogyō , having its backgrounds in the Chinese five elements, and the other is called godai . Godai is usually regarded as a Buddhism term in Japan, with certain influences from Hinduism. The following...
  
   of Buddhist cosmology.

H

• haibutsu kishaku
  Haibutsu kishaku
  is a term that indicates a current of thought continuous in Japan's history which advocates the expulsion of Buddhism from Japan...
  
  
  • A current of thought, continuous in Japan's history, advocating the expulsion of Buddhism from Japan.
  • A wave of anti-Buddhist violence that hit Japan in 1868 after the forcible separation of Buddhism and Shinto (shinbutsu bunri).
• hall - see -dō
• han-honji suijaku (反本地垂迹) - a theory which in the 14th century reversed the honji suijaku theory, claiming kami were superior to Buddhist gods.
• hattō* (法堂) - lit. "Dharma hall". A building dedicated to lectures by the chief priest on Buddhism's scriptures (the hō).
• hō (法) - the teachings of Buddha (Dharma
  Dharma
  Dharma means Law or Natural Law and is a concept of central importance in Indian philosophy and religion. In the context of Hinduism, it refers to one's personal obligations, calling and duties, and a Hindu's dharma is affected by the person's age, caste, class, occupation, and gender...
  
  ) and the sūtras. Also called buppō.
• hō-dō (法堂) - see hattō.
• hōjō* (方丈) - the living quarters of the head priest of a Zen temple.
• Hokekyō or Hokkekyō (法華経) - the Lotus Sutra
  Lotus Sutra
  The Lotus Sūtra is one of the most popular and influential Mahāyāna sūtras, and the basis on which the Tiantai and Nichiren sects of Buddhism were established.-Title:...
  
  , one of the Buddhist sacred scriptures.
• Hokke-dō* (法華堂) - lit. "Lotus Sūtra hall". In Tendai
  Tendai
  is a Japanese school of Mahayana Buddhism, a descendant of the Chinese Tiantai or Lotus Sutra school.Chappell frames the relevance of Tendai for a universal Buddhism:- History :...
  
   Buddhism, a hall whose layout allows walking around a statue for meditation. The purpose of walking is to concentrate on the Hokekyō and seek the ultimate truth.
• hōkyō-zukuri* (宝形造) - a type of roof consisting of four or more sloping, curved triangles meeting at the top. An example is Hōryū-ji's Yume-dono.
• hōkyōintō
  Hokyointo
  A is a Japanese pagoda, so called because it originally contained the sūtra. A Chinese varianto of the Indian stūpa, it was originally conceived as a cenotaph of the King of Wuyue - Qian Liu.- Structure and function :...
  
  * (宝篋印塔) - a tower-shaped variant of a stupa, so called because it originally contained the Hōkyōin Dharani sutra. See also stupa.
• hōmyō (法名) - religious name received after votes (Buddhist name) or posthumous name given to a deceased person.
• honbō* (本坊) - residence of the jushoku, or head priest, of a temple.
• hon-dō* (本堂) - Lit. "main hall", it is the building that houses the most important statues and objects of cult. The term is thought to have evolved to avoid the term kon-dō used by six Nara sects (the Nanto Rokushū) for their main halls. Structurally similar, but less strictly defined.
• honji suijaku
  Honji suijaku
  The term in Japanese religious terminology refers to a theory widely accepted until the Meiji period according to which Indian Buddhist deities choose to appear in Japan as native kami in order to more easily convert and save the Japanese...
  
   (本地垂迹) - a theory common in Japan before the Meiji period
  Meiji period
  The , also known as the Meiji era, is a Japanese era which extended from September 1868 through July 1912. This period represents the first half of the Empire of Japan.- Meiji Restoration and the emperor :...
  
   according to which Buddhist deities choose to appear as native kami
  Kami
  is the Japanese word for the spirits, natural forces, or essence in the Shinto faith. Although the word is sometimes translated as "god" or "deity", some Shinto scholars argue that such a translation can cause a misunderstanding of the term...
  
   to the Japanese in order to save them.
• hotoke
  Hotoke
  The Japanese noun Note that the very same kanji 仏 in modern Japanese can be also read futsu, but is often used as an abbreviation for the word "furansu", or France...
  
   (仏)
  • Japanese term meaning for buddha (an enlightened one).
  • A Buddhist sacred image or statue.
  • A deceased person or his/her soul.
• hōtō (宝塔) - lit. treasure tower. A stone stupa constituted by a square base, a barrel-shaped body, a pyramid and a finial. Not to be confused with the similarly shaped tahōtō
  Tahōtō
  A is a form of Japanese pagoda found primarily at Esoteric Shingon and Tendai school Buddhist temples. It is unique among pagodas because it has an even number of stories...
  
  .
• hyakudoishi* (百度石) - lit. "hundred times stone". Sometimes present as a point of reference for the hyakudomairi near the entrance of a shrine or Buddhist temple
  Buddhist temples in Japan
  Along with Shinto shrines, Buddhist temples are the most numerous, famous, and important religious buildings in Japan.The term "Shinto shrine" is used in opposition to "Buddhist temple" to mirror in English the distinction made in Japanese between Shinto and Buddhist religious structures. In...
  
