Yamamoto Bussan, a Japanese candy company, has been marketing a new product: “Snot from the nose of the Great Buddha.” Buddhist priests are mightily annoyed and have prevented the company from registering it as a trademark, but that’s about all they‘ve managed to accomplish.

The Telegraph reports:

A spokesman said some employees had doubts about the name, so it was decided to attach the ultra-polite suffix sama to Buddha's name. But the sweet's packaging shows an irreverent picture of Buddha picking his nose. Local media have suggested that the sweet is popular because the people of western Japan have an earthy sense of humour, which other Japanese often find coarse. Another famous Nara sweet is called "Deer Droppings".

Despite Buddhist misgivings, there may actually be more people put off by eating a product described as “snot” than anything that is irreverent about the Buddha. Unfortunately, the story doesn’t explain what Buddha Snot takes like.

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