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1 in a princely figure holding a lotus, found as one of the Buddha's attendants in early sculpture: and 2 in Siva, whose other name Isvara is probably a component of the name Avalokitesvara. The name Avalokitesvara was translated into Chinese as Kouzeon õ¢¹ or Kanzeon (and shortened to Kannon). Kannon has been used widely in East Asia, since it is given in the most popular translation of Lotus Sutra HOKEKYOU @Ųo by Kumarajiva's (Jp: Kumarajuu µ Y, c.350-410). Isvara is translated as Jizai ©Ż in Chinese, and Xuanzhuang (Jp: Genjou ŗ÷, 600/602-664) translated Avalokitesvara as Kanjizai. The first part of the name means "to regard", and the meaning of the name is usually said to be "Lord who regards (sentient beings with compassion)". There are many texts concerning Next Editing Starts Here Kannon. He is described as an attendant of Amida in the KANMURYOUJUKYOU Ļ³Źõo. He is one of those visited by Zenzai douji Pą¶q in the KEGONKYOU Ųµo, and he is the main figure in short and magical HANNYA SHINGYOU ŹįSo (Heart Sutra). The most important text in Japan concerning the belief in Kannon is the 25th chapter of the Lotus Sutra, the KANZEON BOSATSU FUMONBON Ļ¢¹ģFåi, also known independently as the KANNONGYOU Ļ¹o, which recounts, in both prose and verse, Kannon's responsiveness to those in need of help. The prose section includes a list of the forms that Kannon may take to aid those in need. This list is the origin of the concept of the 33 forms of Kannon *sanjuusanshin O\Og and of the mutability of form of this deity. Different strands of belief contributed to the meaning of Kannon. Several 6-8c Indian sculptures of uncertain date and provenance show an ascetic figure somewhere between Siva and Avalokitesvara in iconography. The belief that Kannon could save those in trouble is conveyed in a sculpture in the caves of Kanheri; a large figure of Kannon is surrounded by vignettes in which he rescues people from various calamities. Strong associations with kingship are also part of Kannon belief, and rulers have been considered incarnations of Kannon. Kannon is the Mahayana ideal, the model of the perfectly enlightened bodhisattva who perfects his enlightenment yet never leaves the active world. Forms of Kannon are often worshipped as main images in temples. The name Avalokitesvara is masculine in form, but particularly in China Kannon was identified with female native deities and was often considered female. In India and Tibet he was thought to have two female attendants, of whom the more prominent was Tara *Tara Bosatsu ½ ģF. Tara also was considered his female equivalent. Kannon was not shown as a woman in Japan, and Tara Bosatsu was not worshipped independently. Yet, some forms of Kannon such as *Juntei yćń are at times described as female, and female Shinto deities *kami _ were usually identified as forms of Kannon, particularly Shoukannon and *Juuichimen Kannon \źŹĻ¹. Kannon was the first Buddhist deity to have been shown in esoteric forms in India. Already in the 7c, some of the esoteric forms can be found in Buddhist sculpture. Most esoteric forms appear in the Kannon Section (Kannon-in Ļ¹@, also called Renge-in @Ų@) of the Matrix Mandala *Taizoukai mandara Ł EÖä¶ . By the mid-8c in Japan texts about esoteric Kannon were available. The first known text dealing with Juuichimen is the JUUICHIMENKYOU \źŹo (733). In 753 the FUKUUKENJAKU SHINPEN SHINGONKYOU sóć®õ_Ļ^¾o, a major esoteric text that speaks of *Dainichi åś and first mentions *Fudou Myouou s®¾¤, enters Japanese records. Texts concerning *Senju Kannon ēčĻ¹, *Nyoirin Kannon @ÓÖĻ¹ and *Batou Kannon nŖĻ¹ date from the same time. Images of Kannon were made as part of Emperor Shoumu's ¹ (701-56) effort impose Buddhist structure on Japan. Temples dedicated to Kannon were founded, many following the apparition of the deity or the miraculous appearance of an image. A temple