The Gohonzon is the primary-but not the exclusive-object of devotion in Nichiren Shū and some other Nichiren schools.

The Gohonzon is the primary object of veneration in some Nichiren schools and the only one in others, which consider it to be the supreme object of worship as the embodiment of the supreme Dharma and Nichiren's inner enlightenment.

The sanctuary is the place where a Gohonzon is enshrined, and where worship services are held.

The transcriptions of the Dai-Gohonzon made by the successive high priests of Nichiren Shoshu are called, simply, Gohonzon ( go is an honorific prefix indicating respect ).

Most Gohonzon in temples are on wood tablets into which the inscription is carved ( the tablets are coated with black urushi and the characters, gilded ), while most of those in homes are in the form of a paper scroll.

When a Gohonzon is bestowed upon an individual, the individual pledges to stand by and protect the Gohonzon throughout the recipient's life.

The Object of Devotion in SGI is the mandala Gohonzon :“ the Gohonzon reflects Nichiren's life-state: Buddhahood ”.

Another difference is regarding the Dai Gohonzon as a super-mandala by the priesthood while this is disputed by SGI: “... it is wrong to think that the Dai-Gohonzon alone has some kind of unique mystic power that no other Gohonzon possesses.

SGI refers to the founder of Nichiren Buddhism by the title: the Buddha of this Latter Age of the Law: “ Nichiren revealed and spread the Law of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo and inscribed it in the form of a mandala Gohonzon, to enable all people in the Latter Day of the Law to attain Buddhahood ; for this reason he is regarded as the Buddha of the Latter Day of the Law .”.

The life of Buddha ( Gohonzon ) and the World of Buddhahood ( Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo ) are considered as the original mentors of SGI: “ The Gohonzon manifests in its entirety the great state of life of the Buddha who is our eternal mentor ”.

SGI does not have one mentor, but a current of role models in bringing the teachings to all people: “ Our eternal and unchanging mentor is the Gohonzon of Nam Myoho Renge Kyo and Nichiren Daishonin.

According to SGI teachings, the power of the Object of Devotion is not found in an external mandala, but through one's inner faith :" First, the power of any Gohonzon, including the Dai-Gohonzon, can be tapped only through the power of faith.

In other words, we should be clear that it is wrong to think that the Dai-Gohonzon alone has some kind of unique mystic power that no other Gohonzon possesses.

In the case of the Sōka Gakkai, the mentor is understood as a " role model " starting with the example of the Buddha: " Our eternal and unchanging mentor is the Gohonzon of Nam Myōhō Renge Kyō and Nichiren Daishōnin.

At the age of 51, Nichiren inscribed the Object of Veneration in Buddhism, the Gohonzon ," never before known " as he described it.

" For them, the paper Gohonzon is a visual representation of the " Ceremony in the Air " described in the Lotus Sutra, and serves as a means of focusing on their own innate Buddhahood.

Because it is the head temple of Nichiren Shōshū and therefore home of the Gohonzon, Nichiren Shōshū ’ s ultimate object of veneration, Taiseki-ji is visited by believers from all around the world who come on personal pilgrimages, to participate in regular ceremonies, or to take part in large events such as temple-group pilgrimages, workshop-like study programs, and large rally-like meetings.

It is the act of offering the sutra, daimoku ( the invocation Nam-myoho-renge-kyo ), and silent prayers to the Gohonzon, the object of veneration.

Gohonzon ( or ) is the general term to denote an object of devotion in many forms of Japanese Buddhism.

The Moji-mandala Gohonzon, or the " Mandala Gohonzon " (), is the primary object of devotion in Nichiren Shū and some other Nichiren schools, and the exclusive object of veneration in the Nichiren Shōshū branch and formerly affiliated groups such as Sōka Gakkai.

Nichiren describes the Gohonzon as the object for observing the Ten Worlds: “ The observation of the mind means to observe one ’ s own mind and to find the Ten Worlds within it ”

He also inscribed numerous Gohonzon for bestowal upon specific disciples and lay believers.

Nichiren spent his final years writing, inscribing Gohonzon for his disciples and believers, and delivering sermons.

