Hibutsu

Japanese Buddhist icons concealed from public view

Hibutsu are Japanese Buddhist icons or statues concealed from public view. Hibutsu are generally located within Buddhist temples in shrines called zushi . They are unavailable for viewing or worship except for certain religious ceremonies. It is possible in some cases for the hibutsu to be viewed in exchange for an offering to the temple. Some hibutsu, such as the wooden statue of Gautama Buddha at Seiryō-ji or the Amida statuary at Zenkō-ji, are almost never displayed, even to initiates of the temples in which they are held. Others are put on public display rarely, in a ceremony called kaichō .

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