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Juuni Shinshou, Juni Shinsho
YAKUSHI KYOU, YAKSA GUARDIANS
Twelve Heavenly Generals
Attendants to Yakushi Nyorai
Members of the Tenbu

 Origin - India

The 12 Heavenly Generals protect and serve the Yakushi Nyorai (the Medicine Buddha). They are also known as the Juuni Yakusha Taishou 十二薬叉大将, or Juuni Shinnou 十二神王. The 12 are Hindu Yasha 夜叉 who were later incorporated into Buddhism as protective warriors. In Japanese sculpture and art, they are almost always grouped in a protective circle around the Yakushi Nyorai --  they are rarely shown independently. Many say they represent the twelve vows of Yakushi; others say the 12 were present when the historical Buddha introduced the "Healing Sutra;" yet others that they offer protection during the 12 daylight hours, or that they represent the 12 months and 12 cosmic directions, or the 12 animals of the 12-year Chinese zodiac. The Juni Shinsho are also members of the Tenbu (Sanskrit: Deva), a larger grouping of deities protecting the Buddhist realm. 

While interpretations differ, the Juni Shinsho are always depicted with fierce facial expressions and menacing martial stances. They usually wear armour, topped off with a helmet or spiked hair. Their main function is to protect Yakushi Nyorai, to protect those who read/believe in Buddhist writings that expand faith in Yakushi, to fight the enemies of Buddhism, and to wage war on sickness -- they are said to command the 84,000 pores (some resources say 80,000) of the skin in defending the health of the faithful. Their ferocious expressions represent their anger with evil deeds and evil people.

Yakushi Nyorai, along with his 12 attendants, arrived early in Japan (Asuka Period) from Korea and China, and soon appeared in temples throughout the nation. As such, the 12 Generals of Yakushi Nyorai are among the very first Buddhist deities to be introduced to Japan in the 6th and 7th century AD. By the late Heian period, or early Kamakura era, the twelve become associated/confused with the 12 animals (see details below) of the Chinese zodiac, and sculptures thereafter often show an animal in the head dress of each general.  

Below Table. The terms Daisho and Taisho come from the Butsuzo-zu-i.
  

Name	Sanskrit	Japanese	Associations
Bikara Taisho or Bikyara	Vikarala		red; armed with a three-pointed vajra; boar
Shotora Taisho	Catura		blue; armed with mallet or sword; dog
Shindara Taisho or Kimnara	Sindura		yellow; armed with rope or fly-whisk, pilgrim's staff (khakkara); rooster
Makora Taisho or Makura	Mahoraga		white; armed with axe; monkey
Haira Taisho	Pajra		red; armed with mallet, a bow or arrow; sheep
Indara Taisho or Indatsura	Indra		red; armed with staff or halberd; horse
Sanchira Taisho	Sandilya		gray; armed with sword or conch shell; snake
Anira Taisho	Anila		red; armed with trident or arrow; dragon
Anchira Taisho	Andira		green; armed with mallet or fly-whisk; rabbit
Mekira Taisho	Mihira		yellow; armed with vajra; tiger
Basara Taisho or Bajira	Vajra		white; armed with sword; ox; the one who protects mankind, bringing people's aspirations to fruition
Kubira Taisho	Khumbhira		yellow; armed with vajra; rat
The list above presents one common grouping. However, there are different groupings that associate each of the twelve with different zodiac animals. These 12 deities are also referred to as the Yaksha, a Hindi term for "nature spirit," or "warriors of fierce stance." The twelve Japanese generals were derived from these earlier Hindu manifestations. Note of Confusion. Some research says "Kubera or Kuvera" is king of the Yaksha and god of wealth or buried treasure, but I have been unable to confirm this. His attributes, again based on incomplete research, include a mongoose, club, pomegranite, water jar, and money pouch. Perhaps "Kubera/Kuvera" is an alternate spelling for the more accepted name "Kubira."  NOTE from: www.mikalina.com/Texts/japan_buddhist_painting.htm Marishiten (Marici), worshipped as a protection against fire and as the protector of warriors, is sometimes included as one of the twelve Yaksha Generals associated with Yakushi (the Medicine Buddha).

