Benzaiten, the Japanese Goddess of Love and Luck Yhi Tame your dragons! Benzaiten is the Japanese Goddess of love, beauty, eloquence and music, as well as a sea Goddess. Her husband was a wicked dragon whom She reformed, and She is often shown riding one. Dragons and their smaller relatives snakes are sacred to Her and snakes are often Her messengers. She is said to prevent earthquakes and is worshipped on islands, especially the island of Enoshima. Benzaiten is originally of Hindu origin and is associated with Sarasvati, the Indian Goddess of music and wisdom, and is sometimes shown with eight arms. Benzaiten is also linked to Kwannon or Kwan Yin , the sometimes female, sometimes male Bodhisattva of compassion in Buddhism. Benzaiten is one of the Seven Gods of Good Fortune who sails on the Takara-bune, the Treasure Ship. Traditionally, a picture of the Takura-bune placed under the pillow on New Year's Eve will bring a lucky dream. Benzaiten brings luck and good fortune, persuasion and seduction. Alternate names: Benten, Benzai-tennyo. This design is available on prints.

Tales Benten / Benzaiten | Dragons of Fame | The Circle of the Dragon About Benten / Benzaiten Benton traditionally used a white serpent as her messenger. [4] Benten was the goddess of the sea, also referred to as the Goddess of Love, Beauty, and Eloquence. She's often depicted riding a dragon or a serpent in Japanese art. [1] She is one of the Seven Divinities of Luck [1] and is the only female among the seven. [3] In some tales about Benten, she is the daughter of the Dragon King and therefore has the form of a dragon. [3] In many stories about Benton, she has the form of a human with eight arms. [1] Before Enoshima appeared, a terrible dragon lived on the mainland, [4] eating the children from the nearby village now called Koshigoe. [2] Around the sixth century, [2 , 4] an earthquake caused Enoshima to erupt. [4] Benton appeared above it in the clouds, searching for the dragon. [2] When she found his abode, she married the dragon, ending his taste for human flesh.

[4] With Benton's arrival, the beautiful island Enoshima rose up from the sea. The island remains sacred to the goddess to this day. [2] Benten - Goddess of everything that flows - Japanese Goddess Benten - Goddess of everything that flows - Japanese Goddess. Benzaiten is the goddess of everything that flows water words speech eloquence music and knowledge. Benten - Goddess of everything that flows - Japanese Goddess Per-Ankh Feed Friday, 20 January 2017 Home ï¿½ Divinity of the Day ï¿½ Japanese Gods and Goddesses ï¿½ Benten - Goddess of everything that flows Benten - Goddess of everything that flows Benzaiten is the goddess of everything that flows: water, words, speech, eloquence, music and knowledge. She became one of the Seven Gods of Fortune. She is also a goddess of beauty, mothers wishing attractive daughters fasted and prayed for seven days at the temple of Benzaiten. She is depicted as a beautiful woman with eight arms with two hands depicted in prayer and others holding; sword, bow and arrow, wheel, key, axe, spear, mandolin or biwa. She is also depicted as riding a golden dragon.

She carries a jewel that can grant wishes. She is the ruler of love, music, arts, inspiration, talent, wealth and romance. As a sea and water goddess she is a purifying force that protects people from the darkness of the material world. She is also a protector from earthquakes. Her festival is at the summer solstice and many of her shrines (benten-do or benten-sha) are still standing. She is sometimes called daughter of the dragon king and originally of Hindu origin (Goddess Saraswati). Her husband was a wicked dragon who she transformed. --~Attributes and Correspondences~-- Benzaiten's Main Sanctuaries in Japan Says scholar Sarah Alizah Fremerman: REFERENCE: Fremerman, Sarah Alizah, Divine Impersonations: Nyoirin Kannon in Medieval Japan, Ph.D. Dissertation, Stanford University, 2008, 230 pages; AAT 3332823. Available at Proquest. Also view online using Google Books. "Long before Benzaiten's arrival, the water kami Azai-hime-no-mikoto was worshipped here to insure the safety of water traffic on the lake.

In the Nara period the island was an important site for itinerant monks practicing austerities. From the Heian period onward Benzaiten took her place here as the 'original form' of the local kami. Benzaiten is said to dwell high on the island, while the local dragon god dwells in the depths of the lake." <end quote> The island's mythical origins are recorded in various old Japanese texts, including the now-lost 8th-century Ōmi no Kuni Fudoki 近江国風土記 (Records of the Culture and Geography of the Ōmi Province). According to this text, the kami Tatamihiko no Mikoto 多多美比古命 of Mt. Ibuki 夷服岳 (伊吹）competed for height with Azaihime no Mikoto 浅井姫命 of Mt. Azai 金糞岳, but he lost, and in a fit of anger he cut off her head, which fell into the lake and became Chikubushima Island.

Another legend attributed to the Ōmi no Kuni Fudoki says when the lopped-off head began to sink, it made the sound "tsuku tsuku," hence the island's alternative name Tsukubujima. In the 931 CE and 1415 CE versions of the Chikubushima Engi 竹生島縁起 (Legends of Chikubu Island), we hear a slightly different story. Writes scholar Andrew Mark Watsky in Chikubushima: Deploying the Sacred Arts in Momoyama Japan, p. 51): "When there occurred a contest of strength between the brother and sister deities Ibukio no Mikoto and Azaihime no Mikoto (the kami now enshrined in the Tsukubusuma Main Hall), Azaihime no Mikoto lowered herself in the northern part of Lake Biwa. She solidified the water's spray to form a rocky shore and piled the wind-borne dust to create an island; she commanded fish to pile stones at the island to form a spit of land and called on birds to scatter the seeds of various trees.

Bamboo, we are told, was the first thing to take root there, and so the name of the island came to be written with the characters for 'bamboo' and 'grow' (chiku 竹 and bu 生), and to be read as Chikubushima. <end quote> In Japan's famous medieval epic Heike Monogatari 平家物語, Taira no Tsunemasa 平経正 (a famous poet and musician) visits Chikubushima, where he kneels and declares Daibenkudokuten (one of many Benzaiten forms) to be the "bringer of salvation for sentient beings.....those who worship here even once will have every wish granted." When Tsunemasa later played the biwa in her sanctuary, the goddess was so moved she appeared to him above his sleeve in the form of a white dragon. < see passage in Tale of Heike >. Both the Genpei Jōsuiki 源平盛衰記 and the Sankō Genpei Jōsuiki 参考源平盛衰記 (also dated to the medieval period Era Names & Dates: Standard dating scheme found in both Japan and the West.

