Gozu Tenno is a syncretic deity venerated in Japanese religious tradition, historically identified with the Shinto god Susanoo through the process of shinbutsu-shūgō, the blending of Buddhist and Shinto beliefs. Depicted with the head of an ox, this deity is closely associated with the Gion Festival in Kyoto and is traditionally invoked in matters of purification, warding off plague, and exorcism of malevolent spirits. Worship centered on Gozu Tenno was historically significant at Gion Shrine (now Yasaka Shrine) before Meiji-era religious reforms formally separated Buddhist and Shinto elements of the tradition.