Gozu Tennō
| Gozu Tennō | |
|---|---|
God of plague, pestilence, and health | |
| Other names | Mutō-no-Kami (武塔神) Mutō Tenjin (武塔天神) Gion Daimyōjin (祇園大明神) |
| Japanese | 牛頭天王, 牛頭天皇 |
| Affiliation | Bhaiṣajyaguru (honji), Susanoo |
| Major cult center | Yasaka Shrine (formerly) Hiromine Shrine (formerly) Tsushima Shrine (formerly) Take-dera |
| Weapon | axe, noose, sword, halberd |
| Genealogy | |
| Consort | Harisaijo |
| Children | The Hachiōji (Eight Princes) |
Gozu Tennō (牛頭天王; Ox-Headed Heavenly King) is a Japanese shinbutsu-shūgō (syncretic) deity of disease and of healing. Originally imported to Japan from mainland Asia, he was regarded since the Heian period both as a causer of and protector against epidemics and eventually became amalgamated with the native kami Susanoo-no-Mikoto during the medieval and early modern periods.
During the Meiji period, when the government mandated shinbutsu bunri, the separation of Shinto and Buddhism, Shinto shrines dedicated to Gozu Tennō of the Gion cult tradition such as Yasaka Shrine in Gion, Kyoto or Tsushima Shrine in Tsushima, Aichi Prefecture or Hiromine Shrine in Hyōgo Prefecture officially reidentified their enshrined deity as Susanoo-no-Mikoto.