Myōken

Sudṛṣṭi (Myōken) is thought to have originated from Chinese folk beliefs regarding the northern pole star and/or the Big Dipper syncretized with Buddhism,[2][3] though an Indian origin has also been proposed.[4] Despite being called a 'bodhisattva' (bosatsu), Myōken is more accurately described as a deva.[5]

During the Tang dynasty, Chinese Buddhism adopted Taoist Big Dipper worship, borrowing various texts and rituals which were then modified to conform with Buddhist practices and doctrines. The cult of the Big Dipper was eventually absorbed in the cults of various Buddhist divinities, Myōken being one of these.[4]

The earliest source on Myōken is The Divine Spells of the Great Dhāraṇīs Taught by the Seven Buddhas and Eight Bodhisattvas[6] (traditional: 七佛八菩薩所説大陀羅尼神咒經, Pinyin: Qīfó bā púsà suǒshuō dà tuóluóní shénzhòu jīng; T. 1332), translated some time during the Eastern Jin dynasty (317–420 CE).[4] In the text, Myōken introduces himself as "the bodhisattva of the north star (北辰菩薩), by name called 'Wondrous Vision' (妙見, Pinyin: miàojiàn, Japanese: myōken)."[lower-alpha 1]

By the Tang period, esoteric texts and rituals centered on Myōken proliferated; a number of astral mandalas with Myōken as the primary divinity, drawing directly on the Tang texts, have been preserved in Japan. Ennin's diary of his travels in China in 838 suggests that the cult of Myōken was still flourishing there during the late Tang period.[4]

Chiba Shrine (千葉神社) in Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture
Originally an 11th century Buddhist temple dedicated to Myōken, converted into a Shinto shrine during the Meiji period

The cult of Myōken is thought to have been brought in Japan during the 7th century by immigrants (toraijin) from Goguryeo and Baekje. During the reign of Emperor Tenji (661–672), the toraijin were resettled in the easternmost parts of the country; as a result, Myōken worship spread throughout the eastern provinces.[7]

By the Heian period, pole star worship had become widespread enough that imperial decrees banned it for the reason that it involved "mingling of men and women," and thus caused ritual impurity. Pole star worship was also forbidden among the inhabitants of the capital and nearby areas when the imperial princess (saiō) made her way to Ise to begin her service at the shrines. Nevertheless, the cult of the pole star left its mark on imperial rituals such as the emperor's enthronement and the worship of the imperial clan deity at Ise Shrine.[8] Worship of the pole star was also practiced in Onmyōdō, where it was deified as Chintaku Reifujin (鎮宅霊符神).[9]

Myōken worship was particularly prevalent among clans based in eastern Japan (the modern Kantō and Tōhoku regions), with the Kanmu Taira clan (Kanmu Heishi) and their offshoots such as the Chiba and the Sōma clans being among the deity's notable devotees. One legend claims that Taira no Masakado was a devotee of Myōken, who aided him in his military exploits. When Masakado grew proud and arrogant, the deity withdrew his favor and instead aided Masakado's uncle Yoshifumi, the ancestor of the Chiba clan.[10] Owing to his status as the Chiba clan's ujigami (guardian deity), temples and shrines dedicated to Myōken are particularly numerous in former Chiba territories.[11] Myōken worship is also prevalent in many Nichiren-shū Buddhist temples due to the clan's connections with the school's Nakayama lineage.[12]

Myōken riding a tortoise

Veneration of Myōken as a god of war is believed to derive from the practice of worshiping the easternmost star of the Big Dipper, Alkaid (η UMa), known in Chinese as the 'Broken Army' or the 'Destroyer of Armies' (破軍星, Pinyin: Pòjūn xīng; Japanese: Hagunsei) to bring success in battle.[7][13] The Sutra of the Big Dipper for Prolonging Life (北斗七星延命經, Pinyin: Běidǒu qīxīng yánmìng jīng; T. 1307) identifies Alkaid with the buddha Bhaisajyaguru (Yakushi Nyorai),[lower-alpha 2] so that Myōken is thus sometimes considered to be a manifestation of Bhaisajyaguru.[14] In other traditions Myōken was also associated with Kisshōten (Mahāśrī, one of the Seven Lucky Gods).[15] Indeed, some early depictions of Myōken shared similar attributes to those of Kisshōten that a number of what are commonly believed to be depictions of Kisshōten may have originally been Myōken statues.[7]

Depiction of Myōken with four arms

During the late Edo period, the kokugaku scholar Hirata Atsutane identified the Big Dipper with the primordial deity Amenominakanushi-no-Kami.[16][17] Due to the separation of Buddhism and Shinto, many shrines (and some temples) dedicated to Myōken officially became Amenominakanushi shrines.[7][17] Myoken has also been identified (albeit less commonly) with the star god Amatsumikaboshi.

Depictions of Myōken have varied greatly over time. Aside from representations which conform to standard bodhisattva iconography, Myōken is also portrayed as a youth or as an armored, stern-faced figure holding a sword above his head. He can be shown standing or sitting atop a cloud, a dragon or a tortoise (the symbol of the north in Chinese cosmology). Artistic portrayals of Myōken, particularly those showing him with a sword, are thought to be influenced by depictions of the Taoist deity Xuanwu, who is also venerated as the god of the north.[7][18]

• Xuanwu (god)
• Black Tortoise
• Dhruva
• Big Dipper
• Little Dipper
• Buddhism in Japan
• Mount Myōken