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History of Byodoji TempleByodoji Temple Origin RecordPrincipal Yakushi NyoraiThe Eleven-Faced Kannon of the JibutsudoVaiśravaṇa at ByodojiKṣitigarbha at ByodojiAcala at ByodojiThe Box-Cart Miracle

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Byodoji AlmanacThe Complete EnnichiGanfuji: a Japanese prayer concerning cancerWhat Is "One Buddha, One Land"? Why Two Buddhas Never Arise in One World, Traced from the Sources21-Day Gyakushu OfferingWhat Is the Kaikyoge? The Sutra-Opening Verse, Its Meaning and OriginsWhat Is Shugen? Tracing the "Gen" of Shugendō to Its SourcesWhat Is Nyubutsu Samaya? Entering the Buddha's Vow in Shingon BuddhismWhat Is Transgressing the Samaya? Breaking the Vow With the BuddhaWhat Is Kyuri KajiKyuri Kaji Temples Across JapanWhat Is the Eleven-Faced KannonWhat Is VaiśravaṇaWhat Is KṣitigarbhaWhat Is AcalaWhat Is Bhaisajyaguru (Yakushi Nyorai)What Is the RishukyōWhat Is the Roji-no-ge (Verse on Striking the Gaṇḍī)? What the Bell TellsFocusing on People and Prayer — Eight Years of Cashless Offerings at ByodojiIn preparationThe Complete Guide to the Shikoku Pilgrimage (Ohenro)Shikoku 88 Temple Directory

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  2. ArrowAbout Byodoji
  3. ArrowVaiśravaṇa at Byodoji
About Byodoji

Vaiśravaṇa at Byodoji

At Byodoji, on the night of the 1st (the new-moon day) of each month, we perform the Vaiśravaṇa Goma before Vaiśravaṇa (Bishamonten). It is a goma that offers the prayer at the start of a new month to Vaiśravaṇa, who governs fortune and victory. You may also apply online.
Byodoji

Byodoji and Vaiśravaṇa

Byodoji, the 22nd sacred site of the Shikoku Pilgrimage and a temple of the Koyasan Shingon school, performs the Vaiśravaṇa Goma on the 1st of each month. The 1st is the sakujitsu, the day the month begins. At the start of the month, we pray to Vaiśravaṇa for that month's fortune and well-being.

Vaiśravaṇa is a heavenly king who guards the Buddha's teaching and brings treasure and fortune to all beings. Prayers seeking fortune and victory—for sure triumph, rising wealth, and rising fortune—are carried to him 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 pagoda in his left.

Standing statue of Vaiśravaṇa at Byodoji
Vaiśravaṇa at Byodoji（Collection of Byodoji）

About the Statue

PeriodEdo period (attributed)
MaterialJoined-woodblock (yosegi-zukuri)
FormStanding; halberd and jeweled pagoda
What

What Is Vaiśravaṇa

Vaiśravaṇa is Tamonten, who guards the north among the Four Heavenly Kings, and a heavenly king who governs treasure and fortune.

He is known for his figure clad in armor, holding aloft a jeweled pagoda (a tower that reverently bears the Buddha's relics and the Buddha's teaching) in one hand. As a deity venerated on his own, he is beloved as a guardian of martial and victorious fortune and as a deity who brings good fortune, and he is also counted among the Seven Lucky Gods.

The foundational scripture, the Sūtra of the Heavenly King Vaiśravaṇa (T1244), sets forth his original vow, in which Vaiśravaṇa vows to bring "benefit and ease to all beings, abundant treasure, and the protection of the land": "World-Honored One, for the benefit and ease of all beings of the future, for abundant wealth and treasure, and to protect the realm of the land, I expound my own mantra. This mantra of mine, like the true wish-fulfilling jewel-king (cintāmaṇi), can fulfill the multitude of wishes."

For more on who Vaiśravaṇa is, please see the explanatory article
Homa

The Vaiśravaṇa Goma on the 1st of Each Month

The 1st is held to be the ennichi (sacred day) of Myōken Bodhisattva and Vaiśravaṇa, and temples in many places hold the sakujitsu goma. At Byodoji too, we perform the Vaiśravaṇa Goma on this new-moon day.

The goma is a Shingon rite of prayer performed by kindling the wisdom-fire in the goma hearth and, while casting goma sticks into the flame, reciting mantra. You may entrust to it your wishes for fortune and victory—sure triumph, wealth, prosperity in business, and more. You may also apply online.

About the Vaiśravaṇa Goma on the 1st of each month (explanation and application)
Mantra

The Mantra We Recite

When putting our palms together before Vaiśravaṇa, we recite the following mantra.

The Mantra of Vaiśravaṇa

on baishiramandaya sowaka

oṃ vaiśravaṇāya svāhā

A mantra that takes refuge, saying "O Vaiśravaṇa," and prays for the fulfillment of his protection.

Frequently Asked Questions

Choose a Goma by your wish

Byodoji accepts online applications for five monthly Goma rites. Choose the deity closest to your wish, then review the details on the application screen.

Choose from five Goma rites by your wish
References

References and sources

This page presents a selected set of sources directly related to Byodoji's image and monthly prayers. The general article contains the fuller bibliography on Vaisravana's scriptures, iconography, and devotional history.

See the full bibliography in ‘Who is Vaisravana?’

Object held at Byodoji

Byodoji collection: a standing image of Vaisravana, traditionally dated to the Edo period. Constructed from joined wood, it holds a spear in the right hand and a stupa in the left.

Scriptures and ritual manuals

Translated by Amoghavajra, 『毘沙門天王経』 (Taishō Tripiṭaka No.1244), which sets out Vaisravana's original vow.
Translated by Yijing, 『金光明最勝王経』, fascicle 6, ‘四天王護国品’ (Taishō Tripiṭaka No.665), which describes the Four Heavenly Kings' vow to protect the realm.
Teachings of Shōken, 『祕鈔』, fascicle 16, ‘毘沙門’ (Taishō Tripiṭaka No.2489), which records the visualization of the ritual space and an oral teaching on the stupa.
Compiled by Jōnen, 『行林抄』, chapter 65, ‘毘沙門法’ (Taishō Tripiṭaka No.2409, vol. 76), which transmits the Tōmitsu ritual of Vaisravana.

Research and introductory works

Junko Koshi, 「毘沙門天霊験譚の成立について―不空と毘沙門天の関係を中心に―」, 『印度學佛教學研究』 53(1), 2004. Read on J-STAGE
Masatoshi Ishii, 「不空訳『毘沙門儀軌』について」, 『印度學佛教學研究』 68(1), 2019. Read on J-STAGE
Yukiko Satō, 『毘沙門天像の成立と展開』, Chūō Kōron Bijutsu Shuppan, 2022.Amazonで見る ↗

Further Reading

Articles to learn more about Vaiśravaṇa and the prayers of Byodoji.

  • What Is Vaiśravaṇa

    An explanation tracing this heavenly king of fortune and victory—Tamonten—from the sources, covering his original vow, his figure, and his veneration in Japan.

    Read→

  • The Vaiśravaṇa Goma on the 1st of Each Month

    An explanation of the goma that prays for fortune and victory, with guidance for applying online.

    Read→

  • The Eleven-Faced Kannon of the Jibutsudo

    An introduction to the Eleven-Faced Kannon, the principal image of the Jibutsudō, and the goma on the 18th of each month.

    Read→