GODS AND GODDESSES
Aizen Myō-o. The God of Love. Represented with a fierce expression, three eyes, and six arms.
Amaterasu. Goddess of the Sun. (See the Index.)
Amida. A Buddhist deity, originally an abstraction, the ideal of boundless light. The great idol at Kamakura, the Daibulsu, represents this god.
Anan. A cousin of the Buddha, of wonderful knowledge and memory. Benten. A Goddess of Luck.
Binzuru. One of the Buddha's sixteen disciples, endowed with miraculous power to cure human ailments. He is much worshipped by the lower classes for this reason.
Bishamon. A God of Luck, and also of War.
Buddha. See Sbaka.
Daikoku. A God of Luck, especially of Wealth. Represented as standing on rice bales. He is the son of Susano-ō.
Dainichi Nyorai. One of the Buddhist Trinity, the personification of wisdom and purity.
Daruma. One of the Buddha's followers, who sat in meditation so long that his legs fell off. His image is a favourite for toys, and as a tobacconist's sign.
Dosojin. The God of Roads.
Ebisu. A God of Luck and of Daily Food. He was the third child of the first pair, Izanagi and Izanami, and is represented as a fisherman.
Emma-Ō. Lord of the Buddhist Hell.
Fudo. Believed to have been originally a Brahminical god. He is a God of Wisdom and is often confounded with Dainichi.
Fukurokuju. A God of Luck. He is sometimes called Geiho and is represented with an enormously high forehead. He typifies longevity and wisdom.
Gongen. A generic name for the Shinto incarnations of the Buddha. It is also applied to the deified heroes, and especially to Iyeyasu.
Gwakkō Bosatsu. Buddhist moon-deity.
Hachiman. The God of War. The Emperor Ōjin is the person worshipped under this name. He was the special patron of the Minamoto clan.
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