![]() He is even depicted with symbols associated with the manifestations of the Hindu goddess of death and destruction, Kali, such as a string of cut heads around the neck. For instance, in one representation of Daikokuten, some recognisable aspects of Shiva such as his performing the tandava natyam (a divine dance tied to the cycle of life and death), his matted hair and his mythic rage are magnified. ![]() Studying the images of the Japanese deities alongside South Asian depictions of gods and goddesses can reveal what symbolic aspects have changed, remained or emerged anew. Over time, these deities became a part of the Seven Lucky Gods who are believed to travel across the country throughout the year bringing luck, fortune and compassion to people. ![]() Benten, in particular, is revered as a prominent water deity, often conflated with Kisshoten, and has many water-front shrines to her name. These deities are widely worshipped across Japan with multiple shrines devoted to them. Another major Hindu god to take root in Japan, is the very popular elephant-headed Ganesha, the god of intellect, wisdom and valour: his counterpart is Kangiten or Kankiten, who is at once a benevolent and generous grantor of impossible wishes while also a volatile, punishing force. She is often depicted as holding a wish-granting jewel, kagome, paralleling the chintamani stone in Indian mythology. Kisshoten in Japanese mythology is the wife/sister of Bishamon and the goddess of fertility and fortune, mirroring Lakshmi’s role. Just as Saraswati became Benten, Lakshmi became Kichijoten or Kisshoten, Kubera became Bishamon, and Shiva’s Buddhist manifestation Mahakala became Daikokuten - sometimes also represented in feminine form as Daikokunyo. She also holds a single-pronged vajra and a chakra, recognisable symbols from Buddhist and Hindu religious iconography. Benten, ruling over ‘all that flows’ - music, water, wealth and time - retains many aspects of Saraswati including the veena which becomes the biwa (lute), the company of a white animal (in this case, a dragon in the place of a swan) and the multiple hands holding up spiritually symbolic weapons. These reflect a synthesis of Hinduism, Buddhism and Shintoism - the indigenous religion of Japan centred around nature and its manifestations. The image of a lute-playing woman atop a white animal might seem familiar to South Asian eyes - after all, this Japanese Buddhist kami (deity), called Benzaiten or Benten, has originated from the Hindu goddess of all learning, Saraswati.īenten is amongst the many Vedic gods and goddesses who travelled to Japan via ancient and medieval Buddhist texts and teachings, taking on local forms. Spiritual Transformations: Devī to Kami, India to Japan%newline%In an 18th-century woodblock print from Japan, we see a whirling white dragon carrying a solemn, tranquil woman through the night sky as she plays a wooden lute, the edges of her robes flying in the wind.
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