Star or lunar mansion
Katsuchū-gū
蝎虫宮
A house listed as one of the Twelve Houses (jūnikyū). The Twelve Houses divide the ecliptic, the path of the sun, into twelve, and were also taken into Buddhist texts related to sukuyō.
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 Katsuchū-gū
A house listed as one of the Twelve Houses. It is also called Tenkatsu-gū and is regarded as the same as the constellation Scorpio, and the things it symbolizes are listed.
Source: 飛不動尊 正宝院・飛不動尊 正宝院・飛不動尊 正宝院
Tracing the figure and traditions
Pluto, crimson and iron are listed 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 Houses 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 in different kanji. The figure depicted here is an image that expresses a star or a division as a deity.
Source: 飛不動尊 正宝院
Reading it as part of the history of sukuyō
Shōhōin explains that the Twelve Houses appear in the Sukuyō-kyō, the 七曜禳災訣 and other texts. They are placed within a history where astronomy and religion meet: reading the positions of the stars, making calendars, and performing prayers to remove misfortune.
Source: 飛不動尊 正宝院