Lapis Lazuli Formal Prayer Beads Bracelet – Tendai Sect (September Birthstone)

Lapis Lazuli Birthstone Bracelet – Formal Tendai Sect Prayer Beads

This one-of-a-kind piece pairs the star-and-moon bodhi seed with September's birthstone, lapis lazuli, 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 Lapis Lazuli, the September Birthstone

Lapis lazuli is, alongside crystal, one of the oldest and most treasured natural stones, long regarded as a powerful power stone. Across many cultures it has been considered a sacred stone that wards off evil, and it was prized by the civilizations of Sumer and Mesopotamia as well as the pharaohs of ancient Egypt. In Buddhism it is counted among the Seven Treasures, and in Japan it has long been regarded, alongside crystal, as a stone of happiness. Its deep indigo blue has also been cherished throughout history as a gemstone and as the source of ultramarine pigment.

About the Tendai Sect Formal Style

This bracelet follows the formal prayer bead design of the Tendai sect, traditionally strung with a full 108 beads. Twenty flat counting beads and 10 round counting beads hang from the parent bead, forming an important mechanism for keeping count while chanting sutras: the main bead is advanced by one for each recitation, and once a full circuit is complete, one of the flat counting beads is moved up. Once all the counting beads have been raised, roughly 30,000 recitations have been counted in total.

Product Specifications

Item Number: 633v009000000
Parent Bead (Oyadama): Approx. 0.39 in (1.0 cm) – Lapis Lazuli
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) – Lapis Lazuli
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.