Layman - Koji

In China, it means a virtuous man who is not in government service (shoshi), but in Buddhism, it means a lay man who has converted to Buddhism, received the precepts, and is a virtuous man who seeks the teachings of Buddhism. It is a translation of the Sanskrit word gha-pati. It is transliterated as karaotsu or getogapati, and can be translated as householder, wealthy man, or lay person. It is also a translation of Kula-pati (head of the family). In India, it means a man who does not become a monk and stays at home, but among the four classes, it particularly refers to a wealthy man from the Vaiśya (the third commoner class) who works in commerce and industry. In other words, it is said to be the meaning of a man who is wealthy.

In Japan, it was used as a title attached to the posthumous name of a virtuous man, and also came to be used as a posthumous name for ordinary people.

[Zuiei Ito]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

中国で学徳高くして仕官していない人（処士）をいうが、仏教では在家(ざいけ)の男子で仏教に帰依(きえ)して受戒し仏法を求める徳行ある者をいう。サンスクリット語のグリハ・パティgha-patiの訳。迦羅越(からおつ)、疑叨賀鉢底(げとうがぱってい)と音写し、家主、長者、在家と訳す。またクラ・パティKula-pati（家族の長）の訳でもある。インドでは出家せずに家にいる男子のことであるが、とくに四姓のなかでは商工を業とする毘舎（バイシャVaiśya。第三の庶民階級）の富豪をいう。すなわち財にいる士の義でもあるとされる。

　日本では高徳の士の法名の下につける称号として用いられ、さらに一般庶民の戒名にも用いられるようになった。

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