Heian Era wooden statues by Chosei, at Koryu-ji Temple in Kyoto
Above L to R: Anchira, Indara, Makora
Below L to R: Mekira, Sanchira
courtesy www.jinjapan.org/museum/bud/tenbu/tenbu03/tenbu03.html

Below Text Courtesy of:
JAANUS Online Dictionary
The twelve protective deities Yasha 夜叉 who accompany Yakushi 薬師. According to the sutra entitled YAKUSHI RURIKOUNYORAI HONGAN KUDOKUKYOU 薬師瑠璃光如来本願功徳経, upon hearing the Buddha expound the worthiness of Yakushi, these Yasha chanted his name and vowed to protect those who spread his sutra. Thus, they are specifically the protectors of those who are devoted to Yakushi and who chant the YAKUSHIKYOU 薬師経. Considered emanations of Yakushi, each of the twelve had 7,000 emanations, adding up to the number 84,000. Because the names of the Juuni Shinshou were transliterated from Sanskrit to Chinese, they tend to vary.

Although the appearance of the Juuni Shinshou is not described in the very early Chinese translation of the Yakushi-kyou, images appear to have been made in China from the Sui period (ca. 581-618) onward, and at an early point it appears that they were coordinated with the twelve emblematic animals, Juunishi 十二支. In Cave number 220 of the Tun huang Caves (Tonkou sekkutsu 敦煌石窟), carved in 642, the Juuni Shinshou who appear in the depictions of Yakushi's Pure Land Yakushi Joudo Hensou 薬師浄土変相 have animals on their crowns. In Japan the association of the Juunishi and the Juuni Shinshou appears in both the iconographic manuals KAKUZENSHOU 覚禅抄 and ASABASHOU 阿婆縛抄; while the Yakushi Nyorai Koushiki 薬師如来講式, written by Saichou 最澄, mentions that the Juuni Shinshou have jursidiction over the twelve hours. Although one might expect the earliest representations of the Juuni Shinshou in Japan to show the animals of the Juunishi, they are not indicated in either the Houryuuji Kondou 法隆寺金堂 painting or the Shin'yakushiji 新薬師寺 sculptures. Instead, they appear from the Kamakura period on, when the Juuni Shinshou linked to the function of the Juunishi, protected time (i.e. twelve hours, twelve days and twelve months) as well as ritual space.

The earliest representations of the Juuni Shinshou in Japan are the four figures painted in Yakushi's Pure Land on one wall of the Houryuuji Kondou. There are records that indicate that eight figures were part of the sculptural group that forms the Yakushi Joudo in the five-story pagoda, Gojuu-no-tou 五重塔 of Koufukuji Temple 興福寺. The oldest extant sculptures of the Juuni Shinshou are from the Nara period set in Shin'yakushiji in Nara. There are also the late Heian period relief sculptures at Koufukuji 興福寺. There are also sculptures (1064) by Chouzei 長勢 in Kouryuuji 広隆寺, and the Kamakura period sculptures in the Toukondou 東金堂 of Koufukuji. Paintings include the Youchi-in 桜池院 Yakushi Juuni Shinshou from the end of the Heian period. From the Kamakura period on representaions of the Juuni Shinshou were common.  <end JAANUS quote> 

Below Text Courtesy of:
www.healing-touch.co.uk/yakushi.htm
They are sometimes said to protect the faithful through the hours of the day, the months and the directions of space. They wage war on sickness and are said to command the 80,000 pores of the skin. They are said to relate to each of the twelve vows of Bhaisajyaguru (Yakushi Nyorai).

In some traditions, the twelve warriors are believed to protect the faithful by presiding over the daylight hours, the months, and the directions of space. There are typically twelve, but sometimes only nine, generals whose armies wage war on sickness. These twelve warriors are also representative of the twelve vows of Bhaisajyaguru. Although described in Sanskrit, Chinese and Japanese texts, the attributes assigned to them, as well as their colours (and sometimes their names), may vary.  

