Kannon (bodhisattva)
Anoku Kannon
阿耨観音
Listed as one of the Thirty-Three Kannon. These Thirty-Three Kannon are a grouping of images that express Kannon's salvation in various forms. They do not correspond one by one, under the same names, to the thirty-three manifestation bodies (sanjūsan ōgenshin) in the sutra.
This introduction is based on materials published by shrines, temples, and schools, starting with Shōhōin. It is summarized within the scope of the beliefs and traditions those materials convey, and does not present explanations or customs common to all schools, shrines, and temples.
English pages are the site’s own translations of its Japanese pages. The sources cited are in Japanese. 日本語で読む
The name and role of Anoku Kannon
Listed as one of the Thirty-Three Kannon. The text centers on the origin of the name: it explains that "anoku" is short for 阿耨達池 (Anokudatchi), a Sanskrit term for an imagined clear lake north of the Himalayas, also translated as Munetsuchi and in other ways.
Source: 飛不動尊 正宝院・飛不動尊 正宝院・飛不動尊 正宝院
Tracing the figure and traditions
It is said that the lake is a square 50 yujun on each side, filled with the water of eight virtues (hakkudokusui), and that reaching it requires superhuman powers. The water of eight virtues is explained as the water of the ponds of the Pure Land of Utmost Bliss, endowed with eight kinds of virtue, such as being sweet and cool. There is no description of Kannon's form.
Source: 飛不動尊 正宝院・飛不動尊 正宝院・飛不動尊 正宝院
Kannon's compassion, saving by changing form
The images of the Thirty-Three Kannon are connected with the thirty-three manifestation bodies, in which Kannon changes form according to the person in order to save them. However, the thirty-three names in this list, such as Yōryū Kannon and Suigetsu Kannon, are not identified one by one with the thirty-three manifestation bodies named in the sutra. Various faiths and pictorial traditions of India, China and Japan overlap in them.
Source: 飛不動尊 正宝院・浅草寺
Iconographic materials that hand down the thirty-three forms
Shōhōin introduces this grouping based on the Butsuzō Zui, published in the Edo period. The names express held objects, dwelling places, gestures, works of salvation and so on. Some have their own origin stories, while others center on form or name, so not every figure necessarily has a separate story or a particular prayer associated with it.
Source: 飛不動尊 正宝院
Compassion that listens to suffering and leads to peace
Sensō-ji describes Kannon as a buddha who receives people's voices, removes suffering and gives ease. Turning one's heart toward deliverance from hardship is an entry point to understanding the Kannon faith. This is an explanation of the compassion shared by all forms of Kannon, not a list that assigns a particular benefit to each of the thirty-three images.
Source: 浅草寺
Related kami and buddhas
Sources (in Japanese)
- 飛不動尊 正宝院「仏様の世界：阿耨観音」（2026-10-14 確認）
- 飛不動尊 正宝院「仏様の世界：目次」（2026-10-14 確認）
- 飛不動尊 正宝院「仏様の世界：三十三観音」（2026-10-14 確認）
- 浅草寺「浅草寺のご本尊」（2026-10-14 確認）
- 龍雲山 太興院「太興院の仏さま：十六羅漢・観音（接賓）」（2026-10-16 確認）