Ancient refers to the Asuka and Nara periods (538-794) Classical refers to the Heian period (794-1185) Medieval refers to the Kamakura era (1185-1333), Muromachi era (1336-1573), and Edo era (1600-1867) Modern refers to everything since 1868 (Meiji, Taisho, Showa, & Heisei periods) NOTE: Ancient & Classical are sometimes used collectively to refer to everything through the Nara era. The Edo Period is also known as "Early Modern," while Meiji and after are the "Modern" period. The term "Premodern" refers to pre-Meiji. ) mention the appearance of Benzaiten during Tsunemasa's pilgrimage. The manifestation came in the form of a white fox jumping down from the altar. <Chaudhuri, p. 155; Minobe pp. 215-216> Also see English translations of this story in the Heike Monogatari by A.L.

Sadler (Google Books) and by the Asiatic Society of Japan (1918). In the latter, jump to Chapter Two for the story of Tsunemasa and the white dragon. The 18th-century text Ōmiyo Chishiryaku 近江輿地志略 presents the story of the origin of Chikubushima Shrine , in which Benzaiten appears before Emperor Kinmei 欽明天皇 (509-571) and tells him that she is a manifestation of the Sun Goddess Amaterasu , the spirit of the sun, and the spirit of wealth and social standing on earth. On the first day of the serpent in the month of the serpent she descends to earth and brings happiness to the people, and on the first day of the boar (hog) in the month of the boar, she ascends to heaven and nurtures the heavenly beings. <Chaudhuri, p.

46> During the forced separation of Buddhism and Shintoism in the latter half of the 19th century, objects associated with Benzaiten were replaced with Shintō items -- with Azaihime no Mikoto regaining her status as the central focus of veneration. But Benzaiten has since staged a comeback. Today the main devotional deity at the island's Shingon-sect Hōgonji Temple 宝厳寺 is once again Benzaiten, while the nearby Tsukubusuma Jinja Shrine 都久夫須麻神社 (aka Chikubushima Jinja) pays homage to Azaihime , Ichikishima (aka Benzaiten), food kami Uga-no-mitama , and Ryūjin 龍神 (Dragon King). Watsky says the name Tsukubusuma was a 19th-century concoctionion for renaming the island's main Benzaiten Hall. On page 42, Watsky writes: "Its present name -- the Tsukubusuma Jinja Honden (Tsukubusuma Shrine Main Hall) -- is a nineteenth-century fabrication.

It was conferred in 1871 as part of the new national policy to separate Shinto and Buddhism: the Shiga prefectural government declared the building [the Benzaiten Hall] to be Shinto and ordered that it be called by the Shinto name Tsukubusuma Jinja in place of the one then used, Benzaitensha. Objects associated with Benzaiten were replaced with Shinto ceremonial implements, and the kami Azaihime no Mikoto was made the new focus of worship.......the invented name is still used today, and Benzaiten's ritual objects remain exiled from their historical home, obscuring the pre-Meiji character of the building (and also of the thoroughly interwoven Shinto and Buddhist ritual activities of the island)." <end quote> Chikubushima's central event is the annual Lotus Festival (Renge-e 蓮華会) in mid-August, when the island celebrates the powers of Benzaiten. The festival traces its origins back to the medieval period, when the Chikubushima chapter of the Lotus Flower Society (also called Renge-e 蓮華会) prayed to Benzaiten for rain.

Each year a new statue of Benzaiten was (is) commissioned and installed within Hōgonji Temple. Dozens of these statues are still extant and on display in the interior corridors of the temple. Chikubushima's Hōgonji Temple is also the 30th site in the 33-Site Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage 西国三十三観音霊場 in Western Japan. Learn More Ichikishima Hime at Chikubushima. See page 49, Chaudhuri, Saroj Kumar, Hindu Gods and Goddesses in Japan. Vedams, 2003, xviii, 184 p, ISBN : 81-7936-009-1. <Amano-Saroj 49> At the Hōan-den 奉安殿, Enoshima. Kamakura Era. Learn More . At Enoshima, Benzaiten is associated with a turtle -- in various Japanese tales, turtles act as the main messengers of the dragon kings. For details see Turtles .

3 Dragon Scales = Hōjō Family Crest Dragon-Snake of Enoshima & the Hōjō Clan (Regents of Kamakura). According to a story appearing in the Japanese text Taiheiki 太平記 (circa 1371), Hōjō Tokimasa 北条時政 (1138-1215), the first Hōjō regent of the Kamakura shōgunate, visited a cave on Enoshima Island. He prayed to the dragon (serpent) living in the cave to grant prosperity to his clan. The wish was granted, and even today a dragon statue is enshrined in the cave. As a token of this promise, the dragon left behind three scales, which are reportedly the origin of the three triangles of the Hōjō family crest, known as the Mitsu Uroko 三つ鱗 (three scales).

Today this emblem can be clearly seen on the gates to Hōkaiji Temple 宝戒寺 in Kamakura, a temple built by order of the Ashikaga Shogunate in 1335 CE to pacify the souls of the defeated Hōjō clan. One of the Three Great Benten Sanctuaries (Nihon Sandai Benten 日本三大弁天) in Edo-era Japan and in modern times, as well as one of six Benzaiten strongholds as reported in the early 14th-century Japanese text Keiran Shūyōshū . Located on the island of Enoshima 江の島 in Sagami Bay, about 50 kilometers south of Tokyo and only seven kilometers from Kamakura. Enoshima was initially dedicated to the three Munakata kami goddesses of islands , with Tendai monk Ennin 円仁 (794-864) credited with enshrining Ichikishima-Hime (the most important of the three) here in 853 CE. Benzaiten was introduced to the island sometime later.

