Shinra Myōjin

Shinra Myōjin (Japanese: 新羅明神; しんらみょうじん) is a Buddhist god associated with the Jimon branch of Tendai, a school of Japanese Buddhism that is chiefly worshiped in Onjō-ji. He is a god that was introduced to Japan from Korea (Silla) by incoming immigrants.

Historically, he was portrayed as a deity who arrived in Japan from Silla in order to protect Buddhist monks. He was later revised as a Japanese deity who went and subjugated Silla due to a negative shift in the perception of the kingdom within Japan. Domestically, he was regarded as a symbol of Jimon and its institutions, but also as a protector of sea routes and as a mountain deity. He also developed associations with waka poetry and with pestilence.

In art form, he is typically depicted as an elderly man dressed in the clothes in line with Tang-era officials with Buddhist elements, and historically, developed connections with a number of other figures, including Susanoo, Matarajin, and Mañjuśrī.