Deva (ten) or guardian deity
Sakara-ō
沙羯羅王
This is Sakara-ō, listed as one of the Twenty-Eight Bushū. The Twenty-Eight Bushū are a group that protects Senju Kannon and the people who have faith in Kannon's teaching.
This introduction is based on materials published by shrines, temples, and schools, starting with Shōhōin. 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 Sakara-ō
This is Sakara-ō, listed as one of the Twenty-Eight Bushū. It is explained that, like Nanda Ryūō, Sakara-ō is counted as one of the Eight Great Dragon Kings.
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
Sakara-ō is said to hold a sword in the right hand and a snake in the left, and to wear a crown of five snakes on the head. The page also includes a list of the names of the Eight Great Dragon Kings.
Source: 飛不動尊 正宝院・飛不動尊 正宝院・飛不動尊 正宝院
A guardian group that supports Senju Kannon's salvation
The Twenty-Eight Bushū are deities who protect Senju Kannon and the people who have faith in Kannon's teaching. The Four Heavenly Kings, deities with origins in India and others form a group as protectors of Buddhism. At Sanjūsangen-dō they are described as attendants and companions of Senju Kannon.
Source: 飛不動尊 正宝院・蓮華王院 三十三間堂
Names and forms differ by scripture
The membership of the Twenty-Eight Bushū and the forms of their statues differ according to scriptural accounts. Because a deity of the same name also appears in other groups of guardian deities, this page presents the role "as one of the Twenty-Eight Bushū" separately from the character handed down for each deity individually. The statues of Sanjūsangen-dō and the iconographic materials of Shōhōin are not treated as having the same arrangement or forms.
Source: 蓮華王院 三十三間堂・飛不動尊 正宝院
Protecting those who have faith in Kannon from calamity
Kiyomizu-dera explains the role of the Twenty-Eight Bushū as protecting from calamity those who keep Senju Kannon in mind and call Kannon's name. Deities connected with many worlds, such as the sea and the land, together support Kannon's salvation as one group. This is a belief shared by all the Twenty-Eight Bushū; it does not assign the fulfillment of a separate wish to each deity.
Source: 音羽山 清水寺
Related kami and buddhas
Sources (in Japanese)
- 飛不動尊 正宝院「仏様の世界：沙羯羅王」（2026-10-14 確認）
- 飛不動尊 正宝院「仏様の世界：目次」（2026-10-14 確認）
- 飛不動尊 正宝院「仏様の世界：二十八部衆」（2026-10-14 確認）
- 蓮華王院 三十三間堂「二十八部衆像」（2026-10-15 確認）
- 鹿鳴文庫「仏像図彙：二十八部衆（3/3）」（2026-10-16 確認）
- 音羽山 清水寺「眷属 二十八部衆」（2026-10-17 確認）