Garnet Formal Prayer Beads Bracelet – Shingon Sect (January Birthstone)

Garnet Birthstone Bracelet – Formal Shingon Sect Prayer Beads

This one-of-a-kind piece pairs the star-and-moon bodhi seed with January's birthstone, garnet, in the formal style of the Shingon sect — part of Kohgen Ojuzukan's original Sect & Birthstone series.

About the Materials

The main beads are made from star-and-moon bodhi seeds (hoshizuki bodaiju) sourced from Hainan Island, China — considered the finest grade available. The countless small black flecks on each seed are said to resemble stars in a night sky, while the single larger mark left by the stem is likened to the moon, together evoking the universe, which has long been regarded in Buddhism as the realm of the Buddha. The bodhi tree is also cherished as the very tree beneath which Shakyamuni Buddha is said to have attained enlightenment. (Many other types of bodhi seed are also used in prayer beads, including kongo, tengen, kokuryu, hogan, maya, kogan, gogan, and antique star-and-moon bodhi.)

About Garnet, the January Birthstone

Garnet's deep wine-red color has also earned it the name 'pomegranate stone,' after its resemblance to pomegranate seeds. Its name derives from the Latin for 'protect from illness.' As January's birthstone, garnet is said to lead the wearer to victory and success through steady, persistent effort. In medieval Europe it was reportedly given by women to knights as a pendant thought to deflect arrows, and it has long been carried as a protective charm for that reason; it is denser than quartz, reflecting its tightly packed crystal structure, and was historically also used medicinally to help stop bleeding.

About the Shingon Sect Formal Style

This bracelet follows the formal prayer bead design of the Shingon sect. It is said that the Shingon sect may have been the first in Japan to adopt prayer beads, so its formal design closely resembles the universal (hasshu-ken'yo) style used across sects. It typically has two tassels, front and back, strung on a red cord; the longer prayer beads carried on pilgrimages are based on this same Shingon-style strand, simply made longer.

Product Specifications

Item Number: 633v080000000
Parent Bead (Oyadama): Approx. 0.39 in (1.0 cm) – Garnet
Main Beads (Shudama): Approx. 0.28 in × 0.12 in thick (0.7 cm × 0.3 cm) – Star-and-Moon Bodhi Seed
Accent Beads (Yotenma, ×4): Approx. 0.16 in (0.4 cm) – Garnet
Inner Diameter: Approx. 6.69 in (17.0 cm)
Note: As each bracelet is handcrafted from natural gemstone and bodhi seed, the exact grain and shade may vary slightly from the images shown. This is a one-of-a-kind piece.