Guardians of the directions
Deities of the eight directions in Hinduism and Buddhism
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There are strong similarities between the concept of the guardians of the directions and the lore surrounding the Chinese four symbols, four ancestral spirits who are responsible for four of the cardinal directions (North, South, East, and West).
Directions in Hindu tradition
Directions in Hindu tradition are called as Diśā, or Dik. There are four cardinal directions, six orthogonal directions and a total of ten directions, however infinite combinations are possible.
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Lokapālas
In Hinduism, the guardians of the cardinal directions are called the Lokapālas (लोकपाल), or Dikpalaka. Three main distinctions of Dikpalaka are recognized, being:
Aṣṭa-Dikpāla ("Guardians of Eight Directions")
Daśa-Dikpāla ("Guardians of Ten Directions")
Besides the eight guardians, the following are added:
- Brahma (Zenith, meaning "the farthest up from the gravitational force")
- Vishnu (Nadir, meaning "the direction in which gravity pulls")
Nava-Dikpāla ("Guardians of Nine Directions")
(Called Devata Nawa Sanga in ancient Java and Bali Hinduism)
- Shiva (Center)
- Vishnu (North)
- Brahma (South)
- Isvara (East)
- Mahadeva (West)
- Sambhu (Northeast)
- Mahesora (Southeast)
- Sangkara (Northwest)
- Rudra (Southwest)
Directions in Japanese Onmyōdō
In Japanese Onmyōdō, directional guardianship is associated chiefly with the Konjin (金神), itinerant deities of metal believed to change position according to the year, lunar month, and season. The direction currently occupied by a Konjin was considered inauspicious, and travelers observed the practice of katatagae ("changing direction"), deliberately journeying toward a different direction for a day before resuming their route, to avoid setting out toward a taboo direction where a Konjin, Ten'ichijin, or Taihakujin was believed to reside. Widely observed among Heian-period nobility, the practice was reinforced by belief in the "seven deaths of Konjin", according to which violating a Konjin's taboo direction could cause the deaths of up to seven close relatives.
From the mid-Heian period, the Jingikan (Department of Worship) also conducted the Shikaku-sai ("Festival of the Four Directions") as part of a broader effort to formalize directional ritual observance within the Onmyōdō-influenced court religious system.