Shikoku Pilgrimage Temple No. 22, Byodoji
Yakushi Nyorai, the Principal Image of Byodoji
The principal image of Byodoji is Yakushi Nyorai (the Medicine Buddha), enshrined in the Main Hall. Yakushi vowed to remove the sufferings of body, mind, and daily life, beginning with illness. The present statue is a second-generation image, modeled on the first statue, which is said to have been carved by Kōbō Daishi (Kūkai).
The Present Principal Image
The present principal image is a second-generation statue, modeled on the first statue said to have been carved by Kōbō Daishi (Kūkai). The temple regards it as a work of the Muromachi period.
The statue is made in the yosegi-zukuri method, joining several blocks of wood. It is finished in shippaku: coated with lacquer and then covered with gold leaf.
In its left hand the statue holds a medicine jar (yakko). This metal jar is said to have been handed down from the first principal image.
The Name of Yakushi Nyorai and the Twelve Great Vows
Yakushi Nyorai has long been cherished as the Buddha of healing. The full name is Yakushi Rurikō Nyorai, the Medicine Master of Lapis Lazuli Light, combining "master of medicine" and "light of lapis lazuli."
The Yakushi Sutra describes the twelve great vows that Yakushi made while still training as a bodhisattva. One of them is the vow to cure the sick who have no doctor, no medicine, and no one to care for them, and to bring them peace of body and mind. Yakushi also vowed to lead those on a mistaken path to the path of awakening and to give food to the hungry.
Whether you pray for healing of the body, for peace of mind, or for the safety of your family and your daily life, you may bring your hands together before Yakushi.
The lapis lazuli light in the name comes from the second of the twelve vows. Yakushi vowed that his body would be clear within and without like lapis lazuli, and that its light would surpass the sun and moon, so that even people in darkness might be illuminated, open their eyes, and go wherever they wish.
How the Name "Byodoji" Came to Be
The Byodoji Origin Record tells how the principal image and the temple's name began.
It was the spring of the 5th year of Kōnin (814). Kōbō Daishi was traveling through this land in search of a place to build a temple. Climbing the mountain to the north, he prayed that if this was a land where the esoteric teaching would spread, a sign would appear, and threw a golden lotus. The lotus caught on the branch of an old pine and shone in all eight directions.
When the Daishi entered samādhi, a state of deep meditation, a lapis-blue Sanskrit syllable, vaṃ, appeared in the light and in time became the figure of Yakushi Nyorai. Yakushi declared that he would heal the sufferings of all beings equally, without distinction, and shone a five-colored light upon the Daishi.
The Daishi carved that figure, together with Nikkō and Gakkō Bosatsu and the Twelve Generals, in the manner of ittō sanrai, bowing three times with each stroke of the blade. He declared that the lotus shining in all directions from the pine was a sign of the vow to save all people equally, and so, it is said, he named the temple Byodoji, "Temple of Equality."
The mountain name, Hakusuizan ("White Water Mountain"), is also said to come from the founding. When the Daishi struck a rock with a tokko, a single-pronged ritual implement of esoteric Buddhism, water as white as milk welled up. This water is still treasured today as the "sacred water of Kōbō."
Nikkō and Gakkō Bosatsu and the Twelve Generals
Nikkō Bosatsu and Gakkō Bosatsu are the attendants (kyōji) who stand on either side of the principal image. The Twelve Generals surround them.
Nikkō Bosatsu represents the light of the sun, and Gakkō Bosatsu the light of the moon. The Yakushi Sutra describes the two as the foremost of the bodhisattvas in the Pure Lapis Lazuli Land, who uphold Yakushi Nyorai's true teaching.
The Twelve Generals are the twelve great yaksha generals described in the Yakushi Sutra. They vowed to protect those who uphold the name of Yakushi Nyorai and make offerings to him. Each statue stands clad in armor.
In the Main Hall, let your eyes move from Yakushi Nyorai at the center to Nikkō and Gakkō Bosatsu on either side, and then to the Twelve Generals.
How to Pray to Yakushi
Hold one wish in your heart and quietly bring your hands together before the principal image.
A mantra is a short phrase that turns the heart toward the Buddha. You may chant Yakushi's short mantra a few times, or simply join your hands without words.
Your wish may concern your body, an anxious heart, or your family and daily life. Turn your heart to Yakushi just as you are, with whatever you carry now.
In the Main Hall of Byodoji, a five-colored rope extends from the principal image. Take the rope in your hand and pray as though Yakushi were right beside you.
Short mantra
on korokoro sendari matōgi sowaka
First settle your breathing, then try reciting it slowly three or seven times.
The Hakoguruma in the Main Hall
In the Main Hall is the hakoguruma (box cart) that Tsutsui Rinnosuke and his father Fukuji used on the pilgrimage. It is the wooden cart in which the father pulled Rinnosuke, who had become unable to walk, around the pilgrimage.
The father and son arrived at Byodoji in the 12th year of Taishō (1923) and stayed for four weeks. According to the temple's records, Rinnosuke afterward rose to his feet leaning on a kongōzue, the pilgrim's staff. The father and son dedicated the cart to the principal image.
The hakoguruma remains in the Main Hall today, and Byodoji's prayers for strong legs and hips trace back to this record.
Common Questions
References and sources
This page lists sources directly related to the principal image in Byodoji's Main Hall and the temple's traditions. Fuller references on the twelve great vows of Yakushi Nyorai, the form of the image, and the history of devotion are listed in the article "What Is Yakushi Nyorai?"
See the full references in "What Is Yakushi Nyorai?"Objects and temple traditions at Byodoji
Scriptures and ritual manuals
Research and introductory works
To Learn More
Other pages introduce the teaching of Yakushi Nyorai, the founding of Byodoji, and the record of the hakoguruma.
What Is Yakushi Nyorai?
An explanation from the original texts, centered on the twelve great vows of the Yakushi Sutra, covering Yakushi's form, mantra, and the history of devotion in Japan.
ReadThe Yakushi Goma on the 8th of Each Month
What the goma for recovery from illness and good health involves, and how to apply online.
ReadByodoji Temple Origin Record
From the lotus pine to the name Hakusuizan, read the founding story handed down at Byodoji in a modern translation alongside the original text.
ReadHistory of Byodoji Temple
The path of Byodoji, from the founding legend of the 5th year of Kōnin (814) and the rebuilding of the temple in the Edo period to the repairs planned toward 2034.
ReadA Hakoguruma for a Parent and Child
The record of a father who took his son, who could no longer walk, around the pilgrimage in a hakoguruma, and of the cart dedicated in the Main Hall.
Read