She, along with a dragon, figure prominently in the Enoshima Engi 江嶋縁起, a history of Enoshima written in 1047 CE by the Japanese monk Kōkei 皇慶 (also read Kōgei; 977-1049). See story below . Enoshima became an extremely popular shrine-temple multiplex in the 18th and 19th centuries, thanks not only to its proximity to Edo (Tokyo) but also because it offered spectacular views of nearby Mt. Fuji, one of the nation's most sacred peaks. In period artwork, Enoshima appears in over 200 Ukiyoe 浮世絵 (woodblock prints). With the forced separation of Buddhism and Shintōism (Shinbutsu Bunri 神仏分離) in the early Meiji period (1868-1912), Enoshima elected to join the Shintō camp and was therefore obliged to purge itself of Buddhist influences, which included its Benzaiten icons.

Let us note, however, that Ichikishima-hime (one of the Munakata Trio ) had many centuries earlier been identified as a kami manifestation of Benzaiten, and hence she served as a stand-in during Benzaiten's absence. The religious reforms following WWII allowed Benzaiten to stage a comeback. "At the jinja," says scholar Richard Thornhill in Sarasvati in Japan, "there are two statues of Benten, both more than 600 years old, of which one is unclothed and the other eight-armed. The unclothed Benten is milk-white, plays a biwa, and is carved in great detail. She is popular with female entertainers, such as geishas in the past and actresses and pop singers today.

The eight-armed Benten holds a sword, a dharma wheel and various other items found in Hindu iconography." <end quote> During the forced separation of Buddhism-Shintōsim, however, Enoshima's Benzaiten icons were "dumped into a corner" of a hall dedicated to Ichikishima-hime and "local children played with them." <quotes from Kondo Takahiro > When Benzaiten was restored after the war, the famous nude statue was missing its left hand, left leg, and right ankle ( see photo ). These had to be replaced. Today both statues are on public display in an octagonal hall known as Hōan-den 奉安殿 (see photos at right), but for most of their history, the two statues were hidden from the public gaze and exhibited only once every six years (in the year of the snake and year of the boar), said to be especially effective times to worship this divinity.

As for the 8-armed Benzaiten statue at Enoshima, the Azuma Kagami 全訳吾妻鑑, an official Japanese record of the Kamakura era describing events between 1180 and 1266, says the famed warrior Minamoto Yoritomo 源頼朝 (1147-1199) sought divine assistance from Benzaiten at Enoshima. Minamoto reportedly asked the Buddhist monk Mongaku 文覚 to make this statue to curse his enemies. Since the Edo period, it has been prayed to by samurai seeking protection on the battle field and victory in war. After Minamoto's invocation of the deity and the installation of the statue, the complex came to be called Kinkizan Yoganji Temple 金亀山与願寺. Says independent researcher Kondo Takahiro: "Minamoto named it Kinkizan Yoganji, a Shingon-sect Buddhist temple.......It was founded as a sub-temple of Ninnaji Temple 仁和寺 in Kyoto.

To the newly enshrined Benten, he prayed for victory over the Fujiwara clan, that was then powerful and grew near to rivaling the Minamoto up in Hiraizumi 平泉, Iwate Prefecture, in the northern part of Honshu. Yoritomo's prayer was answered. With his victory over the Fujiwara clan in 1189, the Benten goddess was reputed for her ability to fulfill the wishes of worshipers. The temple gained people's faith and was more popularly called 'Enoshima Benten' rather than Yoganji. Enoshima remained for a long time a sacred spot where only those of upper classes were allowed to visit, and off-limits to commoners. In 1600, Tokugawa Ieyasu 徳川家康 (1542-1616), the founder of the Tokugawa Shogunate, visited Enoshima Benten and made it an official prayer hall for the Tokugawa family. His visit spurred faith [among commoners] in Benten.

In the mid-Edo Period (1603-1868), this temple-shrine complex was finally made open to the public. Only 50 kilometers distant from Tokyo, Enoshima turned into one of the most popular and crowded religious places during the latter half of the Edo Period. Obviously, Buddhist elements such as the Benten statue were far more pronounced than Shinto deities, and Enoshima Jinja was apparently overshadowed. In fact, the entire complex was controlled by the temple called Iwamoto-in 岩本院 (now existing as an inn)......Before the Meiji Imperial Restoration of 1868, the complex abounded in Buddhism-related structures. It had a Nio-mon Gate, Three-story Pagoda, Enma-do Hall, Founding Priest's Hall, Goma (homa in Skt.) Hall, and Kannon Hall. The new government after the restoration named Shinto the official state religion. Enoshima Jinja and Shinto elements on the islet suddenly came into the spotlight. Enoshima must have undergone quite a change.

Following the 'Abolish the Buddha, Destroy Sakyamuni' (Haibutsu Kishaku 廃仏稀釈) policy initiated by the government, most of the Buddhism structures were removed or scrapped shortly afterwards. The Benten statues were nearly thrown away. The new Constitution enforced in 1947 after World War II guaranteed freedom of religion, whereby Buddha statues such as Benten were restored. They retain, however, nothing of the glory of former days. Only the name 'Enoshima Benten' is better known than Enoshima Jinja." Child-Eating Dragon of Enoshima Island. Says Indian scholar Saroj Kumar Chaudhuri in Hindu Gods and Goddesses in Japan , page 47: "The illustrated story on the origin of Enoshima Shrine, Enoshima Engi Emaki 江の島縁起絵巻, was written towards the end of the Muromachi period [circa 16th century]. It is said to be based on a story written by the monk Kōkei.......The illustrated story begins with the Japanese myth of creation of the world.

Next, it continues that a five-headed dragon came and settled down near a village [Koshigoe 腰越] and started troubling villagers by eating their children. Suddenly one day in the year 552 CE, dark clouds gathered over the sea near the village, and presently an island appeared from the sea. This is the island of Enoshima. Sarasvatī descended on this island from Heaven and settled down. One day the evil dragon saw beautiful Sarasvatī and immediately fell in love with her. The dragon requested her to fulfill his desire. She agreed, provided that he gave up his evil deeds and accepted the teachings of the Buddha. He promised and his desire was fulfilled. The dragon then turned into a hill. In 699, the famous ascetic Enno Gyōja saw a vision of Sarasvatī with eight hands in a cave on the island. The monk Dōchi read the Ho-ke-kyo sutra [Lotus Sutra] from 728 to 734. Sarasvatī appeared every night to hear the sutra and gave food to the monk.

