Japanese Buddhist pantheon
The rich Buddhist Pantheon of northern Buddhism ultimately derives from Vajrayana and Tantrism.
[2] The historical devotional roots of pantheistic Buddhism seem to go back to the period of the Kushan Empire.
[3] The first proper mention of a Buddhist Pantheon appears in the 3-4th century Guhyasamāja, in which five Buddhas are mentioned, the emanations of which constitute a family:[3][4] The five Kulas are Dvesa, Moha, Rāga, Cintāmani, and Samaya, which conduce to the attainment of all desires and emancipationBy the 9th century under the Pala king Dharmapala, the Buddhist Pantheon had already swelled to about 1,000 Buddhas.
[5] In Japan, Kūkai introduced Shingon Esoteric Buddhism and its Buddhist Pantheon, also in the 9th century.
[6] The Buddhist Pantheon in Japanese Buddhism is defined by a hierarchy in which the Buddhas occupy the topmost category, followed in order by the numerous Bodhisattvas, the Wisdom Kings, the Deities, the "Circumstantial appearances" and lastly the patriarchs and eminent religious people.
[7] A famous statue group, the mandala located at Tō-ji temple in Kyōto, shows some of the main elements and structure of the Buddhist Pantheon.
[12] (north) (west) (principal deity) (east) (south) These "Dhyani Buddhas" form the core of the Buddhist pantheistic system, which developed from them in a multiform way.
The first Buddha, Akshobhya, is colored blue and sits in a vajra posture with his hand touching the ground.
[12] The color blue and the vajra posture symbolize changelessness and permanance which is particular to him because he focuses on easing emotions that spur from anger.
[12] When one has been cleansed of the disturbing emotion of pride, one's ego becomes objective and this enables fairness and equality in regards to all aspects of one's life.
[12] This Buddha sits in vajra posture which represents fulfillment and suggests supreme generosity by giving the mudra hand gesture.
[12] The gesture of the wheel of dharma serves the purpose of symbolizing uninterrupted knowledge of how the world works.
[13] Yakushi was known as the Medicine Buddha and people would pray to him for protection against vengeful spirits and natural disaster.
[13] Yakushi can be recognized in Buddhist art by the iconography of the medicine jar which he holds in his hand.
These Gods are equipped with superior knowledge and power that give them influence on internal and external reality.
Gods, although benefiting from an exceptional longevity, nevertheless are submitted to the cycle of rebirths, and remain outside of the world of enlightenment and Nirvana.
The term Ten (天) is the equivalent of the Indian Deva and designated the higher divinities from the Four Heavenly Kings up.
When Buddhism entered Japan in the 6th century numerous Shintō divinities (kami) were also present in the Japanese islands, although they had no iconography.
This syncretism was officially abolished by the establishment of the Meiji Emperor in 1868 with the Shinto and Buddhism Separation Order (神仏分離令, also 神仏混淆禁止 Shinbutsu Konkō Kinshi).
Some, such as Kōbō-Daishi, the founder of Shingon Buddhism, are the subject of a devotion equivalent to that of the Buddhas or Bodhisattvas.
The list of these religious masters consists of men from the "Three Countries" where Buddhism was born and then prospered along the Silk Road: India, China, Japan.
