Ryokoin Temple: Ritual Canopy and Crowns

JAPAN, Wakayama, Ito; Heian to Kamakura period

These ritual items, used in Diamond Realm and Womb Realm empowerment ceremonies in Japanese Vajrayana Buddhism, consist of a canopy, a gold crown, and a silver crown. The canopy is square and is made of red brocade decorated with cranes and golden circles. At the apex, there is a flaming jewel on an inverted lotus. It is suspended from a long rod with a dragon’s head, and pendants consisting of three silver disks with an inscription in Sanskrit, and streamers with jade stones and miniature bells, are suspended from the corners. Between the pendants, there are lengths of string in the form of knots and loops.
The gold crown is used during the Diamond Realm empowerment ceremony. It consists of brocade covered in thin gold openwork with a floral pattern, in which there are five disks with engravings of the Five Dhyani Buddhas. In the center of the bottom edge, there are double vajras from which flattened bell shapes are suspended. Silk ribbons decorated with gold Dharma wheels are tied on both sides.
The silver crown shares some characteristics with the gold one, and is used during the Womb Realm empowerment ceremony. It is made of openwork silver plate and has a flaming crystal at the top. These are the two oldest surviving examples of crowns used in empowerment ceremonies.