The monk Kūkai saw her in a vision in 814, and made an idol of her. This was followed by visions by monks up to the year 1202. Sōzan Chomonojū 相山著聞集 written towards the end of the Edo period relates a similar story. A worshipper fell in love with the Sarasvatī idol of Enoshima Shrine and remained there for a number of days. Sarasvatī fulfilled his wish." <end quote> NOTE. This doesn't mean she had sex with the dragon. Her imagery as seductress is a didactic tool to help people overcome their sexual lust and break free of sexual desire. The link between Benzaiten and the dragon is not surprising. As this web page makes clear, Benzaiten's main avatar/companion is a snake -- and dragons are classified as a type of serpent (known in Sanskrit as Naga). Both snakes and dragons are creatures of the water and guardians of treasure, both befitting Benzaiten's role as goddess of water and wealth.

VOTIVE TABLETS FROM MODERN ENOSHIMA click to enlarge For more tablets, see this J-site One of the Three Great Benten Sanctuaries (Nihon Sandai Benten 日本三大弁天) in Edo-era Japan and in modern times, as well as one of six Benzaiten strongholds reported in the early 14th-century Japanese text Keiran Shūyōshū . It was initally dedicated to the resident kami Itsukushima , venerated early on (7th-8th century) as a protector of fishermen and boats, sometime thereafter as a warrior goddess, and later still (12th century) as a manifestation of Benzaiten. The early veneration of Itsukushima's island kami probably drew inspiration from the nearby Munakata Taisha Grand Shrine (Fukuoka Prefecture), which worships the three Munakata island-water goddesses . The most important of these three, Ichikishima-hime , is commonly considered a manifestation of Benzaiten. By the late Heian era (12th century), Itsukushima's kami was known as Itsukushima Myōjin 厳島明神 and was considered a form of Benzaiten.

The island sanctuary became the tutelary shrine of the Taira clan, which controlled that part of Japan. Taira no Kiyomori 平清盛 (1118-1181), whose family controlled Japan for less than two decades before being defeated by Minamoto no Yoritomo 源頼朝 (1147-1199), prayed to Itsukushima Myōjin 厳島明神 to assist him in his struggle to seize imperial authority. He also prayed to Dakiniten (another deity, as shown earlier, closely associated with Benzaiten). Located near the southern island of Kyushu, at the foot of Mt. Misen 弥山 (530 meters), Itsukushima Shrine was awarded UNESCO World Heritage status in 1996. Among foreigners, it is widely known for its famous red torii 鳥居 (Shintō gate) standing in the sea. The shrine is old. In 811 CE, Itsukushima Shrine (popularly known as Miyajima Jinja) was presented offerings as myōjin 明神 and simultaneously listed as an imperial shrine ( kansha 官社).

<source: Encyclopedia of Shinto >. Itsukushima also appeared in the Engishiki 延喜式 (circa 927 CE), a 50-scroll Japanese compendium of the regulations and procedures of aristocratic government during those days. It was a first-ranked shrine in the old province of Aki 安芸 (present-day Hiroshima; formerly known as Geishū Province 芸州 or 藝州). It was also an officially designated Kyū Kanpei Chūsha 旧官幣中社 (middle-ranked nationally significant shrine that received offerings from the Imperial Court up until 1945). The shrine is home to numerous Important Cultural Properties and National Treasures, including the Heike Nōkyō 平家納経 (a lavishly ornamented copy of the Lotus Sutra produced by the Taira clan and donated to Itsukushima shrine in 1164 CE), and a Batō 抜頭 mask of a red-faced man worn in performances of Bugaku 舞楽 (imperial court dance) made by the Buddhist sculptor Shamon Gyōmyō 沙門行明 (active 12th century).

With the forced separation of Buddhism and Shintōism (Shinbutsu Bunri 神仏分離) in the early Meiji period (1868-1912), Itsukushima elected to join the Shintō camp and was therefore obliged to purge itself of Buddhist influences, which included its Benzaiten icons. Let us note, however, that Itsukushima Myōjin (aka Itsukushima Hime) had many centuries earlier been identified as a kami manifestation of Benzaiten, and hence served as a stand-in for Benzaiten. Itsukushima Shrine is today, as it was in the past, dedicated to the Three Munakata Goddesses , whose mother shrines are in nearby Fukuoka Prefecture (some 8,500 Munakata shrines nationwide). Itsukushima Shrine is also dedicated to Susano-o no Mikoto , brother of the great sun goddess Amaterasu (tutelary deity of the Imperial household).

Amaterasu , as already discussed, is closely associated with Benzaiten, and the three Munakata kami were all formed when Amaterasu broke Susanō 's sword, chewed it in her mouth, then blew out a mist that produced the trio < see story >. There are numerous legends association with the shrine. Curiously, says scholar Chaudhuri (p. 38, p. 47) in Hindu Gods and Goddesses in Japan: "The Itsukushima Engi 厳島縁起 [13th-century Japanese text about the origin of Itsukushima Shrine] fails to mention the name Sarasvatī even once. Instead, the story begins with the main character falling in love with a picture of Kichijōten (Skt. = Lakṣmī) drawn on a fan (his family heirloom). The shrine has a sanctuary dedicated to Benzaiten but nothing whatsoever for worship of Kichijōten . The 1447 Gaun Nikkenroku Batsuyū 臥雲日件録 suggests the possibility that both Lakṣmī and Sarasvatī are enshrined at Itsukushima.

According to one legend, a beautiful lady came to the island by boat in the reign of Empress Suiko 推古天皇 (554-628). The lady said she had been wandering on the sea. This place was very solemn and majestic. So she would settle here. She next turned into a big snake. This serpentine form suggests that the lady may be Sarasvatī. However, in the next breath, the same entry says that, according to popular legend, the deity of Itsukushima has two husbands, one old and another new. The new husband is Vaiśravaṇa (aka Bishamonten ). In Japanese works, however, it is Lakṣmī, and not Sarasvatī, who is occasionally mentioned as the consort of Vaiśravaṇa." <end quote Chaudhuri> Says Minobe Shigekatsu, The World View of Genpei Jōsuiki : "The deity of Itsukushima Shrine was also said to be the daughter of the sea dragon king, and somewhere along the line belief in her became merged with belief in the Buddhist deity Benzaiten, with the two being worshiped as one.