  .
• hyakudomairi (百度参り) - literally "a hundred visits". A worshiper with a special prayer will visit the temple a hundred times. After praying, he or she must go at least back to the entrance or around a hyakudoishi for the next visit to count as a separate visit.

I

• ingō (院号) -
  • The part of a temple's full name ending in "-in" (e.g. "Toeizan Kan'ei-ji Endon'in"). The other two are the sangō and the jigō.
  • The part of a hōmyō or kaimyō (posthumous names) ending in "-in".
• inzō* (印相) - a mudrā
  Mudra
  A mudrā is a symbolic or ritual gesture in Hinduism and Buddhism. While some mudrās involve the entire body, most are performed with the hands and fingers...
  
  , or Buddhist hand gesture, common in Buddhist religious statues.
• inverted honji suijaku - See han-honji suijaku.
• irimoya-zukuri
  Irimoya
  A xieshan style or roof in Japanese architecture is a hip roof integrated on two opposing sides with a gable. It can be also described in English as a hip-and-gable, gablet, or Dutch gable roof...
  
   - A hip roof
  Hip roof
  A hip roof, or hipped roof, is a type of roof where all sides slope downwards to the walls, usually with a fairly gentle slope. Thus it is a house with no gables or other vertical sides to the roof. A square hip roof is shaped like a pyramid. Hip roofs on the houses could have two triangular side...
  
   (sloping down on all four sides) integrated on two opposing sides with a gable
  Gable
  A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
  
  .

J

• jigō (寺号) - a temple's main name. Often the second after the sangō, and the only one in common use (e.g. "Tōeizan Kan'ei-ji Endon'in"). The last name is called the ingō. The use of the sangō came into fashion after the arrival of Zen Buddhism to Japan.
• Jizō* (地蔵) - Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva; god guardian of children, particularly children who died before their parents, often seen wearing red votive bibs (yodarekake) and hats. Parents sometimes leave at the temple a small Jizō statue in memory of their lost child.
• jiki-dō* (食堂) - a monastery's refectory. See also sai-dō.
• Jūni Shinnō - see Jūni Shinshō.
• Jūni Shinshō* (十二神将) - Twelve retainers who accompany Yakushi Nyorai. Also known as Jūni Yakusha Taishō (十二薬叉大将) and Jūni Shinnō (十二神王). In English they are often called the Twelve Heavenly Generals.
• Jūni Yakusha Taishō - see Jūni Shinshō.
• Jūroku Rakan (十六羅漢) - lit. "sixteen arhats", holy men who were at Gautama Buddha's deathbed and there were ordered by him to stay in this world to defend and maintain his teachings. They are worshiped mainly by Zen sects.
• jūji 住持 - see jūshoku.
• jūshoku (住職) - The chief priest of a temple or monastery.

K

• kaimyō (戒名) - see hōmyō.
• kairō* (回廊・廻廊) - a long and roofed portico
  Portico
  A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls...
  
  -like passage connecting two buildings.
• kaisan-dō (開山堂) - founder's hall, usually at a Zen temple. Building enshrining a statue, portrait or memorial tablet of the founder of either the temple or the sect it belongs to. Jōdo sect temples often call it miei-dō.
• Kamakura Gozan - see Gozan Seido.
• kami
  Kami
  is the Japanese word for the spirits, natural forces, or essence in the Shinto faith. Although the word is sometimes translated as "god" or "deity", some Shinto scholars argue that such a translation can cause a misunderstanding of the term...
  
   (神) - term broadly meaning "deity", but having with several separate meanings.
  • deities mentioned in Japanese mythologies and local deities protecting areas, villages and families.
  • unnamed and non-anthropomorphic spirits found in natural phenomena.
  • a general sense of sacred power.
• Kankiten (歓喜天) - the Buddhist version of Hindu
  Hindu
  Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
  
   god Ganesh, usually represented by two elephant-headed human beings embracing each other.
• Kannon (観音)- the goddess of mercy and compassion, found not only in temples, but also in Shinto shrines.
• karamon
  Karamon
  The is a type of gate seen in Japanese architecture. It is characterized by the usage of karahafu, an undulating bargeboard peculiar to Japan. Karamon are often used at the entrances of Japanese castles, Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines, and have historically been a symbol of...
  
   (唐門) - generic term for a gate with an arched roof. See also mon.
• karesansui* (枯山水) - lit. dry landscape. A Japanese rock garden, often present in Zen temples, and sometimes found in temples of other sects too.
• katōmado
  Katōmado
  A , also written , is a style of pointed arch or bell-shaped window found in Japanese architecture.In English, this type of window is also simply called "cusped window"...
  
  * (華頭窓) - a bell shaped window originally developed at Zen temples in China, but widely used by other Buddhist sects as well as in lay buildings.
• ken
  Ken (architecture)
  A is a measurement in Japanese architecture. It has two principal uses:* As a proportion for intervals between the pillars of traditional-style buildings. The word is translated in this case in English as "bay". Traditional buildings usually measure an odd number of bays, for example 3×3 or 5×5...
  