dedicated to Kannon was often built in a mountain, beside a rock formation, near a spring, or near some other remarkable landscape feature, suggesting that the site was already sacred and was adapted to Buddhist use. Stories of such images and temples abound among engi N (origin stories) and setsuwa ąb (religious stories), and they found expression in accompanying paintings (see *shaji engi-e ŠNG). The mountain temples particularly were considered sites of Kannon's paradise Fudaraku, fully Japanising the deity, as Putoshan ÉR in Zhejiang had been revered in China. Varieties of practice connected with belief in Kannon ; Kannon shinkou Ļ¹MĀ were: the practice of group confession, worship of the Six Kannon *Roku Kannon ZĻ¹ as a means of salvation in all the Six Realms of transmigration (see *rokudou-e Z¹G), and pilgrimage to sites of Kannon images. By the end of the 10c, Ishiyamadera ĪR, Kiyomizudera “ , Kuramadera Ęn, Hasedera ·J, Tsubosakadera Łā, Kokawadera ²Ķ, and many other sites were widely known and visited Kannon temples in the Kansai Ö¼ region (Kyoto-Osaka). In the 11 and 12c other sites were included to make the pilgrimage circuit of 33 temples that came to be known as the saigoku junrei ¼ē. Following the establishment of the Kamakura bakufu q{ in the 13c, the circuit of 33 temples in the Kantou Ö region (modern Tokyo metolopolitan area) was established. A third circuit was added and its number of temples altered to 34 to give in all a circuit 100 Kannons. The images of Kannon, especially those in the saigoku junrei, are so holy that some are kept secret *hibutsu é§ and are shown infrequently or, in several cases, not at all. Activities associated with the worship of Kannon have been (as with other deities) focused through devotional confraternities known as kou u. These had a more important function in earlier times when members could not go on pilgrimage without group support, but they continue today. Popular art such as horse painting *ema Gn, printed talismans, printed books, white coats, and printed scrolls on which to enter the seals and brushed names of the 33 sites are associated with pilgrimages and with kou activities. Images of Kannon are perhaps more common than those of any other deity in Japan. The earliest are bronzes that show a simple figure, wearing a crown and often holding a jewel, usually identified as *Guze Kannon ~¢Ļ¹. The first painting of Kannon is on a wall of Houryuuji *Kondou @²ą° in Nara. Kannon's paradise was painted by the mid 8c. Late 7c and 8c sculptures of Kannon are amongst the most famous Japanese sculptures, including fine large pieces such as the Shoukannon of Touindou @° in Yakushiji Touindou ņt@° and the *Fukuukenjaku Kannon sóć®õĻ¹ of *Hokkedou @Ų° (also known as Sangatsudou O°) in Toudaiji å, both in Nara. A tradition of plain wood sculpture, modelled on Indian sandalwood sculpture *danzou h, produced the Hokkeji @Ų Juuichimen Kannon (mid-9c). Both esoteric and exoteric paintings were made and Kannon was shown alone as well as in groups. In Pure Land Buddhism, Joudokyou bijutsu ņy³üp Kannon appears in paintings of Amida descending to receive dying souls, raigou }, and also in Kannon raigou Ļ¹}. With the transmission of Zen T Buddhism in the late 12c a new set of images of Kannon entered Japan. These include the heavily robed figures of *Byakue Kannon ßĻ¹ and *Youryuu Kannon köĻ¹, solitary figures meditating in the wilderness. Since around the 14c, illustrations of the stories of Kannon temples and images were produced in abundance. Kannon continued to be the single most popular Buddhist figure. In addition, images apparently of Kannon called *Maria Kannon }AĻ¹, functioned as Christian images in the secret worship of Christianity during the Edo period. Today, images such as the giant Kannon of Tsubosakadera in Nara may testify to a continuing interest in this deity.
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