Removing calamities and Bringing good luck

Bishamonten is widely known to have been worshiped by many military commanders as a prayer for victory.

Go to Oiwasan Bishamonten's victory prayer page

On the other hand, Bishamonten is also counted as one of Shichifukujin (the Seven Lucky Gods). Among the Seven Lucky Gods, Bishamonten is said to bring blessings such as good luck, fulfillment of wishes, and prosperity in business.

Bishamonten is also known as one of the Four Heavenly Kings. The Four Heavenly Kings serve Taishakuten and are responsible for protecting Buddhism from enemies of Buddhism on the slopes of Mt. Sumeru. The Four Heavenly Kings are protected by Bishamonten (Tamonten) in the north, Jikokuten in the east, Zochoten in the south, and Komokuten in the west.
In Japan, Bishamonten Buddha statues come in various shapes. Among them, if you pay attention to the feet, many of the Bishamonten statues are shaped like trampling evil spirits. Statues of the other Four Heavenly Kings trampling evil spirits can also be seen. Bishamonten also carries a treasure stick and a sword, which are said to be used to defeat the enemies of Buddha.
In this way, Bishamonten has the role of protecting Buddhism from evil spirits. It is said that those who devote themselves to Bishamonten will also be protected from evil spirits, and it is said that the blessing of warding off misfortune and misfortune is very warm.

In addition to the main image of Bishamonten, there are festivals held at Oiwasan Bishamonten that have the benefit of warding off evil spirits. It is the Akutai Matsuri (The festival of saying something bad thing) that is said to be one of the strangest festivals in Japan.
The Akutai Matsuri is a festival where people walk from the base of Mt. Oiwa to the main temple of Bishamonten near the top of the mountain on the night of New Year's Eve, saying "baka yaro" and other insults as they walk up the mountain.
There are various theories about the origin of this festival, but one of them is related to the fictitious animal "baku".
It is said that at the end of the Edo period, when the Akutai Matsuri began, many people died from epidemics, and people prayed for the evil spirits to go away. It is said that while many people were dying, they asked Baku, a fictional creature that eats nightmares, to eat their nightmares in hopes that their prayers for the exodus of this evil disease would be heard. At first, this ``Baku'' was prayed for as ``Baku-sama,'' but it became ``Bakuyarou'' and ``Bakayarou.'' There is a theory that this is the origin of the swearing festival where people call themselves ``Bakayaro.''
At Oiwasan Bishamonten, during the Akutai Matsuri, we ask this ``baku'' to eat up misfortunes and misfortunes, and we give out votive tablets of a baku for 500 yen to pray for good luck and warding off evil spirits.

Go to the page for Japan's strange festival "Akutai Matsuri"

At Oiwasan Bishamonten, after the last Akutai Matsuri of the year to ward off bad luck, there is a festival held at the beginning of the year to pray for good luck and good fortune. That is the ``Takinagashi-no-shiki''(Takinagasi and shiki means waterfall and ceremony in japanese respectively ).
Taki-nagashi-no-shiki will be held at Oiwasan Bishamonten Main Temple after the New Year's first goma training, which begins at midnight on New Year's Day.
This event is said to have started during the Kanei era (1624-1643) in the early Edo period.
Takinagashi-no-shiki is held in front of the main image of Bishamonten, where the sacred sake is received from the forehead ``like a waterfall'' and is drunk from a large cup.
This ritual is performed to bring good fortune and blessings so that they will never run out like a waterfall.

Go to the page for Japan's strange festival "Takinagashi-no-shiki"

There are two ways to pray for disaster prevention and good fortune at Oiwasan Bishamonten: visiting the temple and Goma training.

Please visit Oiwayama Bishamonten and come to the front of the main temple. After ringing the bell, please put your palms together and pray silently towards the main image of worship, Bishamonten.
The inside of the main temple and the amulet awarding place are open every morning for five and a half temples or on the first day of every month. Also, on the first day of every month, the main image of Bishamonten is unveiled. Please come and visit us.

Go to Oiwasan Bishamonten worship information page

At Oiwasan Bishamonten, we carry out Goma training, which involves lighting a fire and praying inside the main temple.
It is held at 5:30 every morning or on the first day of every month.

Go to Oiwasan Bishamonten's Goma training page

Every New Year's Eve, from 11:00 p.m., Akutai Matsuri begins at 11:00 p.m. on New Year's Eve.We depart from the mountain trail from the Otokozakaguchi parking lot at the foot of Oiwasan Bishamonten and walk to the main temple of Oiwasan Bishamonten.

Go to the page for Japan's strange festival "Akutai Matsuri"

It is held every year from 12:00 pm on New Year's Eve (midnight on New Year's Day) at Oiwasan Bishamonten Main Temple.

Go to the page for Japan's strange festival "Takinagashi-no-shiki"

Oiwasam Bishamonten's amulet for warding off disasters, bringing good fortune and warding off evil spirits.

This amulet has the image of Bishamonten and is good for good luck and warding off evil spirits.

This is a strap amulet made of cypress with the principal image of Bishamonten engraved on it.

The fictitious animal "Baku" eats evil spirits, and it is used as a votive tablet to pray for warding off evil spirits.
For more information on the reason for this votive tablet, please see "Akutai Matsuri".