Gohonzon

"[29] Without exception, all these Buddhas, bodhisattvas, great sages, and, in general, all the various beings of the two worlds and the eight groups who appear in the “Introduction” chapter of the Lotus Sutra dwell in this Gohonzon.

Most prominent to all such gohonzon is the phrase 'Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō'—the primary mantra in Nichiren Buddhism—written down the center in bold calligraphy.

[34] On the top row can be found the names of Shakyamuni Buddha and Prabhutaratna and the four leaders of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth.

[35] The names of deities believed to protect the Buddha land, called the Four Heavenly Kings (Bishamonten, Jikokuten, Kōmokuten, and Zōjōten), further occupy the four corners, and Sanskrit characters depicting Aizen Myō-ō and Fudō Myō-ō are situated along the left and right outer edges.

Within this frame are the names of various Buddhas, bodhisattvas, historical and mythological figures in Buddhism, personages representing the ten realms, and deities drawn from Vedic, Chinese, and Japanese traditions are arranged hierarchically.

[38] According to Ikeda, Nichiren's intent in manifesting the gohonzon was to allow people to connect directly with the Law so they, too, could discard the transient and reveal their essential enlightened selves.

But, by September 1993, the Soka Gakkai began to manufacture their own version thanks to a dissident priest who provided the woodblock copy when he sided with Daisaku Ikeda.[45].

The Soka Gakkai organization maintains that only the gohonzon conferred by their leadership brings both personal happiness and Kosen-rufu, claiming that they possess the true mandate of Nichiren for widespread propagation.

The following inscriptions are found in the gohonzon transcribed by 26th High Priest Nichikan Shonin, as is the mainstream format also transcribed by the Successive High Priests of Nichiren Shoshu : There are also two inscriptions from Miao-lo's[47] commentary Hokke Mongu, The Annotations on "The Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sutra":[48] The terms honzon and gohonzon are often used interchangeably and with some confusion.

In the Japanese new religion Risshō Kōsei Kai, members receive and practice to a 'Daigohonzon' enshrined in their homes; the scroll consists of an image of Gautama Buddha.

[52] In Mikkyō practices such as in Shingon Buddhism, the term honzon refers to the divinity honored in a rite but later came to represent the formal object of worship.