Honen Tomoiki

In preparation for the 800th anniversary commemoration of the death of Honen Shonin, founder of the Jodo (Pure Land) sect of Buddhism, which is to take place in 2011, we developed a symbol to promote the project. In the logo, one can find the phonetic characters “tomoiki” incorporated within the Chinese characters that read “Honen Tomoiki” (harmonious coexistence of all people, preached by Honen). The word “tomoiki” conjures up in us the ideas preached by Honen, who taught that one can be saved by reciting the mantra, “Namu Amida Butsu” (the Amida prayer). This helped spread Buddhism widely throughout the common class in medieval Japan, making a great impact on Japanese Buddhism. “Tomoiki” revives Honen’s spirit in the modern era.