• About
  • Featured
  • Home
 
Muza-chan's Gate to Japan
12 years of travel throughout Japan
Discover Japan through the eyes of a seasoned traveler
  • A Japan photo per day
  • Travel in Japan
  • Customs & traditions
  • Japanese food
  • Japanese history
  •  Anime & otaku
  • Did you know?

Japanese spirituality - the 33 forms of Kannon Bosatsu

Sun, October 7, 2012, by Muza-chan

One of the most beloved deities in Japan is Kannon, (Avalokiteśvara in Sanskrit). According to Buddhism, Kannon is a Bosatsu (Bodhisattva in Sanskrit), a being who attained the state of perfect enlightenment (Buddhahood), but remains in the world to help all the living beings to achieve salvation.

In Japan, Kannon is the Goddess of Mercy and Compassion and to help as many people as possible, she can appear in 33 forms. The best known form is the Byakue Kannon (the White-robe Kannon), the one represented by the statues from Takasaki and from Ofuna.

For a culture-interested traveler, there are not many places where you can see representations of all the 33 forms and there are even less places where you can take pictures of the statues… One of these places is the circular hall at the base of the huge Dai-Kannon statue from Sendai: here is a photo with just 6 of them, an enchantment for the eye and for the soul…

Click on photo for higher resolution:
Interior Sendai Daikannon Statue, Sendai
Interior Sendai Daikannon Statue, Sendai
If you want to license my photos for commercial use, please contact me

EXIF Info:

Nikon D90
Lens: 18-70mm F/3.5-4.5G
Focal Length: 18mm
Aperture: F/5.6
Shutter Speed: 1/40s
ISO Sensitivity: ISO 1250
Samurai legends, Ushiwakamaru's height measurement stone
Yesterday’s Japan Photo:

Samurai legends, Ushiwakamaru’s height measurement stone



  • Muza-chan mascot
    • # Kyoto travel

    • # Travel tips for visiting Japan

    • # Zen gardens

    • # Tokyo travel

    •  
    • # Modern Japanese architecture

    • # Japanese gardens

    • # Japanese manhole covers

    •  
    • # Castles in Japan

    • # Traditional Japanese house

    • # Trains in Japan

    •  
    • # Night time photos from Japan

    • # Sakura, cherry blossoms

    • # Traditional Japanese architecture

  • Traveled areas 2007-2017
  • Creative Commons License
    Photos and text by Muza-chan are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
    If you quote or use photos from this site, you must give appropriate credit and a link to the site:
    "Based on a work at muza-chan.net"
    Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available by contacting us (privacy policy).