Kannon 

The Japanese form of the name of the Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara. Within Japanese Buddhism (see Japan), the historical Prince Shōtoku (572-621) has often been regarded as a manifestation of Kannon, and a vision of the Bodhisattva also figured prominently in the biography of Shinran (1173-1262), founder of the Jōdo Shinshū. See also Kuan-yin; Kwannon.

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