. the dissemination of esoteric scriptures 669
Among other esoteric practices of the period was the gumonji-hō,
thought to have been introduced to Japan by Dōji. There are various
versions of this rite, but the most well known is that for Bodhisat-
tva Akāśagārbha based on the Method of the Victorious, Essential
Dharāṇi for Having Wishes Heard by Space-store, the Bodhisattva Who
Can Fulfill Requests (Kokūzō-bosatsu-nōma-shogan-saishōshin-darani-
gumonjihō T. 1145) by
Śubhākarasiṃha, which was used to attain an infallible memory.
Another very popular practice, so much so that it is even described
in the Wondrous Stories of Japan (Nihon Ryōiki ), was the
Peacock King ritual (kujaku-myōō-hō ), usually employed
to pray for rain. This was probably the “ritual from Buddhists texts”
(naiten-hō ) conducted in 732 to counter the serious drought
afflicting the country (Shoku nihongi, fourth^ year of the Tempyō era,
seventh month). Rainmaking rituals were quite common and could be
based on various texts. For example, a circular from the Tōdaiji dated
766 says that the Sūtra for the Rain of the Great Cloud (Daiunrinseiukyō
T. 991), translated by Narendrayaśas (fl.
sixth century), was used for a rain ritual. We cannot know how the
rite was actually performed, but if it followed the text, as references to
ritual banners in other temple records suggest, it would have included
altar offerings with a mandala and mantras.
There were also the life-extending ritual (enmei-hō ), which
the Shoku nihongi tells us was performed in 758 for Emperor Shōmu;
altar rituals to Sarasvatī (benzaiten-hō ); the ritual of the
Buddha’s Corona (daibutchō-hō ), performed by Jianzhen’s
Korean disciple Sata (fl. eighth century); and the prayer rite
(Zuigu-hō ), a ritual dedicated to Mahāpratisarā (Daizuigu
myōō ) for protection against bodily harm. In one of
the documents related to this ceremony, the Shūko jisshu ,
Amitābha’s Siddham hrīḥ ( kirīku) appears in place of Empress
Kōken’s seal, although this may be a later forgery (Mochizuki 1954–
1957, 1115b), since there is no other reference to an Indic script at this
time. Last, and most surprising, there are also references to a “conse-
cration ritual” (kanjō-hō ), performed in 793 and again in 805,
which predates the return of either Saichō or Kūkai (Kushida 1964,
28–35; Mizaki 1994, 42–49).