No. 010BuddhismShinto & Japanese Buddhism
Kōbō Daishi
弘法大師
Founder of Shingon, and the companion who walks beside every Shikoku pilgrim
Kōbō Daishi is the honoured title of Kūkai (774–835), a monk born in Sanuki on Shikoku. He sailed to China, returned with the esoteric teachings, and founded Shingon Buddhism on Mount Kōya in 816. The title Kōbō Daishi was given to him after his death. Shingon holds that he did not die, but sits in deep, eternal meditation at Okunoin.
Devotees turn to him as a great teacher and as a travelling companion. Pilgrims on the Shikoku henro, the eighty-eight temple circuit, wear a sedge hat and carry a staff, trusting that the Daishi walks beside them: dōgyō ninin, "two travellers together". At Okunoin, monks offer him meals every day, and he is spoken of as present.
How to recognise Kōbō Daishi
- Sedge hat (sugegasa)A wide, shallow cone of woven sedge, worn on the head or tilted back, the mark of the pilgrim on the road.
- Walking staff (kongō-tsue)A plain wooden staff, upright and about shoulder height, regarded by pilgrims as the body of the Daishi himself.
- Begging bowlA small round bowl held in one hand in front of the body, showing the humble life of a travelling monk.
- Monk's robes and kesaSimple robes in muted, earthy browns and ochres with a surplice (kesa) over them; in the pilgrim form the travelling robe is plainer.
- Five-pronged vajra (gokosho)In the seated Shinnyo-yō portrait he holds this ritual implement at his chest in his right hand, a sign of the Shingon teaching.
- Rosary (juzu)In the same seated portrait, prayer beads rest in his left hand, while a water vessel and wooden clogs sit beneath his chair.
Names and titles
- Great Teacher Who Spread the DharmaMeaning of the posthumous title Kōbō Daishi
- Walking with Every PilgrimDōgyō ninin, 'two travelling together': the pilgrim never walks alone (story hook only; never print the script in the art)
- Founder of Mount KōyaHe founded the Shingon monastic centre on Mount Kōya in 816
- The Eighty-Eight Temple RoadThe Shikoku pilgrimage, the most important Kūkai pilgrimage route
Feast days
- Shōmie21 March, every year
- Kyū-Shōmie21st day of the 3rd lunar month (next: 27 April 2027)
- Aoba Matsuri15 June, every year
In art and place public-domain and openly licensed images
_Temple_hdsr_S5_14.jpg)
Kōbō Daishi in the shop
-
Kōbō Daishi: The Eighty-Eight Temple Road — Women's Racerback Tank
Regular price From $32.00 USDRegular price -
Kōbō Daishi: Walking with Every Pilgrim — Women's Racerback Tank
Regular price From $32.00 USDRegular price -
Kōbō Daishi · “Never walking alone.” — Garment-Dyed One-Ink Tee
Regular price From $34.00 USDRegular price -
Kōbō Daishi · “Never walking alone.” — Garment-Dyed One-Ink Tee
Regular price From $34.00 USDRegular price -
Kōbō Daishi: The Eighty-Eight Temple Road — Women's Crop Tee
Regular price From $34.00 USDRegular price -
Kōbō Daishi: Walking with Every Pilgrim — Women's Crop Tee
Regular price From $34.00 USDRegular price -
Kōbō Daishi: Great Teacher Who Spread the Dharma — Art Print
Regular price From $29.00 USDRegular price -
Kōbō Daishi · “Never walking alone.” — Garment-Dyed Sweatshirt
Regular price From $52.00 USDRegular price
Sources
Also in Buddhism
← The Encyclopedia Spotted something to correct? Suggest a correction