Star or lunar mansion
Sōnyogū
双女宮
This star deity is listed as one of the Twelve Palaces (jūnigū). The Twelve Palaces divide the ecliptic, the path of the sun, into twelve parts, and were also taken into Buddhist texts related to sukuyō (astrology of the lunar mansions and planets).
This introduction is based on materials from Shōhōin (Tobi Fudō). It is summarized within the scope of the beliefs and traditions those materials convey, and does not present explanations or customs common to all schools, shrines, and temples.
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 Sōnyogū
This star deity is listed as one of the Twelve Palaces. It is also called Shojogū and is described as the same as the constellation Virgo. Mercury, the color gray, and quicksilver are given as the things it symbolizes.
Source: 飛不動尊 正宝院・飛不動尊 正宝院・飛不動尊 正宝院
Dividing the path of the sun into twelve
The Twelve Palaces treat the ecliptic as twelve divisions. They were also taken into Buddhist texts related to sukuyō, where names corresponding to the twelve signs of the zodiac known from Western astrology appear written with different kanji. The figures depicted here are images that represent the stars and divisions as deities.
Source: 飛不動尊 正宝院
Reading them as part of the history of sukuyō
Shōhōin notes that the Twelve Palaces appear in texts such as the Sukuyō-kyō and the Shichiyō Jōsai Ketsu. They belong to a history in which astronomy and religion met: reading the positions of the stars, making calendars, and performing prayers to remove misfortune.
Source: 飛不動尊 正宝院