Japanese Buddhist Prayer Beads - "O-juzu"

These Japanese beads, called "O'juzu," Japanese for counting beads, are used in Japanese Buddhist practice. They are known also as "nenju," thought beads, and both words are usually preceded by the honorific 'o-', as in "o-juzu."

In the Japanese Jodo Shu sect of Buddhism, double-ringed rosaries are used to aid in the counting of recitations of the Amida Buddha's name. The outer ring counts the individual recitations, while each bead in the inner ring counts one full revolution.
In addition, many such rosaries contain two pairs of tassels containing additional beads to count full revolutions of the second ring, or even revolutions of the first tassel of beads. A full count, including all the beads on the rosary, can equal up to 60,000 recitations, though many practitioners chose smaller goals to suit their ability.

Buddhism is a religion in which people follow the teachings of the Buddha (Siddhartha Gautama) who lived and taught about 2500 years ago. Buddhists do not believe in a personal creator god. Buddhists believe in the Four Noble Truths, including that life is suffering because we are attached to our desires, but that suffering and attachment can be ended by living according to the Noble Eight-fold Path (ex. right thinking, right working, right speaking). The holy book is called the Tripitaka. It contains the teachings of the Buddha. Buddhists believe in rebirth after death (reincarnation). Their goal is to become Enlightened, to achieve Nirvana, and break the cycle of birth and death.
Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhist_prayer_beads http://www.aetw.org/jsp_nenju_juzu.htm