Group of figures
Jūrasetsunyo
十羅刹女
Chapter 26, the Darani chapter, of the Myōhō Renge Kyō (Lotus Sutra) names ten figures: Ranba, Biranba, Kyokushi, Keshi, Kokushi, Tahatsu, Muensoku, Jiyōraku, Kōtai and Datsu Issai Shujō Shōke. The Jūrasetsunyo come before the Buddha together with Kishimo, her children and her retinue, vow to protect those who recite and uphold the Lotus Sutra, and teach a dharani. Kishimo is recorded separately from these ten.
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 names and roles of the ten rasetsu
A grouping of the ten female rasetsu, from Ranba to Datsu Issai Shujō Shōke. Rasetsu are a kind of demon-deity in Indian mythology and are generally regarded as man-eating demons, but in the Lotus Sutra they are described as guardian deities of believers who serve Fugen Bosatsu.
Source: 飛不動尊 正宝院・飛不動尊 正宝院
Tracing their forms and traditions
The name is said to be also transcribed as 阿落刹婆, with males called 羅刹婆 and females 羅刹私. They are said to have turned from demon-deities into benevolent deities after hearing the teaching of the Lotus Sutra, and Rasetsuten of the Jūniten (Twelve Deities) is described as the lord of the many rasetsu.
Source: 飛不動尊 正宝院・飛不動尊 正宝院
The Jūrasetsunyo in Chapter 26, the Darani chapter
Chapter 26, the Darani chapter, of the Myōhō Renge Kyō (Lotus Sutra) names ten figures: Ranba, Biranba, Kyokushi, Keshi, Kokushi, Tahatsu, Muensoku, Jiyōraku, Kōtai and Datsu Issai Shujō Shōke. The Jūrasetsunyo come before the Buddha together with Kishimo, her children and her retinue, vow to protect those who recite and uphold the Lotus Sutra, and teach a dharani. Kishimo is recorded separately from these ten.
Source: 日蓮宗 長崎教化センター
A story of a vow: from demon-deities to benevolent deities
Shōhōin relates that the female rasetsu, having heard the Lotus Sutra preached, vowed to Shakyamuni to protect people of faith. This vow is a tradition shared by all ten. Differences in their individual names and the objects they hold are not turned into a meaning that each one 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
A vow to protect those who uphold the Lotus Sutra
In the Darani chapter of the Lotus Sutra, the Jūrasetsunyo, together with Kishimojin and others, vow to protect those who uphold the teaching of the Lotus Sutra. The Nichiren Shū explains protection from the many hindrances that obstruct people of faith as the heart of this chapter. We read this as a vow shared by all ten and do not add separate benefits to any individual figure.
Source: 日蓮宗
Mantra (in Japanese, as written in the sources)
おん あらきしゃせいびや そわか。
Source: 飛不動尊 正宝院
おん ぢりちえい そわか。
Source: 飛不動尊 正宝院
Shown as written in the Japanese sources. This site does not set how or how many times to recite it.
Related kami and buddhas
Sources (in Japanese)
- 飛不動尊 正宝院「仏様の世界：十羅刹」（2026-10-14 確認）
- 飛不動尊 正宝院「仏様の世界：目次」（2026-10-14 確認）
- 日蓮宗「ざっくり納得 法華経のすべて：陀羅尼品」（2026-10-15 確認）
- 鹿鳴文庫「仏像図彙：十羅刹女」（2026-10-15 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）