Cut Crystal Formal Prayer Beads Bracelet – Jodo Shu Sect (April Birthstone)

Cut Crystal Birthstone Bracelet – Formal Jodo Shu Sect Prayer Beads

This one-of-a-kind piece pairs the star-and-moon bodhi seed with April's birthstone, crystal, in the formal style of the Jodo Shu (Pure Land) sect — part of Kohgen Ojuzukan's original Sect & Birthstone series.

About the Materials

The main and secondary 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 Cut Crystal, the April Birthstone

When it comes to bracelets, crystal remains an enduringly popular choice. It is one of the oldest natural stones cherished by people, long used in charms and rituals, and is still valued today for its calming, healing qualities and its frequent use in fortune-telling. Faceted into this bracelet's beads, the crystal catches the light from every angle, sparkling in a way that never grows tiring to look at — a genuine treat for anyone who loves crystal.

About the Jodo Shu Sect Formal Style

This bracelet follows the formal prayer bead design of the Jodo Shu (Pure Land) sect, which traditionally uses two interlinked loops of beads — one loop of 27 beads and a second loop of 20 (or 40) beads, with 10 flat counting beads and 6 round counting beads attached. Unlike other sects, the formal Jodo Shu prayer beads do not use 108 beads on the main strand; instead, this design allows for the highest repeat count of any sect's beads, letting practitioners count roughly 30,000 recitations on the men's version and roughly 60,000 on the women's version.

Product Specifications

Item Number: 633v017000000
Parent Bead (Oyadama): Approx. 0.39 in (1.0 cm) – Cut Crystal
Main Beads (Shudama): Approx. 0.20 in (0.5 cm) – Star-and-Moon Bodhi Seed
Secondary Beads (Fukudama): Approx. 0.12 in (0.3 cm) – Star-and-Moon Bodhi Seed
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.