Butsu Zone
Encyclopedia
is the first serialized manga
by Hiroyuki Takei
in Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump
of 1997. The term "Buddha Zone" refers to the concept by which a Buddha can appear on Earth using a Buddha statue.
The series highlights the adventures of Senju (The Thousand-Hand Avalokitesvara
Bodhisattva
) who has to find and protect Sachi, an incarnation
of the Buddha
Miroku
(Maitreya Bodhisattva). Miroku is said to appear on Earth at a time when the Dharma
is no longer taught and is completely forgotten, achieve complete enlightenment
and then re-teach the pure dharma, becoming a successor of Śākyamuni Buddha, the founder of Buddhism. It is thus Senju's job to aid Miroku (Sachi) in achieving enlightenment, enabling her to achieve Buddha.
within the temple. Sachi then tells them that she will not allow anything to happen to the statue. The gangsters then laugh and threaten her, telling her that there is nothing the statue can do to save her. Just then, the Thousand-Hand Kannon comes to life, breaking the temple doors and attacking one of the gangsters. The statue then shatters into pieces and inside it is a boy who tells them to lay their hands off Sachi, sending fear amongst the gangsters who then flee, vowing revenge. The boy introduces himself as Senju, the Thousand-Hand Kannon.
Senju's childhood friend. He had waited for 2500 years for Miroku's appearance. His primary attack is the ; he also has the which he used only once in the series.
. The first was published on July 4, 1997; the final was released on December 4, 1997. Kodansha re-released the series in two volumes on July 17, 2007.
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
by Hiroyuki Takei
Hiroyuki Takei
is a Japanese manga artist, best known as the creator of the manga and anime Shaman King.-Career:Hiroyuki Takei started drawing manga with writer EXIAD on SD Département Store Series which they created for a fanzine. Early in his career, he became the assistant to Tamakichi Sakura on as in 1992...
in Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump
Weekly Shonen Jump
is a weekly shōnen manga anthology published in Japan by Shueisha under the Jump line of magazines. The first issue was released with a cover date of July 2, 1968, and it is still circulating. One of the longest-running manga magazines in Japan, it has a circulation of 2.8 million copies...
of 1997. The term "Buddha Zone" refers to the concept by which a Buddha can appear on Earth using a Buddha statue.
The series highlights the adventures of Senju (The Thousand-Hand Avalokitesvara
Avalokitesvara
Avalokiteśvara is a bodhisattva who embodies the compassion of all Buddhas. He is one of the more widely revered bodhisattvas in mainstream Mahayana Buddhism....
Bodhisattva
Bodhisattva
In Buddhism, a bodhisattva is either an enlightened existence or an enlightenment-being or, given the variant Sanskrit spelling satva rather than sattva, "heroic-minded one for enlightenment ." The Pali term has sometimes been translated as "wisdom-being," although in modern publications, and...
) who has to find and protect Sachi, an incarnation
Incarnation
Incarnation literally means embodied in flesh or taking on flesh. It refers to the conception and birth of a sentient creature who is the material manifestation of an entity, god or force whose original nature is immaterial....
of the Buddha
Buddhahood
In Buddhism, buddhahood is the state of perfect enlightenment attained by a buddha .In Buddhism, the term buddha usually refers to one who has become enlightened...
Miroku
Maitreya
Maitreya , Metteyya , or Jampa , is foretold as a future Buddha of this world in Buddhist eschatology. In some Buddhist literature, such as the Amitabha Sutra and the Lotus Sutra, he or she is referred to as Ajita Bodhisattva.Maitreya is a bodhisattva who in the Buddhist tradition is to appear on...
