There is an opinion that the reason Shinran used Myogo Honzon, even though it was popular to worship icons as Honzon at that time, was that Shinran moved very often for propagation without holding temples and living in small thatched huts; thus it was impossible for him to have a wooden statue.
親鸞の存命時は、一般に偶像を本尊としていたのに、名号本尊を用いた理由については、親鸞は教化のため移住を繰り返し、寺を持たずに、常に小さい草庵に住んでいた為、木像を持つことが不可能だったという考えがある。