About: Hibutsu

Hibutsu (秘仏, "hidden Buddhas") are Japanese Buddhist icons or statues concealed from public view. Hibutsu are generally located within Buddhist temples in shrines called zushi (厨子, "miniature shrines"). They are generally unavailable for viewing or worship, although they are brought out for specific religious ceremonies; it is also possible in some cases for the hibutsu to be viewed in exchange for an offering to the temple. Certain hibutsu, such as the wooden statue of Gautama Buddha at Seiryō-ji or the Amida statuary at Zenkō-ji, are almost never displayed, even to initiates of the temples in which they are held (such examples are known as zettai hibutsu). Others are put on public display only rarely, in a ceremony called kaichō (開帳, "opening the curtain").