Kiyomori revived this shrine in the mid-12th century and popularized the diety. In his youth, Kiyomori also worshiped Dakiniten to insure his own personal glory, and the story of Kiyomori's worship of Dakiniten is linked, among other things, to his belief in the Itsukushima Benzaiten . <end quote> In related matters, Monstropedia.org says: "Itsukushima Shrine is the abode of the sea-god Ryūjin's daughter. According to the Gukanshō and The Tale of Heike (Heinrich 1997:74-75), the sea-dragon empowered Emperor Antoku to ascend the throne because his father Taira no Kiyomori offered prayers at Itsukushima and declared it his ancestral shrine. When Antoku drowned himself after being defeated in the 1185 Battle of Dan-no-ura, he lost the imperial Kusanagi sword (which legendarily came from the tail of the Yamata no Orochi dragon) back into the sea. In another version, divers found the sword, which is currently housed at Atsuta Shrine.

The great earthquake of 1185 was attributed to vengeful Heike spirits, specifically the dragon powers of Antoku." <end quote> NOTE: The dragon king's daughter is described in the Heike Monogatari and other medieval texts as the third daughter of the dragon king Sāgara 娑竭羅; in the Kegon-kyō 華厳経 (Flower Garland Sutra, first translated in 420 AD), Sagara is described as the dragon who causes rain to fall). Says the Encyclopedia of Shinto: "Due to belief in the Three Female Kami of Munakata at Itsukushima Jinja, the Itsukushima kami was worshipped as a protector of fishermen and boats.

Itsukushima is also known as a 'military kami' (gunshin), as seen in this passage from the Ryōjin Hishō 梁塵秘抄 [a late 12th-century Japanese text compiled by the cloistered Emperor Goshirakawa]: "To the west of the [Ōsaka] checkpoint (seki) is the kami of the battlefield, Ichibon Chūsan (Kibitsu Shrine) and Itsukushima in Aki 安芸." After becoming governor of Aki (Aki no Kami) in 1146, Taira no Kiyomori (1118-1181) often visited the shrine. Upon Kiyomori's recommendation, Goshirakawa-in and Kenshunmon-in visited the shrine in the third month of 1174, and Takakura Jōkō visited twice. At the end of the Heian Period Itsukushima was worshipped by the entire Heike clan, and in 1168 the shrine's shaden structure was restored and expanded.

This connection to the Heike clan may have originated in the trade and shipping in the Inland Sea that had flourished since the days of Taira no Tadamori (Kiyomori's father). Due to Heike devotion, the Heike Nōkyō scrolls (a National Treasure) were originally donated to the shrine in 1164. In the medieval period Itsukushima was supported by the Ōuchi and Mōri clans, and the Shingon temple Suishōji became the shrine's administrative temple. Also a legend began that Kūkai founded (kaisan) the temple Misen. The "original Buddhist deity" (honji) of Itsukushima was believed to be the Eleven-faced Kannon (Ekadasamukha Avalokitesvara) or Mahâvairocana. Among commoners, a cult of Ebisu-gami developed, and Itsukushima was also worshipped by fishermen and merchants." <end quote> Learn More About Itsukushima Masako's Stones 政子石 Symbols of a happily married couple Hata-Age Benzaiten is a sub-shrine inside the grounds of Tsurugaoka Hachimangū in Kamakura.

The latter was first build around 1180 CE by famed warrior Minamoto Yoritomo 源頼朝 (1147-1199), the founder of the Kamakura shogunate. When exactly Benzaiten was introduced to Tsurugaoka Hachimangū is unclear, but in 1266 CE a shrine musician named Nakahara Mitsu-uji 中原光氏 donated a statue of a naked Benzaiten , which was initially installed in the Bugaku-in 舞楽院 (no longer extant), a center for the performance of shrine dances. <source: The Arts of Japan, Ancient and Medieval, by Seiroku Noma, p. 282> This now-famous statue is today housed at the nearby Kamakura Kokuhōkan Museum 鎌倉国宝館. With the government's forced separation of Japan's Buddha-Kami matrix in last half of the 19th century, the Tsurugaoka Hachimangū shrine-temple multiplex elected to join the Shintō camp, and Benzaiten's sub-shrine was removed because she was not considered a genuine Shintō deity.

The shrine we see today was rebuilt in 1956 and named Hata Age Benzaiten. HATA AGE 旗揚 literally means "raising the banner," and indeed, this small modern Benzaiten shrine commemorates Yoritomo's raising of the clan's white banner when it declared war on the Heike-Taira clan. If we recall, Benzaiten was petitioned by both the Minamoto and Taira clans to bring them victory during decades of bloody civil war. HATA AGE can also mean "the start of a new endeavor." Thus the name heralds the "reintroduction" of Benzaiten to Tsurugaoka Hachimangū . A few words about Tsurugaoka Hachimangū seem appropriate here. Minamoto Yoritomo began construction of this shrine around 1180 CE to petition Hachiman (kami of war; tutelary of the Minamoto clan) for victory over the rival Taira 平氏 clan.

In 1182, Yoritomo's wife Hōjō Masako 北条政子 (1157-1225) ordered the creation of two ponds -- a large one on the right called Genji Pond 源平池 in honor of the Minamoto clan, and a smaller one on the left called Heike Pond 平氏池 to symbolize the hated Taira clan. The Genji pond has three islands representing prosperity (three 三 is pronounced "san;" its homonym 産 means growth and productivity). The Heike Pond has four islands (four 四 is read "shi;" its homonym 死 means death and destruction). The Hata-age Benzaiten shrine is located on one island in the Genji Pond, and along its approach over a bridge are many white banners (flags). White is the color of the Minamoto clan. In bygone days, only white lotuses grew in the Genji Pond and only red lotuses grew in the Taira Pond (red was the color of the Taira clan). Today, however, lotus flowers of both colors grow in either pond, suggesting a posthumous reconciliation between the two warring clans.

