Statues of Nyorai Kojin, Bishamonten, Benzaiten, and Fudo Myo-o 聖林寺如来荒神坐像、毘沙門天、弁財 天、不動明王

Official explanation

These statues positioned near Koyasu Enmei Jizo, the main image of worship at Shorinji, represent a mixture of Buddhist and Shinto beliefs. Such syncretic imagery was common in Japan before the government ordered the separation of the two religions in the 1870s. Nyorai Kojin, represented as a multi-armed, feminine deity, combines the gentle nature of Nyorai (the Buddha) and the fierce aspects of Kojin, a Shinto god (kami) associated with fire, stoves, and kitchens. Bishamonten, sculpted as a ferocious armed warrior, is one of the Four Heavenly Kings, Buddhist gods who watch over the four cardinal directions. Benzaiten is both a Buddhist deity and a female kami associated with wisdom and music. Finally, Fudo Myo-o, the wrathful deity with a halo of flames, is one of the Five Wisdom Kings in Buddhist mythology and an important protective figure in the Shingon sect of Buddhism.

出典: 地域観光資源の多言語解説文データベース（観光庁） — www.mlit.go.jp/tagengo-db. この英語解説文は観光庁の地域観光資源の多言語解説整備支援事業で作成しました。
Source: Japan Tourism Agency, Multilingual Explanation Database. This English text was produced by the Japan Tourism Agency's multilingual explanation project and is shown unedited. Opening hours and services may have changed since it was written.