BISHAMON

[Japanese] The Japanese god to whom many functions are attributed, but he is mostly known as a god of war, the distributor of wealth and protector of those who worship the 'Lotus of the righteous Law'. He was successfully invoked by Prince Shotoku in 587 during the campaign against the anti-Buddhist clans of Japan. He protects against demons and diseases, and a guardian of one of the four cardinal points (the North). Bishamon is one of the Shichi Fukujin . He appears in iconography as a powerful monarch, in full armor, standing on demons and holding a spear in his hand, but sometimes wearing a wheel of fire like a halo.