  * (間)
  • counter for the spaces between pillars (translated as bay in English). A first rank sanmon is for example five ken across.
  • unit of measurement equivalent to 197 cm until around 1650, when it was shortened to 181.8 to indirectly increase land taxes.
• keshin (化身) - a personification of a deity, an Avatar
  Avatar
  In Hinduism, an avatar is a deliberate descent of a deity to earth, or a descent of the Supreme Being and is mostly translated into English as "incarnation," but more accurately as "appearance" or "manifestation"....
  
  .
• kirizuma-zukuri
  Gable
  A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
  
   (切妻造) - a roof style involving the use of two gables (gabled roof
  Gable
  A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
  
  ).
• kō-dō* (講堂) - lecture hall of a non-Zen garan.
• kokubun-ji
  Provincial temple
  Emperor Shōmu of Japan established so-called provincial temples in each province of Japan...
  
   - provincial temples ( for monks; for nuns) established by Emperor Shōmu
  Emperor Shomu
  was the 45th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession.Shōmu's reign spanned the years 724 through 723.-Traditional narrative:...
  
   in each province of Japan. Tōdai-ji
  Todai-ji
  , is a Buddhist temple complex located in the city of Nara, Japan. Its Great Buddha Hall , the largest wooden building in the world, houses the world's largest bronze statue of the Buddha Vairocana, known in Japanese simply as Daibutsu . The temple also serves as the Japanese headquarters of the ...
  
   served as the head of all the kokubun-ji and Hokke-ji
  Hokke-ji
  , is a Buddhist temple located in the city of Nara, Japan.Hokke-ji was built by Empress Kōmyō in 745, originally as a nunnery temple on the grounds where previously her father Fujiwara no Fuhito's mansion stood. According to records kept by the temple, the initial construction went on until around...
  
   of the kokubun-niji.
• kon-dō* (金堂) - lit. "golden hall", it is the main hall of a garan, housing the main object of worship. Unlike a butsuden, it is a true two-story building (although the second story may sometimes be missing) measuring 9x7 bays.
• komainu
  Komainu
  , often called lion-dogs in English, are statue pairs of lion-like creatures either guarding the entrance or the inner shrine of many Japanese Shinto shrines or kept inside the inner shrine itself, where they are not visible to the public. The first type, born during the Edo period, is called , the...
  
   (狛犬) - lit. "Korean dogs". Lion-like figures placed at the entrance of a temple or shrine to ward off evils spirits. Called "lion-dogs" in English.
• Kongōrikishi* (金剛力士) - see Niō.
• Korean dogs - See komainu.
• korō or kurō (鼓楼) - tower housing a drum that marks the passing of time. It used to face the shōrō and lie next to the kō-dō, but now the drum is usually kept in the rōmon.
• kuin* (庫院) - kitchen/office of a Zen garan. A building hosting the galleys, the kitchen, and the offices of a temple. Usually situated in front and to the side of the butsuden, facing the sō-dō. Also called kuri.
• kuri (庫裏) - see kuin
• kyō-dō (経堂) - see kyōzō
  Kyōzō
  in Japanese Buddhist architecture is a repository for sūtras and chronicles of the temple history. It is also called , , or . In ancient times the kyōzō was placed opposite the belfry on the east-west axis of the temple. The earliest extant kyōzō is at Hōryū-ji, and it is a two-storied structure....
  
  .
• Kyoto Gozan - see Gozan Seido.
• kyōzō
  Kyōzō
  in Japanese Buddhist architecture is a repository for sūtras and chronicles of the temple history. It is also called , , or . In ancient times the kyōzō was placed opposite the belfry on the east-west axis of the temple. The earliest extant kyōzō is at Hōryū-ji, and it is a two-storied structure....
  
   (経蔵) - lit. "scriptures deposit". Repository of sūtra
  Sutra
  Sūtra is an aphorism or a collection of such aphorisms in the form of a manual. Literally it means a thread or line that holds things together and is derived from the verbal root siv-, meaning to sew , as does the medical term...
  
  s and books about the temple's history. Also called kyō–dō.

M

• main hall - the building of a temple housing the most important object of worship. See Butsuden or Butsu-dō, hon-dō and kon-dō. Each type possesses specific structural characteristics.
• mandara
  Mandala
  Maṇḍala is a Sanskrit word that means "circle". In the Buddhist and Hindu religious traditions their sacred art often takes a mandala form. The basic form of most Hindu and Buddhist mandalas is a square with four gates containing a circle with a center point...
  
   (曼陀羅) - a mandala, or diagram that contains Buddhist images and illustrates Buddhist cosmology.
• mandara-dō (曼荼羅堂) - lit. "hall of mandalas", but the name is presently used only for Taimadera's Main Hall in Nara.
• manji* (卍）- the Japanese name of the swastika
  Swastika
  The swastika is an equilateral cross with its arms bent at right angles, in either right-facing form in counter clock motion or its mirrored left-facing form in clock motion. Earliest archaeological evidence of swastika-shaped ornaments dates back to the Indus Valley Civilization of Ancient...
  