The annual festival of the Hata-Age Benzaiten Shrine is held on the first serpent (snake) day in the month of April in the lunar calendar -- most befitting, as Benzaiten's Ennichi 縁日 (Holy Day) falls on days of the snake. The shrine also features two large stones known as Masako Ishi 政子石. Says the Kamakura Citizens Net: "If you go around to the back of the shrine, you will come to two large rocks named after Masako, the wife of Yoritomo, the first shogun. The rocks have become symbols of a happily married couple." <end quote> Hata-Age Benzaiten Shrine is also one of the seven sites in the Kamakura Pilgrimage to the Seven Gods of Good Fortune . located near Kamakura, is also devoted to Ugajin worship. Kamakura's second most-visited shrine (after Tsurugaoka Hachimangū).

People believe that washing their coins and paper money in water from the shrine's sacred mountain stream will bring them financial success by "making their money multiple." According to shrine's own legends (which do not appear in period texts), the founder of the Kamakura Shōgunate -- Minamoto Yoritomo 源頼朝 (1147-1199) -- had a dream in 1185 CE on the day of the snake in the month of the snake in the year of the snake (a very auspicious day in the Zodiacal calendar ). Based on the dream (see below), he ordered the construction of a shrine dedicated to Ugafukujin宇賀福神, a snake kami of water, food, and wealth. Uga 宇賀 denotes food/grain and fuku 福 means wealth. Ugafukujin is more commonly known as Ugajin , a snake-bodied human-headed kami who was merged with Benzaiten sometime in the 12th-13th century to create the combinatory fortune-bringing deity Uga Benzaiten .

Today the shrine is especially popular on days of the snake, when the money-expanding wealth-expanding powers attributed to Ugafukujin are said to be most effective. We may also note that Benzaiten's Ennichi 縁日 (Holy Days) are also on days of the snake, which occur once every 60 days in odd-numbered months in the lunar calendar. Nonetheless, not all snake days are auspicious. Some days, like the snake day of the twelve month in the old lunar calendar, are considered unlucky. On this particular day, people are advised not to work the fields or get married. Such bad-luck days, and there are many, are called Kannichi 坎日. Good luck days are called Kichijitsu 吉日, but there are many different terms for days of good or bad fortune. For more on this topic, see this E-site or this E-site. Yoritomo's Dream of Ugafukujin. Says Kamakura Citizens Net: "Minamoto no Yoritomo, the first Shōgun of the Kamakura government, prayed daily and nightly for peace and order in the country.

One day, on a day of the snake in the year of the snake, an old man appeared to Yoritomo in a dream. He said, 'Your concern for the people and sincerity have impressed me greatly. Behold, I will show you a secret that will bring peace and prosperity to your country. To the northwest lies a valley where pure water runs from among the rocks. It is a holy spring. Make an offering of its water to the deities whenever you pray.' The old man disappeared, saying 'I am Ugafukujin, god of this secret hamlet.' Upon awakening, Yoritomo immediately sent his men to find the spring that had been revealed to him. When the party eventually located the spot, Yoritomo ordered a cave dug and a shrine built, which he then dedicated to Ugafukujin. Further Yoritomo ordered his men to carry water from the spring to his residence and offer it to the deities. The realm, it is said, soon knew peace, wrongdoings disappeared, and people enjoyed their lives." <end quote> NOTE: The spring that was discovered was called Kakuresato 隠里 (lit.

= Hidden Hamlet) and became known as one of the five sources of pure water in Kamakura. Says the Kamakura Guide by Kondo Takahiro: "Praying to the god Ugafuku for a bumper crop, farmers near here washed rice seeds with this spring water. Later, Ugafuku began to be worshiped as the God of Wealth and was assimilated with Benzaiten (Sarasvati in Sanskrit), the Goddess of Fortune. Sarasvati is a divinized river in Brahmanism and revered as the Goddess of Water. The shrine, therefore, demonstrates a syncretism in Japanese religions combining a Shinto god with a Buddhism deity through the common element of water. The torii gates and the incense burner indicate a reconciliation of Shinto and Buddhism elements. The object of worship enshrined here is the statue of a serpent with a human head made of stone (andesite) brought from the Izu Peninsula. A serpent is supposed to be sacred to Benzaiten.

However, it is not viewable to visitors as it is enshrined deep inside a cave." Continues Kondo (author of Kamakura Guide , he is a retired business man living in nearby Yokohama): "Foreign visitors probably feel curious about the eggs sold at the souvenir shops inside the shrine,,,,,,,the favorite food of the serpent are eggs. Dedicating the eggs to the deity, they pray their wishes be answered." <end quote> Each year, the shrine holds its Benten Festival on the first serpent day of Feb. (lunar calendar). Other locations in Kamakura also worship Ugajin . One such place is Kaizōji Temple 海蔵寺, which venerates a statue of Ugajin (see photo at right). Says Kondo T: "There are four yagura caves to the left of the main hall. One of them, the second from the back, has a red torii gate, a symbol of Shinto shrines. Behind the torii is a stone statue of Ugajin . Though the head part is badly worn, it shows a snake coiled up around the body.

Ugajin is the god of food, one of the Shinto pantheon, but was merged with Benten (Sarasvati in Skt.) in Japan. Zeniarai Benten is a shrine sacred to Ugajin ." <end quote> Benzaiten's money-washing tradition is easy to understand. She is the water goddess of wealth and good fortune, and shrines/temples devoted to her are nearly always located near water (river, pond, lake, ocean). She is associated with the Naga (serpents and dragons), who guard treasure. But there is another deity, known as Fudō Myō-ō , who can work the same miracle. But why Fudō Myō-ō ? His real symbol is fire. His aureole is almost always the flames of fire. He is also the main honzon for GOMA 護摩, a fire ceremony still popular today in which defilements are symbolically burnt away. So why would people wash money under Fudō 's protection? Because he washes away impurities? Maybe, perhaps, because drawings of Fudō show him standing on a rock rising from the sea.

