Photo: The Japan Times
Maedachi Honzon
Main Hall of Zenkoji Temple
Nagano City, Japan
Maedachi Honzon is an Amida Triad with Kannon and Seishi. It is a Kamakura-period copy of the temple's original Hibutsu (discussed below). This copy is exhibited only once in every six or seven years1, for a two-month period during Gokaicho.
As for the original Hibutsu ("hidden statue") itself, it is reputed to be a 6th century statue of Amida Buddha that even predates the temple; it is thought to have been brought over from the Baekje kingdom of Korea, during the Asuka period when Buddhism was first transmitted from China via Korea to Japan. That Hibutsu image is so holy that it is never shown to worshipers, or even to the temple priests themselves.