  , symbol used for Buddhist temples in Japanese maps.
• miei-dō* (御影堂) - lit. "image hall". Building housing an image of the temple's founder, equivalent to a Zen sect's kaisan-dō.
• mi-dō (御堂) - a generic honorific term for a building which enshrines a sacred statue.
• Miroku Nyorai (弥勒如来) - Japanese name of Maitreya
  Maitreya
  Maitreya , Metteyya , or Jampa , is foretold as a future Buddha of this world in Buddhist eschatology. In some Buddhist literature, such as the Amitabha Sutra and the Lotus Sutra, he or she is referred to as Ajita Bodhisattva.Maitreya is a bodhisattva who in the Buddhist tradition is to appear on...
  
  .
• mokugyō* - a large wooden bell used for religious ceremonies.
• mon (門) - a temple's gate, which can be named after its position (nandaimon: lit. "great southern gate"), its structure (nijūmon
  Nijūmon
  The is one of two types of two-story gate presently used in Japan , and can be found at most Japanese Buddhist temples. This gate is distinguishable from its relative by the roof above the first floor which skirts the entire upper story, absent in a rōmon...
  
  : "two storied gate"), a deity (Niōmon: lit. "Nio gate"), or its use (onarimon: lit. "imperial visit gate", a gate reserved to the Emperor). The same gate can therefore be described using more than one term. For example, a Niōmon can at the same time be a nijūmon.
• mukaikaramon (向唐門) - See karamon.

N

• naijin (内陣) - the portion of a hon-dō (main hall) reserved to the deity, as opposed to the gejin, open to worshipers.
• nandaimon* (南大門) - the main southern gate of a temple, in particular that at Nara
  Nara, Nara
  is the capital city of Nara Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan. The city occupies the northern part of Nara Prefecture, directly bordering Kyoto Prefecture...
  
  's Tōdai-ji
  Todai-ji
  , is a Buddhist temple complex located in the city of Nara, Japan. Its Great Buddha Hall , the largest wooden building in the world, houses the world's largest bronze statue of the Buddha Vairocana, known in Japanese simply as Daibutsu . The temple also serves as the Japanese headquarters of the ...
  
  . See also mon.
• Nanto Rokushū (南都六宗) - six Nara period
  Nara period
  The of the history of Japan covers the years from AD 710 to 794. Empress Gemmei established the capital of Heijō-kyō . Except for 5 years , when the capital was briefly moved again, it remained the capital of Japanese civilization until Emperor Kammu established a new capital, Nagaoka-kyō, in 784...
  
   Buddhist sects, namely Sanron (三論), Hossō (法相), Kegon
  Kegon
  Kegon is the name of the Japanese transmission of the Huayan school of Chinese Buddhism.Huayan studies were founded in Japan when, in 736, the scholar-priest Rōben originally a monk of the Hossō tradition invited Shinshō to give lectures on the Avatamsaka Sutra at...
  
   (華厳), Ritsu
  Ritsu
  The Ritsu school of Buddhism is one of the six schools of Nara Buddhism in Japan, noted for its use of the Vinaya textual framework of the Dharmaguptaka, one of the early schools of Buddhism...
  
   (律), Kusha
  Kusha (Buddhism)
  Kusha was one of the 13 Chinese Buddhist schools and one of the 6 Japanese Buddhism schools , introduced to Japan during Asuka and Nara period. Along with Jōjitsu and Ritsu, it was initially based on Nikaya schools, sometimes known derisively as Hinayana. Kusha was never considered to be an...
  
   (倶舎), and Jōjitsu (成実).
• nijūmon* (二重門) - a two-storied gate with a roof surrounding the first floor. See also mon.
• Niō
  Nio
  Kongōrikishi or Niō are two wrath-filled and muscular guardians of the Buddha, standing today at the entrance of many Buddhist temples in China, Japan and Korea in the form of frightening wrestler-like statues. They are manifestations of the Bodhisattva ' protector deity and are part of the...
  
  * (仁王 or 二王) - two muscular guardians standing at the sides of a gate to ward off evils spirits, one (Agyō) with its mouth open to pronounce the sound "a", first letter of the Sanskrit
  Sanskrit
  Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
  
   alphabet and symbol of the beginning of all things, one (Ungyō) with its mouth closed to pronounce the sound "un", last letter of the Sanskrit alphabet and symbol of the end of all things.
• Niōmon
  Niōmon
  The is the Japanese name of a Buddhist temple gate guarded by two wooden warriors called Niō . The gate is called Heng Ha Er Jiang in China and Geumgangmun in Korea. The two statues are inside the two posts of the gate itself, one at the left, one at the right...
  
  * (仁王門 or 二王門) - a two-storied or high gate guarded by two wooden guardians called Niō. See also mon.
• noborirō (登廊) - a covered stairway at Nara's Hasedera.
• Nyorai (如来) - Japanese term for tathagata. Someone who has reached enlightenment
  Enlightenment (spiritual)
  Enlightenment in a secular context often means the "full comprehension of a situation", but in spiritual terms the word alludes to a spiritual revelation or deep insight into the meaning and purpose of all things, communication with or understanding of the mind of God, profound spiritual...
  
  . The most important Nyorai in Japan are Amida, Yakushi, Miroku, and Dainichi.

O

• Obon
  Obón
  Obón is a municipality located in the province of Teruel, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 75 inhabitants....
  
