Inori no Mori祈りの杜working title

Group of figures

Yakushi Jūni Shinshō (the Twelve Generals of Yakushi)

薬師十二神将やくしじゅうにしんしょう

A grouping of twelve generals described as the commanders of a guard that protects Yakushi Nyorai.

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 names and roles of the Yakushi Jūni Shinshō

A grouping of twelve generals described as the commanders of a guard that protects Yakushi Nyorai. Each unit is said to number seven thousand, with one unit assigned to each of Yakushi Nyorai's twelve vows, and their mission is to remove the eighty-four thousand afflictions.

Source: 飛不動尊 正宝院・飛不動尊 正宝院

Tracing their forms and traditions

From Bikara Taishō to Kubira Taishō, they are assigned to the twelve signs of the Chinese zodiac, and they are also said to have the role of keeping people safe, each taking charge of two hours of the day. There are various views on their names, objects held, forms and zodiac assignments; these pages take the Butsuzō Zui as the basis and give examples of how assignments differ between temples.

Source: 飛不動尊 正宝院・飛不動尊 正宝院

Protecting Yakushi Nyorai and those who believe in his teaching

The Jūni Shinshō are twelve generals who protect the world of Yakushi Nyorai and people of faith. Shin-Yakushiji explains that each leads seven thousand followers. Their fearsome faces and weapons are handed down not as a means of frightening people, but as forms showing the strong work of protecting the Buddha's teaching.

Source: 新薬師寺

The peace sought in Yakushi faith

In Yakushi faith, in which people seek deliverance from illness and disaster, the Jūni Shinshō carry out that protection. There is also a belief that links them with the twelve zodiac signs, but their names and zodiac assignments differ by source and temple. The individual assignments and objects on these pages are one example from the Butsuzō Zui tradition introduced by Shōhōin, not a correspondence table shared by all temples.

Source: 新薬師寺・飛不動尊 正宝院・奈良薬師寺

Related kami and buddhas

Sources (in Japanese)