Myoken Bosatsu (Hokushin)

Myoken Bosatsu, also known as Hokushin, is a Buddhist deity venerated in Japan as a personification of the North Star and the deity governing the celestial bodies. Rooted in the syncretism of esoteric Buddhism with Taoist and indigenous star worship, Myoken is regarded as a guardian figure associated with protection and the maintenance of cosmic order. Temples and shrines dedicated to Myoken, particularly within Nichiren Buddhist and Shugendo traditions, honor this figure through rites believed by practitioners to invoke safeguarding influence, though such benefits remain a matter of religious belief rather than verified fact.