For example, the drawing at Daigoji 醍醐寺, Kyoto, and the famous 1282 drawing by Shinkai 信海 of Fudō standing on a rock rising from the sea. Moreover, the Kurikara (an icon of the dragon wound around a sword) often appears in Fudō paintings. Also, both the Kurikara & Fudō are found often near ascetic practice places, such as small waterfalls. Perhaps this is the reason. For more details, see Gabi Greve's Fudō Money-Washing . Benten | Japanese mythology | Britannica.com Japanese mythology Athena Benten, also called Benzaiten, (Japanese: Divinity of the Reasoning Faculty), in Japanese mythology , one of the Shichi-fuku-jin (Seven Gods of Luck); the Buddhist patron goddess of literature and music, of wealth, and of femininity. She is generally associated with the sea; many of her shrines are located near it, and she is frequently depicted riding on, or accompanied by, a sea dragon. According to one legend , she married a sea dragon, thus putting an end to his ravages of the island Enoshima.

She is often shown playing the biwa, a kind of lute. A white serpent serves as her messenger. Benten playing a biwa, copy of a painting by Yoshinobu, 17th century; in the Museum für … Courtesy of the Museum für Völkerkunde, Vienna Benten is identified with the Indian goddess Sarasvatī , also a patron of literature and the arts, who probably travelled to Japan along with Buddhism . See also Shichi-fuku-jin . Learn More in these related articles: Shichi-fuku-jin (Japanese: “Seven Gods of Luck”), group of seven popular Japanese deities, all of whom are associated with good fortune and happiness. The seven are drawn from various sources but have been grouped together from at least the 16th century. They are Bishamon, Daikoku, Ebisu, Fukurokuju,... Sarasvati Hindu goddess of learning and the arts, especially music. First appearing as the personification of the sacred river Sarasvati and also identified with Vac, the goddess of speech, she is later named the consort, daughter, or granddaughter of the god Brahma. She is regarded as the patroness of art,... Corrections? Updates?

Help us improve this article! Contact our editors with your feedback. MEDIA FOR: You have successfully emailed this. Error when sending the email. Try again later. Edit Mode Submit Tips For Editing We welcome suggested improvements to any of our articles. You can make it easier for us to review and, hopefully, publish your contribution by keeping a few points in mind. Encyclopædia Britannica articles are written in a neutral objective tone for a general audience. You may find it helpful to search within the site to see how similar or related subjects are covered. Any text you add should be original, not copied from other sources. At the bottom of the article, feel free to list any sources that support your changes, so that we can fully understand their context. (Internet URLs are the best.) Your contribution may be further edited by our staff, and its publication is subject to our final approval. Unfortunately, our editorial approach may not be able to accommodate all contributions. Submit Thank You for Your Contribution! Our editors will review what you've submitted, and if it meets our criteria, we'll add it to the article. Please note that our editors may make some formatting changes or correct spelling or grammatical errors, and may also contact you if any clarifications are needed.

Uh Oh There was a problem with your submission. Please try again later. Close Date Published: May 27, 1999 URL: Access Date: January 19, 2017 Share Benten: Japanese Goddess of Eloquence | The Broom Closet Look who fell out of the closet! March 8, 2013 Benten: Japanese Goddess of Eloquence Posted in Goddess Project , Goddess Things tagged Buddhist Goddesses , Goddess Benten , Goddess of the Arts , Money Washing , Shinto Goddesses , Water Goddesses at 11:26 am by Babs Benten is the Japanese/ Buddhist goddess of love, beauty, eloquence, wisdom, arts and music, knowledge, good fortune, and water. She is the protectress of children and the patroness of geishas, dancers, and musicians. Originally she was a sea goddess or water goddess, on whose image many local deities near lakes were based. Later she became a goddess of the rich and was added to the Shichi Fukujin. The island of Enoshima rose up especially to receive her footsteps. Her husband was a wicked dragon whom She reformed, and She is often shown riding one.

Dragons and their smaller relatives, snakes, are sacred to Her and snakes are often Her messengers. She is said to prevent earthquakes and is worshipped on islands, especially the island of Enoshima. Benten is originally of Hindu origin and is associated with Sarasvati, the Indian goddess of music and wisdom, and is sometimes shown with eight arms. Benten is also linked to Kwannon or Kwan Yin, the sometimes female, sometimes male deity of compassion in Buddhism. Benten is most often portrayed as a beautiful woman, riding a dragon while playing on a stringed instrument. She has eight arms and in her hands she holds a sword, a jewel, a bow, an arrow, a wheel, and a key. Her remaining two hands are joined in prayer. It is often related that when a dragon devoured many children, she descended to earth to stop his evil work thus gaining her the title of protectress of children. Benten is one of the Seven Gods of Good Fortune who sails on the Takara-bune, the treasure ship. Traditionally a picture of the Takura-bune placed under the pillow on New Year’s Eve will bring a lucky dream.

Benten brings luck and good fortune, persuasion and seduction. Alternate names: Benzaiten, Benza-tennyo, Benzai-ten Origin India. Sanskrit Sarasvati. Shinto Association: Kami Itsukushima Hime Member of the TENBU One of Japan’s Seven Lucky Deities Associations: The Naga (Snakes & Dragons). Benten is often depicted in artwork surrounded by white serpents or crowned with a white serpent. At other times she appears with a sea dragon. Images of her are also sometimes accompanied by a large white serpent with the head of an old man. This latter entity is called Hakuja, considered her companion. Even today, when many of the myths surrounding Benten are mostly forgotten, the Japanese believe that seeing a white snake is an open of great luck, but not many will remember why. Furthermore, in modern Japan, Buddhism and Shinto continue to share deities despite earlier and aggressive government attempts to divide te two into distinct camps during the Meiji Era of State Shinto. For example, the Japanese have merged Inari, the Shinto god/ goddess of rice, with Benten, the goddess of art and music. The composite deity is called Uga Benzaiten.

In Japan, the worship of the Goddess Kichijouten has been largely supplanted by Benten worship. The sea goddess, the sole female among the Seven Lucky Gods of Japan, invariably has Her temples and shrines in the neighborhood of water ; the sea, a river, or a pond. She is the patroness of music, the fine arts (dancing, acting, visual) and good fortune in general. She is often shown carrying a biwa (Japanese mandolin) or playing a lute. She is often represented as a beautiful woman with the power to assume the form of a serpent, of shown seated on a dragon or serpent and playing a lute. In fact, the snake is almost always associated with Benten, who was originally a Hindu deity (Sarasvati) who represented learning, music and poetry. Such artistic learning and wisdom often bring prosperity, hence her inclusion in the Japanese group of seven luckies. She also has a jewel that grants desires. Some say it is a jade, while others say it is a pearl. In India, she was named after an Indian river with the same name (Sarasvati).

