Sanjūbanshin
Sanjūbanshin (三十番神) refers to the thirty deities in the syncretic Japanese Shinbutsu shūgō faith who were believed to protect the nation and its people on a rotating daily basis. Each of the thirty deities guards one day of the month (a month in the lunisolar calendar, 太陰太陽暦, had 29 or 30 days).
The practice is said to have originated when Saichō (founder of the Tendai school) enshrined these deities on Mount Hiei. By the Kamakura period, their worship became widespread. From the medieval period onward, they were particularly emphasized in the Nichiren and Hokke Shintō faith, as protective deities of the Lotus Sutra. This incorporation occurred because Nichizō, who was propagating the Nichiren sect in Kyoto, adopted the Sanjūbanshin from Mount Hiei for his missionary work. In addition, Yoshida Shintō developed its own Sanjūbanshin, such as "Thirty Deities Protecting Heaven and Earth," "Thirty Deities Protecting the Royal City," and "Thirty Deities Protecting Our Country." Yoshida Kanetomo claimed that the Sanjūbanshin faith originated from Yoshida Shintō. Yoshida Shintō also linked them to the "Thirty-two Deities" (三十二神) of the Tenson kōrin myth.[1][2] In 1868, during the Shinbutsu bunri, their enshrinement was temporarily prohibited in the early Meiji period, but today they may be enshrined in temple altars or subsidiary shrines at the discretion of each sect or temple.
Historically, there are said to be about ten types of Sanjūbanshin, including: protection of heaven and earth, protection of the imperial court, protection of the royal city, protection of the country, protection of forbidden areas, protection of the Lotus Sutra, upholding of the law, protection of the Lotus Sutra, and protection of the Nio Sutra.[3]
The table below lists the Sanjūbanshin according to the Nichiren sect:[4] Similar lists appear in Shintō Taii (神道大意) and Shukyaku Shō (拾芥抄).[5]
| Day | Deity Name | Current Shrine |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Atsuta Daimyōjin | Atsuta Shrine |
| 2 | Suwa Daimyōjin | Suwa Taisha |
| 3 | Hirota Daimyōjin | Hirota Shrine |
| 4 | Kehi Daimyōjin | Kehi Shrine |
| 5 | Keta Daimyōjin | Keta Taisha |
| 6 | Kashima Daimyōjin | Kashima Shrine |
| 7 | Kitano Daimyōjin | Kitano Tenmangū |
| 8 | Ebun Daimyōjin | Ebun Shrine |
| 9 | Kifune Daimyōjin | Kifune Shrine |
| 10 | Amaterasu Kōtaijin | Ise Grand Shrine (Inner Shrine) |
| 11 | Hachiman Daibosatsu | Iwashimizu Hachimangū |
| 12 | Kamo Daimyōjin | Kamigamo Shrine・Shimogamo Shrine |
| 13 | Matsuo Daimyōjin | Matsuo Taisha |
| 14 | Ōhara Daimyōjin | Ōharano Shrine |
| 15 | Kasuga Daimyōjin | Kasuga Taisha |
| 16 | Hirano Daimyōjin | Hirano Shrine |
| 17 | Ōhiei Gongen | Hiyoshi Taisha (West Main Shrine) |
| 18 | Kohiei Gongen (Ōyama-Kui-no-Kami) | Hiyoshi Taisha (East Main Shrine) |
| 19 | Shōshinshi Gongen | Hiyoshi Taisha Usa-no-miya |
| 20 | Kyaku Daimyōjin | Hiyoshi Taisha Hakusan-hime Shrine |
| 21 | Hachioji Gongen | Hiyoshi Taisha Hachioji Shrine |
| 22 | Inari Daimyōjin | Fushimi Inari Taisha |
| 23 | Sumiyoshi Daimyōjin | Sumiyoshi Taisha |
| 24 | Gion Daimyōjin | Yasaka Shrine |
| 25 | Akayama Daimyōjin | Akayama Zen-in |
| 26 | Takebe Daimyōjin | Takebe Taisha |
| 27 | Mikami Daimyōjin | Mikami Shrine |
| 28 | Hyōshu Daimyōjin | Hyōshu Taisha |
| 29 | Naoka Daimyōjin | Nawakashi Shrine |
| 30 | Kibi Daimyōjin | Kibitsu Shrine |
The Sanjūbanshin are based on the Buddhist concept of protecting the nation through the Dharma, found in texts such as the Lotus Sutra, the Abhiseka Sutra, and the Nioh Rites Sutra (仁王般若波羅蜜経), and were formed through the incorporation of Japanese kami within the syncretic Shinto-Buddhist framework.[3]
With the adoption of the solar (Gregorian) calendar, months now have 31 days. Therefore, on the 31st day, the Five Protective Deities (五番善神) are sometimes enshrined:
- Yakushi Bosatsu (薬王菩薩, Bhaiṣajyaguru)
- Yūshi Bosatsu (勇施菩薩, Mahāsthāmaprāpta)
- Tamonten (多聞天, Vaiśravaṇa)
- Jikokuten (持国天, Dhṛtarāṣṭra)
- Kishimojin (鬼子母神, Hariti)
- Jūrasetsu-nyo (十羅刹女, Ten Rākṣasī Goddesses) [6]
See also
References
- ^ Ryotoku Miyagawa (2011). "平成二十二年一月二十七日 最終講義 日蓮宗修法史概説 (宮川了篤先生退職記念号)". Minobu Ronsō (16). Minobu University Buddhist Society: 15–16.
- ^ 『国民思想叢書. 神道篇』 Kato Totsudo, 国民思想叢書刊行会, p.23-24 (National Diet Library)
- ^ a b Ken Mitsuhashi (2008-03-25). 日本の神々神徳・由来事典. Gakken. p. 224. ISBN 978-4-05-403651-2.
- ^ Gyokurenzan Shinjoji (Toyama Prefecture) website
Fukakusayama Hōtōji (Kyoto) Sanjūbanshin shrine deity list - ^ 『神道大辞典 第二卷』Heibonsha, p.125-126 (National Diet Library)
- ^ Hokke sect (Jinmon lineage) – What happens on the 31st day?