National Treasures & Important Cultural Properties
of National Institutes for Cultural Heritage, Japan

　　Twelve Heavenly Beings (Jūniten) is derived from the Indian Devas and adapted to Buddhism as guardian deities. They were originally established as Eight Heavenly Beings (Happōten) and included Taishakuten (east), Katen (southeast), Enmaten (south), Rasetsuten (southwest), Suiten (west), Fūten (northwest), Bishamonten (north) and Ishanaten (northeast) and placed in each direction. The other four included Bonten (heaven), Jiten (earth), Nitten (sun) and Gatten (moon) and were added to make Jūniten. The earliest painting of Jūniten drawn in Japan is the one held in Saidaiji Temple in Nara followed by the one held in Tōji Temple in Kyōto, which was drawn at the same time as the Five Great Ones in Daiji 2 (1127). These were used for the large rituals of esoteric Buddhism such as goshichinichi mishiho ritual. Just like these paintings, paintings with the Buddhist image standing on a lotus-leaf pedestal, a felt rug pedestal or a rising cloud and a Sanskrit seed syllable (shuji) on the upper part have the style of the Folding Screen of Jūniten used for abhisheka rite (kanjō). It seems they started to be used as replacements for Jūniten gyōdō ritual in the late Heian period (794–1185) and there are precedent works including the painting drawn by the painter-priest Takuma Shōga in Kenkyū 2 (1191) that is held at Tōji Temple, and others held at Jingoji Temple in Kyōto and Shōjuraikōji Temple in Shiga, etc. This was probably originally in the style of a folding screen.
　　The design of deities is very different from those held in Tōji Temple and Jingoji Temple (same as the painting of Shōjuraikōji Temple) and it has unique features in that Bonten has one face and four arms instead of four faces and Jiten is drawn with a flower vase instead of flowers in a basket or low pot in hands and the Nitten is drawn only with lotus flower instead of a sun disk. The lines are firmly drawn, and the shading technique is strongly applied. Colorful patterns and gold paint are applied on the clothing. The solid style of these paintings is favorable, and they have received attention as valuable works of the Folding Screen of Jūniten from the Kamakura period (1185–1333).