gohonzon (Japanese, object of worship). Tablet on which the Japanese monk Nichiren (1222-82) inscribed the Chinese characters of the daimoku or sacred chant ‘Namo myōhō renge kyō’, meaning ‘Homage to the Lotus Sūtra’. He believed these words to contain the essence of all Buddhist teaching and practice. The chant has remained central to the daily practice and liturgy of the schools that trace their origins to Nichiren, especially the Nichiren Shōshū and the Sōka Gakkai.

A Dictionary of Buddhism, Oxford University Press, 2003, 2004 (which is available in electronic version from answer.com)