Kishimojin
Kishimojin, or "Hārītī" in Sanskrit, is known as “Kishimojin”, “Kishibojin” or “Kishimosonjin" in Japan.
Hārītī was originally an evil demon who kidnapped human children in order to feed her own 10,000 (some say 1000 or even 500) children, who ate human flesh. After several people affected by this had gone to the Buddha for help, he hid Hārītī's youngest child, Bingara, whom she loved the most. Despite searching all over the world, she was unable to find Bingara, and finally went to the Buddha herself to ask for his advice, at which time he gave the following teaching:
“You feel so sad because you're missing one of your 10,000 children, but the people who have been deprived by you of their children have lost not one, but sometimes three, four or even five children. The importance of life and the preciousness of a child is no different whether it is a human child or a demon child.”
Upon hearing this, Hārītī realised the gravity of her actions and vowed to stop kidnapping the children of others, to follow the Buddha's teachings, and to protect all children and those who believe in Buddhism.
In the 26th chapter of the Lotus Sūtra, "Dhāraṇīs", Kishimojin, together with the Jurasetsunyo (Ten Demon Daughters), pledge to protect practitioners of the Lotus Sūtra. Nichiren Shōnin therefore worshipped Kishimojin, and she is present in his Great Mandala Gohonzon. Throughout his life Nichiren Shōnin’s conviction that Kishimojin and the Ten Demon Daughters were related as mother and children gradually deepened.
For this reason, Kishimojin, who plays a special role in prayers of healing and protection called “Kito,” is often enshrined on Nichiren Shu altars as one of the protector deities of the Lotus Sutra.
Particularly famous as a place of faith in Kishimojin is Nakayama Hokekyoji temple in Chiba prefecture. Hokekyoji is the place where Aragyo monks offer their continuous recitation of the Lotus Sūtra to Kishimojin for 100 days during the ascetic practice of Aragyo.
Additionally, there is a temple called Hōmyōji in Toshima, Tokyo, where a statue of Kishimojin which Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543-1616, the first Shogun of the Tokugawa Shogunate and one of the “Three Great Unifiers of Japan”) prayed to for continued fortune in war is enshrined. Kishimojin has also been held in deep reverence by ordinary people throughout history and the close connection they felt with her can be seen in the words of the following senryū (*a Senryu is a Japanese form of short poetry similar in construction to a haiku, but which usually treats human nature in an ironic or satiric vein):
洗濯に Sentaku ni
井戸をかへほす Ido wo ka e hosu
鬼子母神 Kishimojin
It means, “Kishimojin, her laundry dries up the well”. This senryū shows the closeness people felt to Kishimojin because she had so many children that, just like them, she must also have so many nappies and clothes to wash - enough to dry out a well!
The poet and playwright Ōta Nanpo (1749-1823) also shows his faith in Kishimojin in the first part of one of his kyōka poems (kyōka, literally “mad poetry,” is a form of playful verse) in which he wrote,
恐れいりやの鬼子母神 Osore iriya no kishimojin
This phrase uses a play on words, and can be read both as “Kishimojin, the awe of Iriya” referring to the Kishimojin enshrined at Shingenji temple (Hokkeshū Honmonryū) in “Iriya", Tokyo, and “Fearful respect for Kishimojin,” showing the reverence he had for her.
Kishimojin, who is worshiped by so many, is represented in several different forms which can be roughly divided into two types.
The first type of Kishimojin statue is called “Onigata Kishimojin” (Kishimojin in demon form), in which Kishimojin has sharp, piercing eyes, a large mouth and large fangs, displaying a commanding demon-like appearance to those who would disturb upholders of the Lotus Sutra.
The other is the statue of Kishimojin appearing as a goddess, dressed in the feathered robe of a heavenly being and holding a baby with a pomegranate in its hand. The child holding the pomegranate is considered to be a symbol of safe and easy childbirth because of its many seeds.
Do you know which figure of Kishimojin is enshrined in our temple?
Daikokuten
Often enshrined together with Kishimojin is another protector deity of the Lotus Sūtra, Daikokuten, one of the Seven Lucky Gods.
Daikokuten is widely known as one of the seven deities of good fortune, along with Ebisu. His jolly appearance is very familiar for many. He has a plump body, a smiling face, wears a hood, holds a hammer in his right hand and a large treasure bag over his left shoulder, and a stands on a bag of rice.
Originally though, he was a god of destruction and death in India with a terrible appearance, living in the darkness. His name in Sanskrit is “Mahākāla”. “Mahā” means "Great" and “kāla” means "Darkness." In Hinduism, at the time when the God Shiva destroys the world, it is in this form that he appears. This diety is worshipped a lot in India because it is said that doing so will result in success in battle.
