Hotoke

The Japanese noun hotoke (仏) is a word of Buddhist origin and uncertain etymology.^[1] It has several meanings, all but a few directly linked to Buddhism. It can refer to:

A person who has achieved satori (state of enlightenment) and has therefore become a "buddha".^[1] (In Buddhism, the term "buddha" in the lower case refers to a person who has become enlightened (i.e., awakened to the truth).)^[2]^{[note 1]}
The historical Gautama Buddha himself^[1]
The statue or the name of a buddha^[1]
The laws of Buddhism^[1]
Figuratively, the performing of a Buddhist memorial service. The Eiga Monogatari for example contains a sentence in which the term is used in that sense.^[1]
In common parlance, a dead person; someone's soul^[1]
Figuratively, a benevolent person or someone dear to one's heart^[1]
Hotoke can also be a person's name or a nickname. It is for example a female character in the Heike Monogatari^[1] and daimyō Kōriki Kiyonaga's nickname.

Notes

↑ The term is also sometimes used to represent Buddhism as a whole. For example, the expression "kami and hotoke" (神と仏) draws a distinction between Japanese kami and the enlightened beings of foreign Buddhism.

References

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Iwanami Kōjien (広辞苑) Japanese dictionary, 6th Edition (2008), DVD version
↑ New Oxford American Dictionary 2nd edition, 2005, Oxford University Press, Inc.

[3] The term is also sometimes used to represent Buddhism as a whole. For example, the expression "kami and hotoke" (神と仏) draws a distinction between Japanese kami and the enlightened beings of foreign Buddhism.

[ik-1] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Iwanami Kōjien (広辞苑) Japanese dictionary, 6th Edition (2008), DVD version

[2] New Oxford American Dictionary 2nd edition, 2005, Oxford University Press, Inc.

[1]

[2]

[note 1]