Stone Begging Bowl of Buddha

The Stone Begging Bowl of Buddha (仏（ほとけ）の御（み）石（いし）の鉢（はち）, "Hotoke no miishi no hachi") was Buddha's stone begging bowl. In The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, it was believed to be located in India; however, under the instruction to locate it from Princess Kaguya, Kagura tracked it down to a village in Japan. The bowl signifies the element earth and was represented by the color purple.

Kagura manipulated a swarm of demons to attack the village which and retrieve the bowl, but they were unsuccessful. She later confronted the miko Kikyō, who had visited the village after it was attacked and gained possession of the bowl from a dying young girl. To Kagura's surprise, Kikyō surrendered the bowl without a fight, claiming that she had no need of it.

In truth, Kikyō, for reasons similar to Naraku with the Swallow's Cowrie Shell, wanted to draw out Princess Kaguya. Unlike Naraku's reasoning, Kikyō wanted to draw Kaguya out so that she could be destroyed by the half-demon Inuyasha.

Verse

When it was cast into Lake Kawaguchi, Kanna recited these words:

• English
• Nihongo
• Rōmaji

I had hoped to find the gleam of the fallen dew but nothing can I see, why did you go yonder to Mount Ogura?

おく露の光をだにぞ宿さまし、をぐら山にて何もとめけむ

Oku tsuyu no hikari o dani zo yado samashi, Ogura-yama nite nani motome ken

Trivia

• The Stone Begging Bowl of Buddha is based on the one in The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter (竹取物語, "Taketori Monogatari").

References

InuYasha the Movie 2: The Castle Beyond the Looking Glass Locations: Mount Fuji  •  Dream Castle  •  Forest of Illusion (Shrine of the Mirror of Life) Five Lakes of Mount Fuji: Lake Kawaguchi  •  Lake Motosu  •  Lake Sai  •  Lake Shōji  •  Lake Yamanaka Princess Kaguya Allies: Kagura (formerly)  •  Kanna (formerly)  •  Orochi Enemies: Miyatsu  •  Naraku  •  Inuyasha  •  Kagome Higurashi  •  Miroku  •  Sango  •  Shippō  •  Kirara  •  Akitoki Hōjō  •  Kohaku Equipment: Celestial Robe  •  Mirror of Life Five Items: Jeweled Branch of Hōrai  •  Swallow's Cowrie Shell  •  Jewel of the Dragon's Neck  •  Stone Begging Bowl of Buddha  •  Robe of the Fire-Rat