Star or lunar mansion
Gomitsugū
牛密宮
This is a sign introduced as one of the twelve zodiac signs.
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 Gomitsugū
This is a sign introduced as one of the twelve zodiac signs. It has the alternative name Kingyūgū, and it is explained as the same as today's constellation Taurus.
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 the traditions
The text lists Venus, pink and copper as what 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 sun's path into twelve
The twelve zodiac signs treat the ecliptic as twelve divisions. They were also taken into Buddhist sukuyō texts, where names corresponding to the twelve signs of the zodiac known from Western astrology appear in different kanji. The forms shown here are images that represent 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 zodiac signs appear in texts such as the Sukuyō Kyō and the 七曜禳災訣. 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