Her worship in Japan is widespread in esoteric Buddhist camps, Shintō circles, and Shugendō enclaves. The water goddess Benzaiten (Benten for short) is one of Japan's most complex syncretic deities, having long ago been conflated and associated with other divinities from the Hindu, Buddhist, and Japanese pantheons. Linked closely to Hindu-Deva and Shintō-Kami mythologies One of 20 Celestials appearing in Japanese MandalaĮlder sister of Enma-ten (lord of the underworld)Ĭonsort, wife, or female personification of Bonten and/or MonjuĪnimal Avatars = Dragons, Snakes, Turtles, FoxesĬompanion = Ugajin (human-headed snake-bodied kami) One of 28 Legions Protecting the 1000-Armed Kannon Source: Flammarion Iconographic Guide - Buddhism According to some Western scholars, Japanese monk Tenkai (who died in 1643 and was posthumously named Jigen Daishi) symbolized each of the seven with an essential virtue for the Shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu (1623-1650 AD). The members of the grouping changed over time, but a standardized set didn't appear until the 17th century. Japan's Seven Lucky Gods are a popular grouping of deities that appeared from the 15th century onward. Another factor propelling her popularity goes back to the Muromachi period (1392-1568), when the spelling of her name (Benzaiten 弁才天) was changed, with the character 才 (zai), meaning talent, replaced with its homonym 財 (zai), meaning wealth.īeniten playing biwa atop dragon. Such artistic learning and wisdom often bring prosperity, hence her inclusion in the Japanese group of seven lucky gods. As a water goddess, she became the patroness of everything that "flows" - e.g., music, the fine arts (dancing, acting, visual), poetry, and other crafts. Since she is a river goddess, her temples and shrines are almost invariably in the neighborhood of water - the sea, a river, or a lake. The dolls and beautiful figurines used in the Hina Matsuri were originally used as SCAPEGOATS for taking on the impurities and bad energies of humans.īenzaiten is the sole female among the Seven Lucky Gods of Japan. The first DAY OF THE SNAKE on the third day of the 3rd month was a day for ritual purification known in Japanese as JOSHI NO SEKKU (which is still an alternate name for the Hina Doll festival in Japan). References: The Hina Doll Festival (Hina Matsuri) is traditionally held on March 3 every year.
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