noun
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.
その寺では、供奉僧が毎朝本尊に給仕していた。
At that temple, the attending monk served the principal image every morning.
noun
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.
供奉僧は神社に詰めて、読経などの勤めを果たした。
The monk serving at the shrine performed duties such as sutra chanting.