She arrived in Japan soon after the introduction of Buddhism to this island in the 6th century, and her worship was based largely on her attributes as described in the Sutra of Golden Light. On days of importance to the serpent in Japan, one can find many festivals at the numerous Japanese shrines and temples dedicated to Benten, in which votive pictures with serpents drawn on them are offered. It is also said that putting a cast-off snake-skin in your purse/ wallet will bring you wealth and prosperity. Finally, during the Kamakura Period, artists for the first time began to create “naked” sculptures of Buddhist and Shinto deities. The object of their artistic talents was often Benten, although other deities, like Jizo Bosatsu, were also sculpted in the nude. Benten’s Children In early Buddhism in India, Benten is associated with 16 children said to be incarnations of the various Buddhist deities who symbolize the crafts for which she is the patroness. At Hase Dera in Kamakura, a cave with 16 life-size statues, all female, is found on the ground level of the temple.

One story is that 15 princes and 1 princess set out from Japan, which at that time was still part of the ancient continent of Mu, to populate the world. They went to various parts of the globe and apparently their names are even similar to the names of the various continents and countries. Money-Washing Tradition In the Konkomyo-saisho-o-kyo Sutra in Japan, she is said to protect those who possess this sutra and to help them acquire all sorts of material gain. The Zeniarai Benten Shrine in Kamakura City is devoted to the goddess Benton. At this shrine, believers “wash” their money in water to make it reproduce and increase. But there is another deity, known as Fudo Myou-ou, who can work the same miracle. This money-washing tradition is easy to understand for Benten. She is the goddess of fortune and shrines/ temples devoted to her are always located near water. She is associated with the Naga who guard treasure. But why Fudo Myou-ou? His real symbol is fire. His aureole is almost always the flames of fire.

He is also the main honzon for Goma, a fire ceremony still popular today in which defilements are symbolically burnt away. So why would people wash money under Fudo’s protection? Because he washes away impurities? Maybe, perhaps, because drawings of Fudo show him standing on a rock rising fromt he sea? For example, the drawing at Daigoji, Kyoto and the famous 1282 drawing by Shinkai of Fudou standing on a rock rising from the sea. More over, Kurikara, and Fudou are found often near ascetic practice places, such as small waterfalls. Perhaps this is the reason. Zeniarai Benten Shrine is a popular shrine in western Kamakura, where people flock in order to wash their money (zeniarai means “coin washing”). It is said that money washed in the shrine’s spring, will double. Minamoto Yoritomo, the founder of the Kamakura government, ordered the shrine’s construction after a god appeared in his dream and recommended him to build the shrine in order to bring peace to the country.

Because the dream occurred on the day of the snake, in the month of the snake of the year of the snake, the shrine was later dedicated to Benten because of her association with snakes. Zeniarai Benten Shrine is a nice surviving example of the fusion of Buddhism and Shinto. Many other shrines were stripped of their Buddhist connections when the Meiji government attempted to emancipate and separate Shinto from Buddhism. The money washing takes place in a cave. Kami are Shinto sacred spirits that are the objects to pray to for blessings and grace and to worship for their spirituality. The kami can take various forms including the forms of natural elements like trees, rocks, mountains, the wind, and the sun. The also take the form of national heroes and protectors of family clans or abstract things like fertility. Kami are the only things that have great influence on daily life. The kami of natural phenomena are worshipped: kami of the seas, kami of the rivers, kami of the thunders, kami of the rains, kami of the mountains. It is important to perform rites for kami since although they usually guard and bless people they can also get angry an bring misfortunes upon them. The kami are neither omnipotent nor omniscient.

In Shinto mythology, the kamiah that gave birth to the land of Japan failed at first and had to ask for help from other kami in heaven who told them to search for the answers through the practice of divination. There are no absolutes or perfect kami. The people worship the divine spirits, Shinrei, because they have great influence in their lives and they are in awe of the Magatsuhi Kami who bring evil into the daily living. Some of the most widely recognized of the Shinto gods and goddesses were Amaterasu, Benten, Daikokuten, Ebisu, Futotama, Hachiman, Inari, Inazuma, Izanagi, Izanami, Okuninushi, Sengen, Susanowa, Tenjin, and Toyouke. Many of these ancient Japanese Shinto kami goddesses and gods are living myths today. Amaterasu was a highly revered Japanese Shinto sun goddess. The daughter of the Creator god Izanagi and goddess Izanami, Amaterasu was known as “She Who Shines in the Heavens”, “Illustrious Goddess”, and “Ruler of the Plain of Heaven”, and the Japanese Imperial family was descended from her.

Written about in the Kojiki and Nihongi Japanese Sacred Texts, she has been revered since at least 600 ACE. Benten was a beautiful Japanese goddess of the arts, good fortune, knowledge, language, water, wealth, and wisdom. One of the Shichi Fujukin, “Seven Japanese Shinto Happiness Beings”, Enoshima Island rose from the waters to receive the footsteps of Benten. There are many sanctuaries dedicated to Benten like the popular Zeniarai Benten Shrine in western Kamakura. She was revered in both Japanese Shinto and Buddhist traditional practices. Benten was also the protectress of children, dancers, geishas, and musicians. Benten is often depicted holding a “Biwa” instrument in her hand. As an Archangel Bentael Benten serves as an Archangel of the Forth Ray of Wisdom Integration. She brings radiant concern, cheerful encouragement, and considerate understanding to the Fourth Ray of Wisdom Integration. The Sacred Site focal point of Archangel Benten is the Zeniarai Benten Shrine, Kamakura, Japan.

She shows, steers seekers of concrete comprehension with realistic determination, as they proceed, step by step, from devoted kindness assurance to merited influential development. Share this:

Question: In mythology, in which country is Benzaiten the Goddess of Love and Luck?
Answer: Japan