Landlord deity

Landlord deities (地主神) are a type of tutelary deity worshipped in the East Asian cultural sphere.

They are minor gods who are considered to be of lower rank than Tudigongs and City Gods.

In some East Asian cultures, when people move to a new place, they ask for the permission of the landlord deity before settling in.

 In China 

Landlord Gods () are deities worshipped in Chinese folk beliefs, and is considered to be lower in rank compared to Sheshen and City Gods. 

 Landlord god tablet 
The Landlord God tablet usually has two inscriptions, one on the left for “The Landlord Wealth God of the Overseas Tang People” () in Singapore and Malaysia, or “The Landlord Wealth God from Front to Back” () in Hong Kong and other Chinese diaspora. On the right, it is inscribed with the Dragon God of the Five Directions and Five Lands (). 

 Benefits of worshipping landlord gods 
The Landlord God is believed to have the power to help people gather wealth, and the tablet's placement must follow fengshui laws.The Encyclopedia of Malaysia, vol. Religions & Beliefs, edited by Prof. Dr M. Kamal Hassan & Dr. Ghazali bin Basri.  In Chinese tradition, Spirit houses are called 土地神屋 or Landlord God House, which symbolizes a connection between the concept and the idea of an  dedicated to a Dizhushen or Sheshen.
 In Taiwan 

In Taiwan honoring landlord deities is very important. Both government organizations and companies honor them when they enter a new building. Household altars for Dijizhu are also very common. People disagree on what landlord deities are. Some people say they are ghosts. Some people say they are gods. Sometimes, they are thought to be the souls of former occupants. This tradition may have originated from the Taiwanese indigenous peoples who practiced indoor burial, burying people inside buildings. Dijizhu may also be linked to Goryō or people who died without relatives.
 In Japan 
 is the Japanese name for landlord deities.https://brill.com/downloadpdf/journals/jrj/10/1/article-p102_6.xmlhttps://archive.today/20230407201919/https://d-museum.kokugakuin.ac.jp/eos/detail/?id=9641

Japanese people have honored them since at least the 9th century. People seek their blessing before they move to the land. Some people think they are ancestors. 

Japanese people do a ritual called Jichinsai for Jinushigami. 

Ōkuninushi is sometimes considered a Jinushigami of Japan as a whole.

Hokora are often created for Jinushigami,https://archive.today/20230407040316/https://d-museum.kokugakuin.ac.jp/eos/detail/?id=9956 natural objects like trees are also often seen to be yorishiro or shintai for them

Shinra Myōjin is considered a landlord deity, but he originated in Korea

 Pop culture 
The manga series Kamisama Kiss, written by Julietta Suzuki, follows the story of Nanami Momozono, who becomes the guardian deity of an abandoned shrine.

 Related pages 
 Sheshen
 City God
 Yin miao

 References 

Category:Tutelary deities
Category:Japanese mythology
Category:Pages with unreviewed translations