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Hachiman: another in my
occasional, and probably self-indulgent, series designed to show the religious
that there's more than one god worshipped in this inexplicable world of ours.
All these deities exist in the minds of those who hold them holy, but none of
them is real or any more special than the others.
Hachiman is the Japanese god
of archery and war, combining elements of both Shinto and Buddhism. He's defined
as the god of warriors, safeguarding and protecting them. Also divine protector
of Japan and the Japanese, his name means God of Eight Banners; a reference to
the eight heavenly banners signalling the birth of the divine Emperor Ojin. The
dove is his symbolic animal and messenger.
Hachiman has long been
worshiped by peasants, as the god of agriculture, and by fishermen hoping he'd
fill their nets with fish. In the Shinto religion, legend identifies him as the
Emperor Ojin, the son of Empress Consort Jingu, C3-4 AD.