  * (お盆) - three-day festival to honor one's ancestor
  Ancestor
  An ancestor is a parent or the parent of an ancestor ....
  
  s.
• Okyō (お経) - see sūtra.
• Onigawara
  Onigawara
  are a type of roof ornamentation found in Japanese architecture. They are generally roof tiles or statues depicting a Japanese ogre or a fearsome beast. Prior to the Heian period, similar ornaments with floral and plant designs preceded the onigawara...
  
   (鬼瓦) - lit. "ogre tile". A special tile carrying the face of an ogre installed at the corners of a temple's roof, originally to protect it from evil influences, nowadays as a decoration. There may not be an ogre's face.

R

• rakan (羅漢) - see arakan.
• rokujizō* (六地蔵) - series of six different statues of god Jizō, often found along roads, where each is in charge of helping the beings of one of six worlds (of the Deva (天上), Ashura (阿修羅)，human beings (人間), hell (地獄), humans reincarnated as animals (畜生), and hungry spirits (餓鬼)).
• rōmon
  Rōmon
  The is one of two types of two-storied gate presently used in Japan . Even though it was originally developed by Buddhist architecture, it is now used at both Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines. Its otherwise normal upper story is inaccessible and therefore offers no usable space...
  
   (楼門) - a high gate with two floors, only one of which has usable space, surrounded by a balcony and topped by a roof.

S

• saisenbako* (賽銭箱) - a box collecting the offerings (saisen) from worshipers, usually situated in front of an object of worship or a hall at temples and shrines.
• sai-dō (斎堂) - the refectory at a Zen temple or monastery. See also jiki-dō.
• sandō
  Sandō
  A in Japanese architecture is the road approaching either a Shinto shrine or a Buddhist temple. Its point of origin is usually straddled in the first case by a Shinto torii, in the second by a Buddhist sanmon, gates which mark the beginning of the shrine's or temple territory...
  
  * （参道）- the approach leading from a torii to a shrine. The term is also used sometimes at Buddhist temples too.
• sangō (山号) - the so-called "mountain name" of a temple, always ending in "-zan" (e.g. "Tōeizan Kan'ei-ji Endon'in"). The other two are, in order, the jigō and the ingō. The use of the sangō came into fashion after the arrival of Zen Buddhism to Japan, therefore not all temples have one.
• san-in-jigō (山院寺号) - a temple's full name.
• sanmon
  Sanmon
  A , also called is the most important gate of a Japanese Zen Buddhist temple, and is part of the Zen shichidō garan, the group of buildings that forms the heart of a Zen Buddhist temple. It can be however often found in temples of other denominations too...
  
  * (三門 or 山門) - the gate in front of the butsuden. The name is short for , lit. Gate of the three liberations. Its three openings symbolize the three gates to enlightenment. Entering, one can free himself from three passions (貪 ton, or greed, 瞋 shin, or hatred, and 癡 chi, or "foolishness"). See also mon. Its size depends on the temple's rank. (See photos.)
• sanrō* (山廊) - small buildings at the ends of a two-storied Zen gate containing the stairs to the second story.
• satori
  Satori
  is a Japanese Buddhist term for enlightenment that literally means "understanding". In the Zen Buddhist tradition, satori refers to a flash of sudden awareness, or individual enlightenment, and is considered a "first step" or embarkation toward nirvana....
  
   (悟り) - lit. "understanding". Japanese term for Buddhist enlightenment.
• seisatsu*（制札) - a signboard containing announcements and rules for worshipers.
• sekitō (石塔) - a stone pagoda (stupa). See also tō
• Senbi Kannon (千臂観音) - See Senju Kannon.
• Senju Kannon (千手観音) - the thousand-armed Goddess of Mercy. As a symbol of her mercy, the deity has also a thousand eyes (not present in statues for practical reasons) and is consequently often called Senju Sengen Kanjizai Bosatsu (千手千眼観自在菩薩) or simply Senju Sengen Kannon (千手千眼観音, thousand-armed, thousand-eyed Kannon).
• Shaka Nyorai - Japanese name of Shakyamuni, or Gautama Buddha.
• Shaka Sanzon (釈迦三尊) - the Shakyamuni Trinity, three statues representing Gautama Buddha "Shakyamuni" flanked by two other deities, which can be either Monju Bosatsu
  Manjusri
  Mañjuśrī is a bodhisattva associated with transcendent wisdom in Mahāyāna Buddhism. In Esoteric Buddhism he is also taken as a meditational deity. The Sanskrit name Mañjuśrī can be translated as "Gentle Glory"...
  
   and Fugen Bosatsu
  Samantabhadra
  Samantabhadra , is a bodhisattva in Mahayana Buddhism associated with Buddhist practice and meditation. Together with Shakyamuni Buddha and fellow bodhisattva Manjusri he forms the Shakyamuni trinity in Buddhism...
  
   or another pair.
• shichidō garan
  Shichidō garan
  is a Japanese Buddhist term indicating the seven halls composing the ideal Buddhist temple compound. This compound word is composed by the word , literally meaning "seven halls", and , meaning "temple". The term is often shortened to just garan. To which seven halls the term refers to varies, and...
  
