Gigeiten

Gigeiten is depicted as a beautiful young goddess, dressed in white garments, a yoraku garland and bracelets. She holds celestial flowers or a basket of flowers in her raised left hand around her chest, while her right hand fingers the hem of her kimono waist robes.^[2][3]

Gigeiten's famous statue is located in Akishinodera temple.^[1][3] The statue is listed as "Wooden standing statue of Gigeiten (head made of dry lacquer)" in the Important Cultural Properties of Japan.^[4] A Nara era (8th century) dry lacquer head is fitted to the wooden carved body from the Kamakura period (13th century).^[3][5] Gigeiten is depicted as a bodhisattva (bosatsu), with the right hand raised and her left hand clinging her garments.^[1] Some scholars have questioned the identification of the statue as Gigeiten.^[1]

Another notable sculpture of the goddess was made by Takeuchi Kyuichi for the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893 and is now preserved at Tokyo University of the Arts.^[6][3]

Gigeiten is regarded as a minor goddess.^[1] In esoteric Buddhism, the ritual of Gigei Tennyo-hō is said to grant her favour as mastery in the arts and good fortune; the ritual is prescribed to be performed only if the Shoten-ku in honour of Kangiten has failed to produce the desired benefits.^[2][3] Her seed syllable is हुं (huṃ).^[2] Her Samaya symbol is a celestial flower or a jewel. Her mudra involves intertwining the ring and middle fingers with hands together; other fingers are curved like a jewel. Her mantra is: "nǎng mó Ma xī shī mó Ra No wēn Sasō Ma mào shì qū No yì xī xì suō mó Ga".^[2]