(Maitreya Bodhisattva). Miroku is said to appear on Earth at a time when the Dharma
Dharma
Dharma means Law or Natural Law and is a concept of central importance in Indian philosophy and religion. In the context of Hinduism, it refers to one's personal obligations, calling and duties, and a Hindu's dharma is affected by the person's age, caste, class, occupation, and gender...
is no longer taught and is completely forgotten, achieve complete enlightenment
Enlightenment in Buddhism
The English term enlightenment has commonly been used in the western world to translate several Sanskrit, Pali, Chinese and Japanese terms and concepts, especially bodhi, prajna, kensho, satori and buddhahood.-Insight:...
and then re-teach the pure dharma, becoming a successor of Śākyamuni Buddha, the founder of Buddhism. It is thus Senju's job to aid Miroku (Sachi) in achieving enlightenment, enabling her to achieve Buddha.
Plot
The story begins in 1975 with a girl, Sachi, protesting about the planned destruction of the temple Saigan (her home) by the Minoura clan, who plans to build a hotel in its place. One of the gangsters notices the statue of the Thousand-Hand KannonAvalokitesvara
Avalokiteśvara is a bodhisattva who embodies the compassion of all Buddhas. He is one of the more widely revered bodhisattvas in mainstream Mahayana Buddhism....
within the temple. Sachi then tells them that she will not allow anything to happen to the statue. The gangsters then laugh and threaten her, telling her that there is nothing the statue can do to save her. Just then, the Thousand-Hand Kannon comes to life, breaking the temple doors and attacking one of the gangsters. The statue then shatters into pieces and inside it is a boy who tells them to lay their hands off Sachi, sending fear amongst the gangsters who then flee, vowing revenge. The boy introduces himself as Senju, the Thousand-Hand Kannon.
Characters
- Senju is also known as the Thousand-Hand AvalokitesvaraAvalokitesvaraAvalokiteśvara is a bodhisattva who embodies the compassion of all Buddhas. He is one of the more widely revered bodhisattvas in mainstream Mahayana Buddhism....
). He is a BodhisattvaBodhisattvaIn Buddhism, a bodhisattva is either an enlightened existence or an enlightenment-being or, given the variant Sanskrit spelling satva rather than sattva, "heroic-minded one for enlightenment ." The Pali term has sometimes been translated as "wisdom-being," although in modern publications, and...
sent to protect the incarnation of the bodhisattva Miroku by Dainichi Nyorai (Mahavairocana)VairocanaVairocana is a celestial Buddha who is often interpreted as the Bliss Body of the historical Gautama Buddha; he can also be referred to as the dharmakaya Buddha and the great solar Buddha. In Sino-Japanese Buddhism, Vairocana is also seen as the embodiment of the Buddhist concept of shunyata or...
. He wears garments called a and have an arm ringArm ringAn arm ring, also known as an armlet or an armband, is a band of metal, usually a precious metal, worn as an ornament around the biceps of the upper arm...
on his left arm.
- A young orphan who was abandoned by her parents 10 years before the beginning of the story and raised by a poor priest. Sachi is an incarnation of the Buddha Miroku.
Senju's childhood friend. He had waited for 2500 years for Miroku's appearance. His primary attack is the ; he also has the which he used only once in the series.
- The leader of the Minoura clan, Minoura destroyed Sachi's temple, but was defeated by Senju. He and his clan later become BuddhistBuddhismBuddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
monkMonkA monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...
s and help rebuild the temple. The origin of the character name is american comic book artist and writer Mike MignolaMike MignolaMichael Joseph "Mike" Mignola is an American comic book artist and writer who created the comic book series Hellboy for Dark Horse Comics. He has worked for animation projects such as Atlantis: The Lost Empire and the adaptation of his one shot comic book, The Amazing Screw-On Head.-Career:Mignola...
.
Manga
Shueisha's collected the nineteen individual chapters known as "Butsu" into three tankōbonTankobon
, with a literal meaning close to "independently appearing book", is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series , though the manga industry uses it for volumes which may be in a series...
. The first was published on July 4, 1997; the final was released on December 4, 1997. Kodansha re-released the series in two volumes on July 17, 2007.