  * (七堂伽藍) - a double compound term literally meaning "seven halls" (七堂) and "(temple) buildings" (伽藍). What is counted in the group of seven buildings, or shichidō, can vary greatly from temple to temple and from school to school. In practice, shichidō garan can also mean simply a large complex.
  • Nanto Rokushū and later non-Zen schools: The shichidō garan in this case includes a kon-dō, a tō, a kō-dō, a shōrō, a jiki-dō, a sōbō, and a kyōzō.
  • Zen schools: A Zen shichidō garan includes a butsuden or butsu-dō, a hattō, a ku'in, a sō-dō, a sanmon, a tōsu and a yokushitsu.
• shimenawa
  Shimenawa
  Shimenawa are lengths of braided rice straw rope used for ritual purification in the Shinto religion. They can vary in diameter from a few centimetres to several metres, and are often seen festooned with shide...
  
  * (標縄・注連縄・七五三縄) - lit. "enclosing rope". A length of braided rice straw rope used for ritual purification often found at temples too.
• shinbutsu bunri
  Shinbutsu Bunri
  The term in Japanese indicates the forbidding by law of the amalgamation of kami and buddhas made during the Meiji Restoration. It also indicates the effort made by the Japanese government to create a clear division between native kami beliefs and Buddhism on one side, and Buddhist temples and...
  
   (神仏分離) - the forbidding by law of the syncretism
  Syncretism
  Syncretism is the combining of different beliefs, often while melding practices of various schools of thought. The term means "combining", but see below for the origin of the word...
  
   of Shinto and Buddhism, and the effort to create a clear division between Shinto and Buddhism on one side, and Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines on the other.
• shinbutsu kakuri
  Shinbutsu kakuri
  The term in Japanese Buddhist terminogy refers to the tendency in medieval and early modern Japan to keep some kami separate from Buddhism. While some kami were integrated in Buddhism, others were kept systematically away from Buddhism. This phenomenon had significant consequences for Japanese...
  
   (神仏隔離) − the tendency in medieval and early modern Japan to keep particular kami separate from any form or manifestation of Buddhism.
• shinbutsu shūgō
  Shinbutsu Shugo
  , literally "syncretism of kami and buddhas" is the syncretism of Buddhism and kami worship which was Japan's religion until the Meiji period...
  
   (神仏習合) - syncretism
  Syncretism
  Syncretism is the combining of different beliefs, often while melding practices of various schools of thought. The term means "combining", but see below for the origin of the word...
  
   of Buddhism and local religious beliefs, the normal state of things before the shinbutsu bunri.
• Shi Tennō* (四天王) - the Four Heavenly Kings are the statues of four protector gods (the Deva Kings).
• shoin
  Shoin
  ' is a type of audience hall in Japanese architecture that was developed during the Muromachi period. The term originally meant a study and a place for lectures on the sūtra within a temple, but later it came to mean just a drawing room or study. From this room takes its name the shoin-zukuri style...
  
   (書院) - originally a study and a place for lectures on the sutra within a temple, later the term came to mean just a study.
• shōrō
  Shōrō
  The or is the bell tower of a Buddhist temple in Japan. It can also be found at some Shinto shrines, as for example Nikkō Tōshō-gū. Two main types exist, the older , which has walls, and the more recent or , which does not.-History:...
  
   (鐘楼)* - a temple's bellfry, a building from which a bell is hung.
• Sixteen Arhats - See Jūroku Rakan.
• sōbō (僧坊)* - The monks' living quarters in a non-Zen garan
• sō-dō* (僧堂) - Lit. "monk hall". A building dedicated to the practice of Zazen. It used to be dedicated to all kinds of activities, from eating to sleeping, centered on zazen.
• sōmon* (総門) - the gate at the entrance of a temple. It precedes the bigger and more important sanmon. See also mon.
• sōrin
  Sōrin
  The is the vertical shaft which tops a Japanese pagoda, whether made of stone or wood.Pagodas can be made of wood or stone, and the two types are very different. Stone pagodas like the hōkyōintō are always small compared to wooden ones , and offer little or no usable space inside...
  
  * (相輪) - a spire reaching up from the center of the roof of some temple halls, tiered like a pagoda.
• sotoba* or sotōba (卒塔婆) - transliteration of the Sanskrit stupa.
  • A pagoda. Tower with an odd number of tiers (three, five, seven nine, or thirteen). See also stupa.
  • Strips of wood left behind tombs during annual ceremonies (tsuizen) symbolizing a stupa. The upper part is segmented like a pagoda and carries Sanskrit inscriptions, sutras, and the kaimyō (posthumous name
    Posthumous name
    A posthumous name is an honorary name given to royalty, nobles, and sometimes others, in East Asia after the person's death, and is used almost exclusively instead of one's personal name or other official titles during his life...
    
    ) of the deceased.

In present day Japanese, sotoba usually has the latter meaning.

• stupa
  Stupa
  A stupa is a mound-like structure containing Buddhist relics, typically the remains of Buddha, used by Buddhists as a place of worship....
  
   - in origin a vessel for Buddha's relics, later also a receptacle for scriptures and other relics. Its shape changed in the Far East under the influence of the Chinese watchtower to form tower-like structures like the buttō, the gorintō, the hōkyōintō, the sekitō, the tō, or the much simpler wooden stick-style sotoba.
• sūtra
  Sutra
  Sūtra is an aphorism or a collection of such aphorisms in the form of a manual. Literally it means a thread or line that holds things together and is derived from the verbal root siv-, meaning to sew , as does the medical term...
  