Mahākāla was later adopted by Buddhism and became a warrior-god who protects the Three Treasures (Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha). It is also said that Daikokuten will provide cereals and grain for those practising Buddhism, and he is a god of food and the kitchen.
It is said that the worship of Daikokuten in Japan began when the founder of the Tendai School, Dengyō Daishi (767-822), enshrined him at the Head Temple Enryakuji on Mt. Hiei during the Heian period (794-1185). The spiritual power of Daikokuten on Mt. Hiei became famous, and faith in Daikokuten spread widely from there.
In addition, because the first two characters of the name of the Shinto deity known as “Ōkuni nushinomikoto” (大国主命) at the Izumo Grand Shrine in Shimane Prefecture can also be pronounced as “Daikoku”, Daikokuten came to be conflated with this god, and became one of the seven deities of good fortune. Daikokuten has been widely known as a god of good fortune since the Edo period (1603-1868).
Daikokuten is not usually enshrined in the Butsudan (Buddhist altar), but is enshrined separately. His Feast Day occurs six times a year. On these feast days, offerings are made and a special ceremony is held. For more details, please ask a Priest who has completed the Dai Aragyō three times.
Daikokuten is often enshrined in dining rooms and kitchens, and the thick pillar that stands at the centre of traditional Japanese buildings is called the “Daikoku Pillar” because it supports the structure of the building just as Daikokuten protects heaven, earth and people. The reason that Daikokuten stands on bales of rice comes from a story in which he said, “If you visit me and offer rice every day, I will not let you go hungry for the rest of your life.”
Nichiren Shōnin asked his follower Toki Jonin in his writing "Mama Shaka Butsu Gokuyō Chikujō” (The Offering of the statue of Śākyamuni Buddha to the Mama region), “Have you experienced tranquility in your daily life since you made offerings to Daikoku?", and in “Daikoku Tenjin Kuyō Sōjō Sho” (Writing on the transmission concerning offerings to the Heavenly Deity Daikoku), recommended making offerings to Daikokuten saying, “Those people who have faith in the heavenly deity Daikoku will, without a doubt, enjoy peace, security and good fortune. Those who are able to believe consistently should hold a ritual every 60 days on the Feast Day, and make offerings. This is a secret within secrets."
Saijō-i Kyō-ō Dai-zenjin (Inari)
The deity Saijō-i Kyō-ō Dai-zenjin is commonly referred to as “O-Inari-san”, and is sometimes believed to have the form or appearance of a fox, however this is a misunderstanding. The Eternal Buddha, who is without form, appears for the sake of all sentient beings in the form of this bodhisattva who is a protector deity of the Lotus Sūtra.
“Saijō-i”, which means “highest ranked” indicates that this deity is ranked highest among all gods. “Kyō-ō” which means “Sūtra King” shows that among all the many Buddhist sūtras, the hidden truth that Śākyamuni Buddha is the Eternal Buddha, our Original Teacher, is only expounded in the Lotus Sūtra, or Myōhō Renge Kyō. “Dai-zenjin” means “great benevolent deity”.
In other words, Saijō-i Kyō-ō Dai-zenjin is a manifestation of the wonderful power, which is beyond human understanding, contained in the Lotus Sūtra which we receive and uphold.
Saijō-i Kyō-ō Dai-zenjin’s appearance is usually that of a beautiful woman with a bundle of rice on her left shoulder holding a sickle in her right hand, accompanied by a white fox holding a wish-fulfilling gem (Cintāmaṇi) in its mouth.
The bundle of rice symbolises the fact that the Venerable Saijō-i is a deity of the five grains, meaning she protects our lives with food. The sickle, taken together with the rice bundle, is a widely used set representing farming, and taking care of and dispersing evil. The wish-fulfilling gem in the fox’s mouth signifies the fulfilment of wishes and good luck. That Saijō-i Kyō-ō Dai-zenjin travels or rides on a white fox symbolises her purity, and white is also symbolic of her mysterious spiritual ability to appear and disappear like a phantom.
The misconception that Inari is a fox seems to be so widespread perhaps due to a common fear of the spiritual power of foxes in Japan.
As a deity representing the wisdom of the Lotus Sūtra, Inari is invoked in many Nichiren Shu temples. Especially famous are the Fushimi, Yūtoku and Toyokawa Inari shrines which are known as the “Three Great Inari of Japan”, as well as the Nichiren Shu temple called “Saijō Inari-san Myokyoji” in Okayama Prefecture.
You can find Inari-san enshrined in many people’s homes, along with Daikokuten, the god of happiness, wealth and longevity, and the water deities “Hachi Dai-ryū-ō” (the Eight Great Dragon Kings).