In addition to the two main teachings of chanting and the Gohonzon, Nichiren Buddhism expounds the doctrine of the Ten Worlds of life, The Ten Factors of existence, the principle of The Three Thousand Realms in a single moment of life and the teachings of The Three Proofs for verification of the validity of teachings.

Printed Gohonzon have the dedication " for the recipient " on them.

A Nichiren Shoshu priest, acting as proxy for the High Priest, bestows the Gohonzon on new believers upon their initiation into the faith at a local temple.

One then offers the second prayer, " Appreciation for the Gohonzon ", which also incorporates appreciation for Nichiren Daishonin, Nikko Shonin, and Nichimoku Shonin ; the third prayer, " For the Attainment of Kosen-rufu "; and the fourth prayer, " Personal Prayers and Prayer for the Deceased " ( while ringing the bell continuously ), before closing with a prayer " for peace throughout the world and the happiness of all humanity.

Which Buddhas ', bodhisattvas ', and other figures ' names appear on a Gohonzon depends on when and for whom Nichiren inscribed it.

For instance, in the Nichiren Shū school, the priest who inscribes a Gohonzon puts his own name underneath the daimoku or the phrase " Nichiren, Zai-Gohan " is written directly below the Gohonzon with " respectfully transcribed by " to the left of the characters for Nichiren, whereas in the Nichiren Shōshū school, " Nichiren " appears directly underneath the daimoku.

The Gohonzon on the other hand represents the " Cause " for attaining Buddhahood.

Nichiren Buddhists treat Gohonzon with utmost respect, since most of them consider the Gohonzon to embody the " life " or " life condition " of the Buddha, and they generally avoid touching the Gohonzon except for cleaning.

Gohonzon that have become soiled or damaged are returned to temples for ceremonial disposal.

Photographing and copying the Gohonzon are also discouraged by certain sects ( but not all )— photographing because the resulting copies can be easily desecrated, abused, or misused ( e. g., for printing or creating unconsecrated Gohonzon, which are considered by temple-affiliated groups to be powerless to benefit those who venerate them ).

For Nichiren, the Gohonzon embodies the eternal and intrinsic Law of Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo, which he identified as the ultimate Law permeating life and the universe.

Some Nichiren schools see the incident of the attempted beheading as marking a turning point in Nichiren's teaching, since Nichiren began inscribing the Gohonzon and wrote a number of major doctrinal treatises during his subsequent three-year exile on Sado Island in the Japan Sea.

At the age of 51 Nichiren inscribed this doctrine in a form of a mandala describing it as :" this Gohonzon shall be called the great mandala never before known ”.

Called the Gohonzon, it was originally inscribed by Nichiren, the founder of this branch of Japanese Buddhism, during the late 13th Century.

Regardless of their type, all Gohonzon issued by Nichiren Shoshu have been consecrated by one of the successive High Priests in an " Opening of the Eyes Ceremony ", conducted in the Dai-Gohonzon's sanctuary, and thus have the same power, as defined by Nichiren Daishonin himself in his Gosho " The Four Debts of Gratitude ".

The seven characters na-mu-myō-hō-ren-ge-kyō are written down the centre of the Gohonzon, the mandala venerated by most Nichiren Buddhists.

Nichiren taught that by chanting " Nam-Myōhō-Renge-Kyō ", which means, " Devotion to the Mystic / Wonderful Dharma / Law of the Lotus Flower Sutra " to the Gohonzon ( 御本尊 ), a mandala he inscribed with Chinese and Sanskrit characters representing the enlightened life of the True Buddha, anyone can bring forth their inherent Buddha nature and become enlightened.

There are several Buddhist schools which follow the basic practice of Nichiren Buddhism consisting of chanting the phrase Nam ( u )- Myoho-Renge-Kyo, and revering the mandala Object of Devotion, the Gohonzon.

According Nichiren Daishonin, " Never seek this Gohonzon outside yourself.

After the excommunication ( 1991 ) and the Priesthood's refusal to confer the Object of Devotion on SGI members ( unless they associated themselves with a Nichiren Shōshū temple )-many new members were forced to practice without the Gohonzon.