Enryakuji Temple: Banner

JAPAN, Shiga, Otsu; Edo period

Created during the Edo period (1615–1868), this banner usually adorns the altar in the lecture hall of Enryakuji Temple during Dharma functions.
The triangular head of the banner, as well as the three sections of the square banner body, have openwork lotus and scroll leaf patterns. Each section of the banner has a repoussé upright lotus, embedded with a mirror. On the mirrors, there are six seed syllables in Sanskrit. Reading from top to bottom, the seed syllables on the front of the banner are those for Amitabha Buddha, Vairocana Buddha, and Vaisravana, the Heavenly King of the North; on the back, the seed syllables are for Vairocana Buddha, Acala, and Samantabhadra Bodhisattva. Five-color tassels hang down from each section, as well as from the bottom of the banner. Bells are fastened to the ends of the tassels.