A Chance Encounter with a Tsunodaishi Amulet☆The Demon is a Form of Compassion☆A Charm Against Pestilence

I met a demon that wards off evil at Hyotan-dera (Yuzu-sonji Temple)★Its true identity is Ryogen, the Ganzan Daishi

While wandering around Sannomiya, I found a
gourd.

It was a temple called Yuzu-sonji.

It was locked, so I couldn't go inside, but...

I found an amulet to ward off pestilence.

Somin Shorai Shison no Ie
On Boron Sowaka

So...
what on earth is this??

Something that looks like a germ

I was so curious that after I got home,
I looked it up with Google Lens.

Wait... is this...
Kobo Daishi Kukai!?

Hey, are you serious!?
I almost believed it, but it was wrong after all...

I almost got fooled by AI (lol)

This is a deified Buddhist figure worshipped as a guardian deity for warding off misfortune and pestilence!! It was Tsunodaishi (Horned Daishi)!!

🕯️What is Tsunodaishi?

• True Identity: Ganzan Daishi Ryogen (912–985)
  → The restorer of Enryaku-ji Temple on Mt. Hiei. A high priest of the Tendai sect.

• Common Names: Tsunodaishi, Mamedaishi, Yakuyoke Daishi, Mayoke Daishi, etc.

• Appearance: A wrathful face with horns like a demon
  → In reality, it is a manifestation of compassion, having "become a demon to protect."

🧿Why did he take the form of a demon?

It is said that when a plague spread through the capital at one time, Ganzan Daishi transformed himself into the form of a demon to drive away the evil spirits.

The origin of the current 'Tsunodaishi Amulet' lies in him drawing his own likeness and distributing it to the people, saying, 'If you post this in your home, it will prevent disaster.'

He became a demon to protect us; he was an
incarnation of compassion.

Strangely enough, after learning this story, this picture suddenly started to look cute.

That's it!
I'll make a wallpaper amulet!!

For some reason, the Tsunodaishi amulet makes me feel that 'this place is protected.'

In this era filled with invisible anxieties, it's not a bad idea to borrow the power of an amulet passed down for a thousand years.

Like Tsunodaishi, who became a demon, 'a stance of not turning a blind eye to one's own weaknesses or the darkness of others, while never forgetting kindness.'

Behind the fear, there is kindness.

Just knowing that might change the way you see the world a little.

#WardingOffEvil #Amulet #Charm #Talisman #Tsunodaishi