Hōdō Sennin
Hōdō (法道) or Hōdō Rishi, Sennin (法道仙人) was an Indian hermit and sage. According to legend, from the 6th to 7th centuries CE, Hōdō traveled from India peninsula through Tang China and the Korean kingdom of Baekje and eventually arrived in Japan. He is recognized as the founder of temples in the mountains of Harima Province and is associated with several ''chokugan-ji'' (勅願寺), Buddhist temples built at the request of the reigning emperor. Tradition holds that when Hōdō came to Japan, he was accompanied by the deity Gozu Tennō (牛頭天王; Sanskrit: ''Gośīrṣa devarāja''), who was later enshrined at Hiromine Shrine and Yasaka Shrine and is venerated in the Gion faith. While engaged in ascetic practice on Mount Rokkō at the Kumoga Iwa Rock (雲ヶ岩), Hōdō is said to have been approached by the deity Vaiśravaṇa riding on purple clouds. It was after this encounter that Hōdō built Tamon-ji in Hyōgo Prefecture to enshrine the Kumoga Iwa Rock, R ...
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