Yakushi Nyorai with 12 Generals at the base
Toji Temple in Kyoto
 photo courtesy of http://www.healing-touch.co.uk/yakushi1.htm
 Click here for quick photo tour of their site

JUNI SHI - 12 Astrological "ZODIAC" Animals
Click here for more information (origin China)
In Japan, by the end of the Heian Period, these twelve generals become associated with the twelve animals of the twelve-year cycle based on the twelve divisions of heaven in ancient Chinese astronomy. As a result, in Japan, it is not uncommon to see depictions of the Twelve Generals with the astrological animals in their headdresses. See M. W. de Visser's charts relating the twelve Yaksa to zodiacal signs in Ancient Buddhism in Japan, Vol. II (Leiden: 1935, pp. 551-553)   

• rat (Kubira, Kumbhira)
• ox (Basara, Bazara, Bajira, Vajra)
• tiger (Mekira, Mihira)
• rabbit (Anchira, Andira)
• dragon (Anira, Anila)
• snake (Sanchira, Sandilya)
• horse (Indara, Indra)
• sheep (Haira, Pajra)
• monkey (Makora, Mahoraga)
• rooster (Shindara, Sindura)
• dog (Shotora, Catura)
• boar (Bikara, Vikarala)

Each animal represents one year of a twelve year cycle. It also represents a day in a twelve-day cycle, and a two-hour period in each day, and a compass direction (not shown in above chart). There are different naming conventions, and sometimes the 12 Generals are associated with a different animal than listed above. For example, below is another common grouping that differs from the above list: 

• Bikara Taisho - rat
• Shotora Taisho - ox / bull
• Shindara Taisho - tiger
• Magora Taisho - rabbit
• Haira Taisho - dragon
• Indara Taisho - snake
• Sanchira Taisho - horse
• Anira Taisho - sheep (or ram)
• Anchira Taisho - monkey
• Mekira Taisho - cock / rooster
• Basara Taisho - dog
• Kubira Taisho - boar

Below is yet another grouping, which comes from Kakuonji Temple in Kamakura. The temple possesses life-size wooden statues of all 12, reportedly carved in the Muromachi Period, sometime around 1401-1411 AD.

1. Kubira - rat
2. Catura - ox
3. Shindara - tiger
4. Makora - rabbit/hare
5. Haira - dragon
6. Indara - snake
7. Sanchira (Sandira) - horse
8. Anira - sheep
9. Anchira - monkey
10. Mekira - rooster
11. Bachira -dog
12. Bikara -boar

Click here for details on the 12 astrological zodiac animals. 

LEARN MORE

• SIDE PAGE - Drawings of all 12 Generals
   
• SIDE PAGE - More Photos of the 12 Generals
   
• JAANUS Online Dictionary
  www.aisf.or.jp/~jaanus/deta/j/juunishinshou.htm
   
• Carvings of All 12 Generals - Available for Online Purchase
  www.butsuzou.com/jiten/12sinsyo.html (all 12)
   
• Drawings of All 12 - Japanese Language Site
  www.tctv.ne.jp/members/tobifudo/butuzo/12sinsho/12god1.html
   
• In Kamakura, the 12 Heavenly Generals are housed in the Yakushido Hall at Kakuonji Temple, and also at Kaizoji Temple.
   
• Excellent Photo Gallery of all 12, Plus Yakushi Nyorai
  www.healing-touch.co.uk/yakushi1.htm
  www.healing-touch.co.uk/pa-medb.htm
  www.healing-touch.co.uk/yakushi9.htm
   
• Five Photos of the Generals, by Chosei
  Heian period, 11th century, Koryuji Temple, Kyoto Prefecture www.jinjapan.org/museum/bud/tenbu/tenbu03/tenbu03.html
   
• Japanese Tibetan Indian Spellings and Photos
  www.tctv.ne.jp/members/tobifudo/butuzo/12sinsho/12god1.html
   
• Wooden Statues, Available for Online Purchase
  www.butsuzou.com/jiten/nikogako.html
   
• Wooden Masks, Available for Online Purchase
  www2.cyberoz.net/city/sanden/itiran01.htm
  The Basara mask (see top of this page) is available for online purchase. Also see: www2.cyberoz.net/city/sanden/prologue.htm
   
• www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Arena/9305/bud3.html
   
• www.pandaemonium.net/menu/devil/12zinzou.html
   
• www.koganet.ne.jp/~kitagawa/e_mika.html 

Copyright Mark Schumacher. Email Mark.
All stories and photos, unless specified otherwise, by Mark
www.onmarkproductions.com