Vaiśravaṇa is the heaven who guards the north among the Four Heavenly Kings, the protectors of the Dharma and of the world. As one of the Four Heavenly Kings he is called Tamonten (the One Who Hears Much), and when enshrined as a deity standing alone he is called Bishamonten (Vaiśravaṇa).

He originally derives from Kubera, the god of wealth in Indian mythology, and was likewise a deity governing treasure and fortune. In Japan he has long been cherished as a guardian of martial fortune and victory, and as a deity who brings good fortune; by the Muromachi period he came to be counted among the Seven Lucky Gods.

In Sanskrit he is Vaiśravaṇa. The name derives from the sense of "one who hears well," and the Chinese rendering "Tamon" (Hearing Much) captures this meaning. This name also accords with an understanding of the deity as one who hears the Dharma well and lets beings hear the true teaching.

Vaiśravaṇa is a heaven who himself vowed to bring beings benefit and ease, treasure, and the protection of the land.

In the Sutra of King Vaiśravaṇa, one of the root scriptures of this deity, there is a scene in which Vaiśravaṇa, before the Buddha, asks to expound his own mantra for the sake of all people.

The three vows—"benefit and ease," "abundant treasure," and "guarding the land"—are gathered together in a single passage. To bring people peace, to bestow wealth, and to guard the land: the character of Vaiśravaṇa appears here in concise form.

Vaiśravaṇa is depicted as an armored, martial heaven. With a stern expression, he holds a jeweled stupa in one hand and a jeweled staff or halberd in the other, and treads upon a demon (jaki) beneath his feet: this is his basic form.

Above all, the jeweled stupa he raises in his hand is a symbol of bearing up the Buddha's relics and the Dharma, and is an attribute unique to Vaiśravaṇa.

Among the scriptures that expound Vaiśravaṇa, besides the Sutra of King Vaiśravaṇa, which sets forth his original vow, there is the Sutra of Golden Light (Suvarṇaprabhāsa), which expounds the protection of the nation by the Four Heavenly Kings. Its chapter "The Four Heavenly Kings Protect the Nation" sets forth a ritual method depicting the goddess Kichijōten to the Buddha's left and Tamonten to his right, which became the basis for the triad form in which Vaiśravaṇa is the central figure, attended by his consort Kichijōten and the prince Zennishi-dōji.

Within this single chapter both workings are expounded: the protective, victory-granting power that "causes enemies to retreat and scatter," and the fortune-bestowing, augmenting power that "fulfills honor and wealth according to one's wishes."

As the heaven who takes charge of the north among the Four Heavenly Kings, Vaiśravaṇa is esteemed in both esoteric and exoteric Buddhism as a guardian who protects the Dharma and the land. In Japan, meanwhile, he was enshrined early on as a deity standing alone, becoming the principal object of devotion for martial fortune and good fortune.

In the esoteric Buddhism of the Tang dynasty, beginning with the Sutra of King Vaiśravaṇa translated by Amoghavajra, the mantras, mudrās, recitation methods, and iconographic methods of Vaiśravaṇa were established. Prayer for fortune that takes the wish-fulfilling jewel as its essential meaning positions Vaiśravaṇa as a principal deity of augmentation (increasing fortune and majestic virtue).

The workings of Vaiśravaṇa are summed up in the three phrases of his original vow: benefit and ease, abundant treasure, and guarding the land.

What deserves to be kept in mind is that the scriptures do not teach wealth as something to be hoarded. The Sutra of King Vaiśravaṇa teaches that one should turn the wealth one gains, beyond one's own use, toward giving; be free of stinginess; and rouse a heart of great compassion toward all people. Prayer that seeks fortune does not end with one's own store, but opens out into prayer that enriches others. That is the fortune of Vaiśravaṇa.

Vaiśravaṇa has been devoutly venerated throughout Japan as a martial deity and guardian, and as a god of fortune.

• Chōgosonshi-ji on Shigisan (Nara). It is said that Prince Shōtoku prayed to Vaiśravaṇa for victory in the subjugation of Mononobe no Moriya, and from the tradition that Vaiśravaṇa appeared in the year, day, and hour of the tiger, the tiger is devoutly venerated.
• Kurama-dera (Kyoto). It was revered as a temple guarding the north of the Heian capital.
• The Four Heavenly Kings images of the Kaidan-in at Tōdai-ji (Nara). Masterpieces of Tenpyō sculpture, including Tamonten of the north.
• The Seven Lucky Gods. As faith in the Seven Lucky Gods spread in the Muromachi period, Vaiśravaṇa was counted among them as a god of fortune and wealth.

The feast day (ennichi) of Vaiśravaṇa is generally held to be the day of the tiger. This follows the tradition of his appearance in the form of the tiger at Shigisan.

At Byodoji, the 22nd temple of the Shikoku 88-temple pilgrimage and a temple of Kōyasan Shingon Buddhism, we perform the Vaiśravaṇa goma on the night of the 1st of every month. The 1st is the sakujitsu, the day that begins the month.

We deliver prayers seeking fortune and victory—prayer for victory, the rising of money-fortune, and rising fortune like a dragon's ascent—carried upon the wisdom-fire of the goma.

The Vaiśravaṇa enshrined at Byodoji is a standing image in joined-woodblock construction (yosegi-zukuri), held to date from the Edo period. Clad in armor, he holds a halberd in his right hand and raises a jeweled stupa in his left.

About the Statue

• The Vaiśravaṇa of Byodoji (introduction)
• The Vaiśravaṇa goma on the 1st of every month (explanation and application)