Bishamonten毘沙門天
Victory · warding off misfortune and evilAn armored warrior deity and one of the Four Heavenly Kings, guardian of the north. He is believed to ward off misfortune and evil and to bring victory.
This Bishamonten is based on the design of the Bishamonten with a dragon behind him that I painted about a year ago ("Guardian of Unwavering Resolve (Bishamonten)"). I gathered old reference materials and created my own original color scheme. The patterns on the arms and legs are my own interpretation, drawn by intuition.
On the treasure ship he stands at the highest point, shading his eyes and gazing far ahead. As a god who wards off misfortune and evil, the role that suits him best is to keep constant watch over where the ship is heading and check ahead before anything bad can happen, so I placed him at the bow. His brave, dependable figure carries the wish that everyone on board can sail with peace of mind.
With so many patterns, he took a great deal of time to finish, but I am happy with how he turned out.
Main patterns on the armor
- Kikko (tortoiseshell)
- The round chest plates. Hexagons modeled on a tortoise shell, a symbol of long life and good fortune.
- Bishamon-kikko
- The yellow parts of the armor. Three hexagons combined; named because it so often appears on Bishamonten's armor.
- Yabane (arrow feathers)
- The green band below the chest. Like an arrow flying straight, a pattern for pressing on toward one's goal.
- Hishi (diamonds)
- The fine diamonds on the red ground, named after the prolific water chestnut; a wish for prosperity.
- Lion-face buckle
- The gold face at the belly, a protective design that keeps evil away.
* The blessings and meanings of the patterns are based on long-held tradition and are not a guarantee of any effect.
