Agate Formal Prayer Beads Bracelet – Tendai Sect (July Birthstone)

Agate Birthstone Bracelet – Formal Tendai Sect Prayer Beads

This one-of-a-kind piece pairs the star-and-moon bodhi seed with July's birthstone, agate, in the formal style of the Tendai 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 Agate, the July Birthstone

Agate is the general name for a mineral formed from tightly clustered quartz crystals, and this piece uses a warm, reddish variety. Its name comes from its resemblance to the appearance of a horse's brain. Agate is often found in volcanic rock, and traces of iron and other minerals during its formation give it its characteristic color variation and banding. Red is traditionally considered a color that wards off evil, and red agate has long been a favorite material for prayer beads, valued as a protective charm. Agate is also said to give the wearer courage and to help build smooth relationships — making it a fitting gift for a working professional, or for anyone born in July.

About the Tendai Sect Formal Style

This bracelet follows the formal prayer bead design of the Tendai sect, based on a full count of 108 beads. Twenty flat counting beads and ten round counting beads hang from the parent bead. Tendai prayer beads place strong emphasis on counting recitations: each time a sutra is read through once, a main bead is advanced, and each full circuit of the main beads advances one flat counting bead. Once all the counting beads have been used, the wearer has recited the sutra roughly 30,000 times.

Product Specifications

Item Number: 633v007000000
Parent Bead (Oyadama): Approx. 0.39 in (1.0 cm) – Agate
Main Beads (Shudama): Approx. 0.28 in × 0.12 in thick (0.7 cm × 0.3 cm) – Star-and-Moon Bodhi Seed
Top Bead (Tendama): Approx. 0.20 in (0.5 cm) – Agate
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.