   - the sacred scriptures of Buddhism.

T

• tatchū (塔頭 or 塔中)
  • In Zen temples, a building containing a pagoda enshrining the ashes of a important priest stands.
  • Later, it became a subsidiary temple or a minor temple depending from a larger one.
  • Finally, it became also subsidiary temple being the family temple (bodaiji) of a important family.
• tahōtō
  Tahōtō
  A is a form of Japanese pagoda found primarily at Esoteric Shingon and Tendai school Buddhist temples. It is unique among pagodas because it has an even number of stories...
  
  * (多宝塔) - a two-storied pagoda
  Pagoda
  A pagoda is the general term in the English language for a tiered tower with multiple eaves common in Nepal, India, China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam and other parts of Asia. Some pagodas are used as Taoist houses of worship. Most pagodas were built to have a religious function, most commonly Buddhist,...
  
  with a ground floor having a dome-shaped ceiling and a square pent roof, a round second floor and square roofs.
• temizuya* (手水舎) - a fountain near the entrance of a shrine and a temple where worshipers can cleanse their hands and mouths before worship.
• temple
  Buddhist temples in Japan
  Along with Shinto shrines, Buddhist temples are the most numerous, famous, and important religious buildings in Japan.The term "Shinto shrine" is used in opposition to "Buddhist temple" to mirror in English the distinction made in Japanese between Shinto and Buddhist religious structures. In...
  
   - term used with shrine to mirror in English the distinction between the Japanese words tera and jinja. The three most common temple name endings are:
  • -ji (寺) - most common suffix in temple names meaning simply "temple", as for example in Nanzen-ji
    Nanzen-ji
    , or Zuiryusan Nanzen-ji, formerly , is a Zen Buddhist temple in Kyoto, Japan. Emperor Kameyama established it in 1291 on the site of his previous detached palace. It is also the headquarters of the Nanzen-ji branch of Rinzai Zen...
    
    .　
  • -in (院) - less common and normally used for minor temples or subtemples, as for example Meigetsu-in
    Meigetsu-in
    is a Rinzai Zen temple of the Kenchō-ji school in Kita-Kamakura, Kanagawa, Japan. Famous for its hydrangeas, it's also known as The Temple of Hydrangeas . The main object of worship is goddess Shō Kannon .- History :...
    
    .
  • - dera (寺) - alternate reading of -ji, and identical in meaning. Used occasionally, for example in Kiyomizudera
• Ten (天)　- an Indian god of non Buddhist origin, for example Benzaiten
  Benzaiten
  Benzaiten is the Japanese name for the Hindu goddess Saraswati. Worship of Benzaiten arrived in Japan during the 6th through 8th centuries, mainly via the Chinese translations of the Sutra of Golden Light, which has a section devoted to her...
  
  , Bonten
  Brahma
  Brahma is the Hindu god of creation and one of the Trimurti, the others being Vishnu and Shiva. According to the Brahma Purana, he is the father of Mānu, and from Mānu all human beings are descended. In the Ramayana and the...
  
  , Taishakuten
  Indra
  ' or is the King of the demi-gods or Devas and Lord of Heaven or Svargaloka in Hindu mythology. He is also the God of War, Storms, and Rainfall.Indra is one of the chief deities in the Rigveda...
  
  , and Kankiten.
• tera (寺) - see temple.
• terauke
  Danka system
  The , also known as is a system of voluntary and long-term affiliation between Buddhist temples and households in use in Japan since the Heian period. In it, households financially support a Buddhist temple which, in exchange, provides for their spiritual needs...
  
   - document granted by temples to their danka during the Edo period to certify they were not Christian.
• tesaki* (手先) - Term used to count the roof-supporting brackets (tokyō (斗きょう)) projecting from a temple's wall, usually composed of two steps (futatesaki (二手先）)) or three (mitesaki 三津手先).
• tokyō
  Tokyō
  The Dougong in Chinese is a system of and supporting the eaves of a Japanese building, usually part of a Buddhist temple or Shinto shrine. The use of tokyō is made necessary by the extent to which the eaves protrude, a functionally essential element of Japanese Buddhist architecture. The system...
  
   (斗きょう) - see tesaki.
• torii
  Torii
  A is a traditional Japanese gate most commonly found at the entrance of or within a Shinto shrine, where it symbolically marks the transition from the profane to the sacred...
  
  * (鳥居)- the iconic Shinto gate at the entrance of a sacred area, usually, but not always, a shrine. Shrines of various size can be found next to, or inside temples.
• tōrō
  Tōrō
  A "灯篭" is just a simplified form of "灯籠". is a Japanese lantern made of stone, wood, or metal traditional in the Far East. In China extant specimen are very rare, and in Korea too they are not as common as in Japan. In Japan, tōrō were originally used only in Buddhist temples, where they lined and...
  
