#gorinto

Bonji are characters of Indian origin that are used in Japanese esoteric Buddhism. In English, it is known as Siddham script. Last night, as I was waiting to be tattooed, I was browsing Japanese tattoo books and came across the use of bonji and there was a slight explanation. I recalled that Buck-Tick has used them in the past. I think some fans may have discussed this online but perhaps not in detail in English. I usually don’t try to unravel the mysteries of the Buck-Tick world but I’m sure there are many who are curious so let’s try to peel a layer or two.

Disclaimer: I am by no means any sort of expert in any religion, nor of Japan, and to be quite frank, nor am I an expert of Buck-Tick. I am a music fan and have passing interests in many things. There are a few reasons why I try not to interpret what Buck-Tick does. Mostly, I don’t really do that for any band or thing that I like! I feel it, not think it, if that makes sense. I may make some connections and have some surface curiosities but no pressing desire to write a thesis on it. So if I ever neglect to cover a topic related to Buck-Tick that you have interest in, it could be for this very reason so please don’t be too upset that I don’t touch it.

Secondly, I think it would take a native Japanese or scholar to begin to examine even pop music (and like it or not, Buck-Tick falls into the realm of pop). The reason being that there are many aspects to culture, such as literature and religion, that may be referenced in music. (Atsushi is the main lyricist and an avid reader.) The connections that a native person of a country would make are different than what a foreigner would make. Not that any interpretation of art is wrong, it just may not be as informed and as I am not a true native, I don’t want to steer foreigners down a divergent path. As I’ve mentioned before, I am half-Japanese and lived there for a bit growing up. However, my involvement with Japanese culture is on the pop level. My involvement with literature and religion in Japan is hardly more than what a child would experience. My mother is not a religious person and where she is from was a kingdom colonized by Japan so it has a separate history, language, and religion though by today’s definition it is Japan. So the exotic image you may have of Japan is at times just as foreign to me!

Buck-Tick has used various symbolism as part of their visual presentation and one could argue if a particular use was because it was superficially cool, misinterpreted on their part, or deliberately used for a deeper meaning. (In the early days, Hisashi remarked that he would look through the dictionary for cool words in English.)

Buddhism is not a Japanese religion but it arrived centuries ago and has woven into the culture. One will practice elements or come across bits and pieces even if one is not a practitioner. It is just a part of Japanese culture. Since I did not grow up going to Buddhist temples, there are many aspects I don’t know. The words for elements of Buddhism may also be vastly different in Japanese, English, and Indian languages so it can be hard for my brain to keep up.

For further reference, one can read up on the Wikipedia entries and other sources. I am just summarizing. Again, bear in mind the localization of Buddhism, that the Japanese pronunciation and use of elements may be a little different than Buddhism in other countries.

梵字 is how bonji is written in Japan. The Japanese wikipedia page explains the history and how it is read in Japanese. The English entry is on Siddham script. In use circa 600-1200 but you will see it in Japan to this day, especially at Buddhist sites. There are many sects of Buddhism, even in Japan. The use of bonji is particularly noted in what is called esoteric Buddhism in English or Shingon-shuu in Japanese. Bonji is used to write mantras. It may be written on wooden sticks, stone pagodas, and even merchandise sold at temples. (For example, at one temple I visited, they sold necklaces of the Chinese zodiac animals written in bonji.) 

The most famous deity in Shingon Buddhism is Fudou Myouou (simplified with macrons as Fudō Myōō) AKA Acala. He always has a sword in his right hand, seems to have a bit of an angry face, is often depicted seated but can be standing, and has two servants that he may or may not be pictured with. There are many variations to the elements of his imagery and these each have a meaning too deep to cover here. Below are images of both the standing and seated versions that I took at a temple in Japan.

All of that is a very long intro to what is actually on Atsushi’s arms but I would be remiss to have skipped all the backstory to understanding what is on his arms. The answer to that is it appears to be the same script that is on 五輪塔 gorintou, or a stone pagoda used for memorial or funerary purposes. As Buck-Tick songs and imagery often deal with death, this should be no great surprise. The “go” in this word means 5 so the script is comprised of five. Each section has a script that represents an element that has further associations. To be honest, the Wikipedia entry in English is lacking. The Japanese entry has more info but to be clear and be sure that I as a non-Buddhist do not misrepresent, I would like to refer the reader to other sources as well. But first, let’s break down the gorintou.

From top to bottom, the characters are read in Japanese as Kya Ka Ra Ba A. Their associated meanings, colors (not noted in chart above), body parts, and shapes are: 

Kya = 空 Sky (space), blue, head, pearl shape

Ka = 風 Wind (moving gas), black, neck, half moon/circle shape

Ra = 火 Fire (flames rise or ascending), red, heart, triangle shape

Ba = 水 Water (flowing or descending), white, belly, round/circle shape

A = 地 Earth (ground or firm), yellow, legs/feet, square shape

The A to Z Photo Dictionary of Japanese Buddhist Statuary has a good entry on Gorinto. For further reading, the site also has an entry on the Number Five in Buddhist Traditions.

To further complicate things, it should be noted that these can also have 4 sides/directions (north, south, west, east) and that the reading of the script is different on each side. Each direction also has meaning. This information is summarized as follows and as a non-practitioner, I hope to do it justice. (Japanese source is where the colors of gorinto are listed)

East reading: Kya Ka Ra Ba A (gateway to spiritual awakening)

South reading: Kyaa Kaa Raa Baa Aa (gateway to ascetic practice/training/Sadhana)

West reading: Kyan Kan Ran Ban An (gateway to enlightenment/Bodhi)

North reading: Kyaku Kaku Raku Baku Aku (gateway to nirvana/Buddha’s death)

It appears that what is on Atsushi’s arms is the same but the hands are different. For the purpose of writing this entry, I did not re-watch “Sweet Strange Live Film” but rather searched for magazine photos and screenshots. Thus, I did not find a clear picture of the hands so you may to do your research on this and I hope I have provided a decent starting point.

For a further Buck-Tick connection to all these elements, in the “Picture Product 2″ video, there is a section devoted to each member. For Toll, there are childhood photos and Toll visits those sites and tries to recreate some photos as an adult. One set of photos is taken at Jigen-in temple AKA Byakue Dai Kannon in his hometown of Takasaki, which is next door to Atsushi’s hometown of Fujioka. 

This temple has a giant white statue of Kannon. Kannon is a female goddess known also as the Guanyin bodhisattva. (Perhaps the camera manufacturer Canon rings a bell? It is an alternative spelling of Kannon.) It is possible to go inside of the Kannon statue and ascend many stairs and see various figures of Buddhism, including Fudō Myōō. Also on the temple site is a Gorintou. Below are pictures I took of both at the Jigen-in temple.