National Treasures & Important Cultural Properties
of National Institutes for Cultural Heritage, Japan

This portable shrine is almost flat in depth and has double doors on the front. Rings are attached on both sides of the top board for a string to be passed through so it could be worn around the neck. An intermediate panel is installed in a grooved frame (kendon-shiki) and a mirror representing a moon wheel is embedded in its center. A hole in the center of the mirror holds bead-like relics (Skt. śarīra) as well as a gilt bronze Sanskrit character “a,” which is the seed syllable invoking the buddha Dainichi (Skt. Mahāvairocana) of the Womb World. The mirror rests on a lotus pedestal and radiates beams of light. Removing the mirror reveals a piece of paper stored in the hollow for the relics in the intermediate panel with an inscription indicating the shrine was made in Shitoku 4 (1387). Around the piece of paper are four more small round pieces of paper bearing Sanskrit seed syllables in ink to invoke the four buddhas of the Diamond World. This reveals the relics in the center represent the buddha Dainichi of the Diamond World. Together, the seed syllable “a” and the relics thus represent both Dainichi of the Diamond World and Dainichi of the Womb World. The Diamond World Mandala is painted on the back of the intermediate panel, and the Womb World Mandala is depicted on the back wall that is revealed when the panel is removed. On the doors, the Wisdom King Fudō (Skt. Acala) with two child attendants are on the viewer’s right, and the Wisdom King Gozanze (Skt. Trailokyavijaya) is on the left. The shrine was preserved at Kakuanji Temple in Nara. This temple was restored by the priest Eison (1201–1290) from Saidaiji Temple, who was a major proponent of relic worship during the Kamakura period (1185–1333). In addition to its strong esoteric Buddhist elements, the shrine likely reflects influence from Eison’s relic worship as well.