Deva (ten) or guardian deity
Jiyōraku
持瓔珞
Jiyōraku is one of the Ten Rasetsunyo (ten female rasetsu) who appear in the Darani-hon, chapter twenty-six of the Myōhō Renge-kyō (Lotus Sutra), and is named eighth in the sutra text. Together with Kishimo, her children, and their attendants, the Ten Rasetsunyo vow to protect those who recite and uphold the Lotus Sutra, and they recite dharani (darani) before the Buddha.
The vow of the Ten Rasetsu-nyo in the sutra and the later explanations of each figure's form and original Buddhist form (honjibutsu) are introduced with their sources kept separate.
English pages are the site’s own translations of its Japanese pages. The sources cited are in Japanese. 日本語で読む
The name and role of Jiyōraku
This is a name listed as one of the Ten Rasetsu. The figure is described as holding in the hand an ornament called a yōraku, and the original buddha (honjibutsu) is said to be Kanzeon Bosatsu.
Source: 飛不動尊 正宝院・飛不動尊 正宝院・飛不動尊 正宝院
Tracing the form and traditions
A yōraku is explained as an ornament of gold, silver, jewels, pearls, and the like strung together on cords, also written 纓絡. It is stated that the necklaces of Buddhist statues and the corded decorations attached to Buddhist implements such as canopies are also called yōraku.
Source: 飛不動尊 正宝院・飛不動尊 正宝院・飛不動尊 正宝院
The Ten Rasetsunyo who appear in the Darani-hon, chapter twenty-six
Jiyōraku is one of the Ten Rasetsunyo (ten female rasetsu) who appear in the Darani-hon, chapter twenty-six of the Myōhō Renge-kyō (Lotus Sutra), and is named eighth in the sutra text. Together with Kishimo, her children, and their attendants, the Ten Rasetsunyo vow to protect those who recite and uphold the Lotus Sutra, and they recite dharani (darani) before the Buddha.
Source: 日蓮宗 長崎教化センター
A story of vows: from demonic beings to benevolent deities
Shōhōin relates that the rasetsunyo who heard the preaching of the Lotus Sutra vowed to Shaka to protect those who have faith. This vow is a tradition common to all ten. The differences in their individual names and attributes are not turned into a meaning that each will surely grant a different wish; they are introduced in the context of protecting the Lotus Sutra.
Source: 飛不動尊 正宝院
The vow to protect those who uphold the Lotus Sutra
In the Darani-hon of the Lotus Sutra, the Ten Rasetsunyo, together with Kishimojin and others, vow to protect those who uphold the teachings of the Lotus Sutra. The Nichiren school explains protection from the various hindrances that obstruct people of faith as the core of this chapter. It is read as a vow common to all ten, and no separate benefits are added for the individual figures.
Source: 日蓮宗
Related kami and buddhas
Sources (in Japanese)
- 飛不動尊 正宝院「仏様の世界：持瓔珞」（2026-10-14 確認）
- 飛不動尊 正宝院「仏様の世界：目次」（2026-10-14 確認）
- 飛不動尊 正宝院「仏様の世界：十羅刹」（2026-10-14 確認）
- 日蓮宗 長崎教化センター「法華経ウェブ版：妙法蓮華経 陀羅尼品第二十六（真読）」（2026-10-15 確認）
- 日蓮宗「陀羅尼品｜ざっくり納得 法華経のすべて」（2026-10-17 確認）