Men's Prayer Beads, Jindai Cedar, Shaku Hokke Style, Nichiren Sect, Lapis Lazuli Finish

Men's Prayer Beads, Jindai Cedar, Shaku Hokke Style, Nichiren Sect, Lapis Lazuli Finish

Jindai cedar is a rare and mysterious material formed when wood was buried in volcanic ash thousands of years ago and, rather than decaying, gradually became semi-fossilized over as much as 2,000 years. Freshly split, the wood is egg-yellow; on contact with air it turns blue, and finally settles into a calm ash-brown tone. Like all wood beads, it grows more comfortable in the hand and richer in color and luster the more it is used -- part of the enduring appeal of wood prayer beads, which only deepen in character with time. Here it is paired with lapis lazuli on the top and parent beads; lapis lazuli is, alongside crystal, regarded as one of the oldest and most powerful of all power stones. Made up in the formal Hokke style used in Nichiren sect practice: the parent bead carries three tassels on one side, and ten counting beads (kyoshu-dama) track recitations of the Nichiren daimoku (Namu Myoho Renge Kyo). Nichiren sect followers commonly carry this full formal strand, with its five tassels said by various accounts to represent the human body.

Product Specifications

Item Number: 6912590000000
Parent Bead (Oyadama): Approx. 0.55 in (1.4 cm) – Lapis Lazuli
Main Beads (Shudama): Approx. 0.28 in x 0.24 in (0.7 x 0.6 cm) – Jindai Cedar
Top Bead (Tendama): Approx. 0.20 in (0.5 cm) – Lapis Lazuli
Note: Nichiren sect, Hokke style, shaku length.