Star or lunar mansion
Kuyōsei
九曜星
A grouping of nine stars: the seven luminaries (shichiyō), made up of the five planets of wood, fire, earth, metal and water together with the sun and the moon, plus Ragosei and Keitosei.
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 Kuyōsei
A grouping of nine stars: the seven luminaries (shichiyō), made up of the five planets of wood, fire, earth, metal and water together with the sun and the moon, plus Ragosei and Keitosei. A ritual centered on these, in which the twenty-eight lunar mansions (nijūhasshuku) and others are also enshrined, is described as Hoshi Matsuri (the star festival).
Source: 飛不動尊 正宝院・飛不動尊 正宝院
Tracing their forms and traditions
Ragosei and Keitosei are said to be the stars at the points where the moon's path and the ecliptic cross in Indian astronomy, with Ragosei at the ascending node and Keitosei at the descending node. Hoshi Matsuri is introduced as a ritual of prayer to ward off misfortune and invite good fortune.
Source: 飛不動尊 正宝院・飛不動尊 正宝院
The Kuyōsei: heavenly bodies represented as sacred figures
The Kuyō are the seven luminaries (the sun, the moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn) with Rago and Keito added. Rago and Keito are concepts related to the points where the apparent paths of the moon and the sun cross; they are not two planets visible to the naked eye. Here we introduce images that represent the heavenly bodies as Buddhist sacred figures.
Source: 飛不動尊 正宝院
Prayers at Hoshi Matsuri to ward off misfortune and invite good fortune
Shōhōin describes Hoshi Matsuri as a ritual in which the Kuyō and the twenty-eight lunar mansions are enshrined, with prayers to remove misfortune and invite good fortune. In the grouping of the Kuyō, knowledge for grasping the movements of the heavens overlaps with the wish to live each day in peace.
Source: 飛不動尊 正宝院
Mantra (in Japanese, as written in the sources)
曩莫三滿多沒馱喃 蘖囉醯濕嚩哩也 鉢羅鉢多 孺底囉摩野 娑嚩賀
Source: CBETA 電子佛典（大正新脩大藏經 第18冊 No.852a）
Shown as written in the Japanese sources. This site does not set how or how many times to recite it.
Related kami and buddhas
Sources (in Japanese)
- 飛不動尊 正宝院「仏様の世界：九曜星」（2026-10-14 確認）
- 飛不動尊 正宝院「仏様の世界：目次」（2026-10-14 確認）
- 日蓮宗 常在山本土寺「星祭（ほしまつり）とは？」（2026-10-15 確認）
- CBETA 電子佛典（大正新脩大藏經 第18冊 No.852a）「法全『玄法寺儀軌』（大毘盧遮那成佛神變加持經蓮華胎藏悲生曼荼羅廣大成就儀軌供養方便會）巻第二」（2026-10-22 確認）