is a generic term for a venerated religious object in Japanese Buddhism. It may take the form of a scroll or statuary. The term typically refers to the mainstream use of venerated objects within Nichiren Buddhism, referring to the calligraphic paper mandala inscribed by the 13th Japanese Buddhist priest Nichiren to which devotional chanting is directed. Linguistically, the rootword derives from ancient word , signifying a devotional object of respect or worship, and with the honorific prefix. Varying Nichiren groups accord their own meanings to the term in different ways, signifying their treatment of the object: "Object of Devotion" — Soka Gakkai "Object of Worship" — Nichiren Shōshū "The Great Mandala, Venerated Supreme" — Nichiren-shū sects Paper scroll are sometimes known as or . The term is used for statuary. are often enshrined within an altar shrine (). Description Nichiren himself attached the greatest importance to his inscription of the and claimed this as a pivotal moment in his life. He stated that by using ink to inscribe it, he was acting like a "lion king." Nichiren's calligraphy shifted over the years he inscribed . Details of the composition of the are clear from the approximately 120-125 inscribed in Nichiren's own hand, dating from 1271 to 1282, that are extant. For example, a he inscribed in July 1273 was inscribed on a piece of silk . Copies of the original have been made by others and can be found in varying sizes. A is inscribed for a specific person or organization, while an is generic and produced through a woodblock printing process. Nichiren and his successors also inscribed smaller that are carried on the person. Opinions on its significance Author Philip Yampolsky describes Nichiren's as a mandala, a concretized object that Nichiren inscribed to transmit what he regarded as the essence of the Lotus Sutra. It is also described as a depiction of the Ceremony in the Air in the 11th chapter of the Lotus Sutra, "The Emergence of the Treasure Tower". It is the first of the "three great secret laws" of Nichiren Buddhism, the others being Nam Myōhō Renge Kyō and the platform of ordination or place of worship. Authors Robert Ellwood and Richard Pilgrim describe as a "mandala of the cosmos as perceived inwardly by Nichiren." Masaharu Anesaki describes as "a physical embodiment of the truth of cosmic existence as realized in the all-comprehensive conception of 'mutual