also: かんちょう
baptism-like ceremony for a bodhisattva attaining buddhahood
In Mahayana Buddhism, a ritual performed by buddhas on a bodhisattva who reaches enlightenment, symbolizing the transfer of wisdom.
Kanjo is a ceremony that a bodhisattva receives from the buddhas when attaining buddhahood.
esoteric Buddhist initiation ceremony
In esoteric Buddhism, a ritual where a master confers precepts, mystic teachings, or empowerment onto a disciple, often involving water.
In esoteric Buddhism, the master confers kanjo upon the disciple to transmit the teachings.
pouring water on a gravestone
A ritual act of pouring water over a gravestone, often as an offering or purification; derived from the Buddhist ceremony.
When visiting the grave, we pour water over the gravestone as kanjo.
transmission of esoteric techniques in poetry or music
In traditional Japanese arts, the secret teaching of advanced techniques, compositions, or secrets from master to disciple.
In that school, only those who have received kanjo of the secret pieces are allowed to perform them.
Standard kanji form; reading かんじょう is more common than かんちょう.
Alternate reading; less common than かんじょう.
From the Buddhist term 灌頂 (Sanskrit: abhiṣeka), literally 'pouring on the head', referring to a consecration or initiation ritual involving water.