  * (灯籠) - a lantern at a shrine or Buddhist temple
  Buddhist temples in Japan
  Along with Shinto shrines, Buddhist temples are the most numerous, famous, and important religious buildings in Japan.The term "Shinto shrine" is used in opposition to "Buddhist temple" to mirror in English the distinction made in Japanese between Shinto and Buddhist religious structures. In...
  
  . Some of its forms are influenced by the gorintō.
• tō
  Tō
  The , sometimes also called or is the Japanese version of the Chinese pagoda, itself an interpretation of the Indian stupa. Pagodas are quintessentially Buddhist and an important component of Japanese Buddhist temple compounds but, because until the Kami and Buddhas Separation Act of 1868 a...
  
   (塔)
  • Generic word for tower, and for pagoda (an evolution of the stupa) in particular, and. After reaching China, the stupa evolved into a tower with an odd number of tiers (three, five, seven, nine, thirteen), excepted the tahōtō, which has two.
  • The word is used together as a suffix of a numeral indicating the number of a pagoda's tiers (three tiers= san-jū-no-tō, five tiers= go-jū-no-tō, seven tiers = nana-jū-no-tō, etc.).
• tōsu* or tōshi (東司) - a Zen monastery's toilet.
• tsuizen (追善) - Buddhist ceremony held on the anniversary of someone's death.
• Twelve Heavenly Generals - see Jūni Shinshō

U

• Ungyō (吽形) - A statue (of a Niō, komainu, etc.) with its mouth closed to pronounce the sound "un", last letter of the Sanskrit alphabet and symbol of the end of all things. See also Agyō.

Y

• Yakushi Nyorai (薬師如来) - Japanese name of Bhaisajyaguru
  Bhaisajyaguru
  Bhaiṣajyaguru , formally Bhaiṣajyaguruvaidūryaprabharāja , is the buddha of healing and medicine in Mahāyāna Buddhism. Commonly referred to as the "Medicine Buddha", he is described as a doctor who cures suffering using the medicine of his teachings.-Origin:...
  
  , the Buddha of healing.
• Yakushi-dō* (薬師堂) - a building that enshrines a statue of Yakushi Nyorai.
• yodarekake (涎掛け) - votive bibs found on Jizō and statues of foxes, sacred to kami Inari.
• yokushitsu* (浴室) - a monastery's bathroom.
• yosemune-zukuri* (寄棟造) - A hipped roof
  Hip roof
  A hip roof, or hipped roof, is a type of roof where all sides slope downwards to the walls, usually with a fairly gentle slope. Thus it is a house with no gables or other vertical sides to the roof. A square hip roof is shaped like a pyramid. Hip roofs on the houses could have two triangular side...
  
   where the front and back are trapezoidal and the sides triangular in shape. A classic example is Tōdai-ji
  Todai-ji
  , is a Buddhist temple complex located in the city of Nara, Japan. Its Great Buddha Hall , the largest wooden building in the world, houses the world's largest bronze statue of the Buddha Vairocana, known in Japanese simply as Daibutsu . The temple also serves as the Japanese headquarters of the ...
  
  's Daibutsuden.

V

• Vairocana
  Vairocana
  Vairocana is a celestial Buddha who is often interpreted as the Bliss Body of the historical Gautama Buddha; he can also be referred to as the dharmakaya Buddha and the great solar Buddha. In Sino-Japanese Buddhism, Vairocana is also seen as the embodiment of the Buddhist concept of shunyata or...
  
   - Vairocana is a buddha who is the embodiment of Dharmakaya
  Dharmakaya
  The Dharmakāya is a central idea in Mahayana Buddhism forming part of the Trikaya doctrine that was possibly first expounded in the Aṣṭasāhasrikā prajñā-pāramitā , composed in the 1st century BCE...
  
  , and who therefore can be seen as the universal aspect of the historical Gautama Buddha. Called Dainichi Nyorai in Japanese.

Z

• Zazen
  Zazen
  In Zen Buddhism, zazen is a meditative discipline practitioners perform to calm the body and the mind, and be able to concentrate enough to experience insight into the nature of existence and thereby gain enlightenment .- Significance :Zazen is considered the heart of Zen Buddhist practice...
  
  * (座禅) - transliteration of the Sanskrit dhyāna. The Zen performed sitting just down and meditating. Mainly an activity of Zen schools.
• Zen
  Zen
  Zen is a school of Mahāyāna Buddhism founded by the Buddhist monk Bodhidharma. The word Zen is from the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese word Chán , which in turn is derived from the Sanskrit word dhyāna, which can be approximately translated as "meditation" or "meditative state."Zen...
  
   (禅) - Mahayana school of Buddhism that had great influence and power in Japan through the Five Mountain System (see Gozan seido). It is itself divided in three sub-schools, Sōtō
  Soto
  Sōtō Zen , or is, with Rinzai and Ōbaku, one of the three most populous sects of Zen in Japanese Buddhism.The Sōtō sect was first established as the Caodong sect during the Tang Dynasty in China by Dongshan Liangjie in the 9th century, which Dōgen Zenji then brought to Japan in the 13th century...
  
   , Rinzai , and Obaku .
• zen-dō* (禅堂) - lit. "hall of Zen". The building where monks practice zazen, and one of the main structures of a Zen garan.
• zokumyō (俗名) - the name a Buddhist priest had before taking his vows