monk attending the principal image of a temple
Historical Buddhist role; a monk who serves and cares for the main object of worship (honzon) in a temple.
At that temple, the attending monk served the principal image every morning.
Buddhist monk serving at an attached Shinto shrine
Historical role in the syncretic shinbutsu-shūgō context; a Buddhist monk assigned to a shrine associated with a temple.
The monk serving at the shrine performed duties such as sutra chanting.
From 供奉 (gubu, 'attending upon a noble or sacred entity') + 僧 (sō, 'monk'). The exact historical derivation is uncertain; the term is associated with pre-modern Japanese Buddhist institutions.