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Bishamonten
Bishamonten | |
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| Species | God |
| Abilities | Divine power |
| Age | Older than the history of Buddhism |
| Occupation | God of warfare, a warrior and a punisher of evildoers |
| Location | Half way down Mount Sumeru |
| Relationships |
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Appearances | |
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Bishamonten (毘沙門天, Vaiśravaṇa, or Jambhala) is an actual God in Buddhist mythology with many depictions in different areas of Asia. He is the guardian of the northern direction, and his home is in the northern quadrant of the topmost tier of the lower half of Mount Sumeru. He is the leader of all the yakṣas who dwell on the Sumeru's slopes. In Japan, he is thought of as an armor-clad God of warfare (or warriors) and punisher of evildoers. Bishamonten is portrayed holding a spear in one hand and a small pagoda in the other hand. Both of them symbolizing the divine treasure house, whose contents he both guards and gives away. In Japanese Folklore, he is one of the Japanese Seven Gods of Fortune.
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Concept
Name
The name Bishamonten (毘沙門天) means "Heaven's Sandy Border Gate". He is also sometimes called Tamonten (多聞天), which means "listening to many teachings".
Occupation
Bishamonten is a god of warfare. He is also a warrior and punishes the evil.
Relationships
Byakuren is his devotee.
Shou is one of his disciples.
Nazrin is his helper.
Story
Byakuren has long been devoted to Bishamonten and she decided to summon Bishamonten to her temple. However, he was very busy and, thus, never came. Byakuren realized that the youkai around his temple were fearful of Bishamonten, thinking that he would exterminate them. Bishamonten was around the temple most of the time, which made the youkai scared of going to the temple. Byakuren came up with a plan. She introduced the most straightforward and honest youkai to Bishamonten on the mountain and in exchange, to gather faith. The chosen youkai was Shou Toramaru. Bishamonten quietly took Shou as his disciple. However, she did not get his full trust, so assigned Nazrin (who was Bishamonten's helper) to keep watch on Shou. Despite Bishamonten's worries, Shou Toramaru didn't cause any problems at all.
Official Sources
Show sourcesSee Also
- Wikipedia entry for Bishamonten
