Benzaiten

Benzaiten (弁才天), often affectionately Benten, began as Sarasvatī, the Indian goddess of a sacred river, and of everything that flows: water, music, speech and knowledge. In Japan she became the patron of musicians, artists and scholars, and, as the character for talent came to be written with the character for wealth, a goddess of prosperity. She is the only goddess among the Seven Lucky Gods.

Japanese 弁才天, 弁財天, Benzaiten; Benten
Sanskrit Sarasvatī
Rank Deva; one of the Seven Lucky Gods
Recognise by A lady in court robes playing the biwa lute; or eight arms holding weapons, with a white serpent on the crown
Messenger The white snake; her days are the days of the snake

Two Benzaiten

  • The musician. Two-armed, seated, playing the biwa. This is the Benten of popular art and of the Seven Lucky Gods.
  • The protector. Eight-armed, holding a sword, bow and arrows, a wheel and other weapons. On her crown sits Ugajin, a coiled white snake with the head of an old man, a god of harvest and wealth.

Goddess of water

Benzaiten's shrines are built by water: on islands, in ponds and beside springs. The three great Benten shrines are traditionally said to be on Enoshima, near Kamakura; on Chikubushima in Lake Biwa; and on Itsukushima, Miyajima. At Zeniarai Benzaiten in Kamakura, visitors wash coins in a spring in the hope that they will multiply. Small Benten shrines on islands in temple ponds can be found across Japan.

Benzaiten in Japanese art

The Kamakura-period Benzaiten of Enoshima, carved naked so that she could be dressed in real robes, is one of the most famous. Edo artists painted Benten with her lute in the treasure ship of the lucky gods, and netsuke carvers made her a favourite subject.

Collecting notes

  • Lute-playing Benzaiten appear in wood, bronze, ivory and porcelain, often as part of a set of lucky gods. The strings and plectrum are usually lost.
  • Eight-armed figures with Ugajin are rarer and more esoteric. Check the small serpent on the crown.

In the collection

Search the collection for Benzaiten or browse the Seven Lucky Gods. Our collector concierge can search Japan for a particular image.

See also

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