空也上人
空也 ([i]Kuuya[/i])

A famous Buddhist [[monk]] of the "Heian Period.":http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heian_period He was called 空也上人 ([i]Kuuya Shounin[/i], Saint Kuuya).

His wooden [[statue]]s are characterized by six small "Amida":http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amit%C4%81bha [[figure]]s flowing out of his mouth. They represent his devotional chants of the six-character mantra, "[i]Na-Mu-A-Mi-Da-Butsu[/i]."

[[Sowaka-chan]]'s sidekick, [[Kuuyan]] is a [[parody]] of Kuuya.

h4. External links

* "Wikipedia article":http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C5%ABya
monk kuuya