In East Asian Buddhism, the Twelve Heavenly Generals or Twelve Divine Generals are the protective deities, or yaksha, of Bhaisajyaguru, the buddha of healing. They are introduced in the Medicine Buddha Sutra or Bhaiṣajyaguruvaidūryaprabharāja Sūtra.[1]
They are collectively named as follows:
Japanese: Jūni Shinshō (十二神将) or Jūni Shinnō (十二神王) or Jūni Yakusha Taishō (十二薬叉大将)[2]
Names of generals
The precise names of the generals seem to vary depending on tradition. Those listed below are from an available Sanskrit transcription of the Bhaiṣajyaguruvaiḍūryaprabhārāja Sūtra:[3]
While the Honji and zodiac correspondences listed above are the standard in Japanese sources, there is variation among texts and regional traditions.[6]
Popular culture
Statues of the Twelve Heavenly Generals stand in Ngong Ping, Hong Kong.
The Heavenly Generals all appear as boss characters in 1994 video game Shin Megami Tensei II. They are depicted as servants of Āṭavaka, and share the unique classification "Shinshou".
The Heavenly Generals and their names were used as character material for the powerful digital monster characters who serve the "Four Holy Beasts" (Digimon Sovereigns in the English Dub) in the Digital World, from the 2001 series Digimon Tamers, albeit with the names mismatched, due to being based on the Japanese zodiac classification.
Granblue Fantasy started to release series of playable units in 2015 which called "The 12 Divine Generals". Each of these units are named after the corresponding zodiac they represent. The Japanese version use adapted Hepburn romanization, while the English version adapted from Sanskrit.
Jujutsu Kaisen introduced Mahāla as a summon for one of the Ten Shadows technique, dubbing it the "Eight-Handled Sword Divergent Sīla Divine General Makora," which was mistranslated as "Mahoraga," despite the furigana for the both of them being distinct. A golden cursed tool with the power of lightning, and shaped similarly to adornments of the electric-themed Vajra named “Kamutoke” also makes an appearance.
_-_Shinshin_(Dragon_General),_Kamakura_period,_13th_century,_wood_with_polychromy,_cut_gold_leaf,_and_inlaid_crystal_eyes_-_Tokyo_National_Museum_-_DSC05366.JPG)
_-_Shishin_(Snake_General),_Kamakura_period,_13th_century,_wood_with_polychromy,_cut_gold_leaf,_and_inlaid_crystal_eyes_-_Tokyo_National_Museum_-_DSC05362.JPG)
