Kichijōten

Kichijōten (吉祥天), also read Kisshōten, is the Japanese form of Lakṣmī, the Indian goddess of good fortune, wealth and beauty. In Japan she was honoured from the Nara period in rites of repentance and prosperity held for the state, and she became the ideal image of feminine grace in Buddhist art.

Japanese 吉祥天, Kichijōten; Kisshōten
Sanskrit Lakṣmī, Śrī
Rank Deva
Recognise by A lady in Tang Chinese court dress with a high coiffure, holding a wish-granting jewel in the left hand
Companions Bishamonten, her consort; Zennishi Dōji, their son

Identifying Kichijōten

Kichijōten is dressed as a noblewoman of the Tang court, with flowing sleeves, layered robes and a high hairstyle with a jewelled crown. She holds a wish-granting jewel, hōju, in her left hand, and her right hand is lowered or raised in a gesture of blessing. Unlike Benzaiten, she carries no lute.

Kichijōten in Japanese art

  • Yakushiji, Nara. A small painting on hemp of the eighth century shows Kichijōten as a plump-cheeked court beauty, one of the oldest surviving secular-looking images of a woman in Japanese art.
  • Jōruriji, Kyoto. A brilliantly coloured Kamakura sculpture kept in a shrine cabinet, shown to the public only at certain seasons.
  • The Kurama triad. Beside Bishamonten at Kuramadera, with their son.

The repentance rite

In the Nara period, the court sponsored rites of repentance before Kichijōten at the New Year, praying for good harvests and peace. These rites, Kichijō keka, spread to the provincial temples and remain part of some temple calendars.

Collecting notes

  • Kichijōten figures are uncommon. When found, they are often paired with Bishamonten or part of a dispersed triad.
  • Original polychromy matters greatly for her figures, which depend on colour and pattern for their effect.

In the collection

Browse guardian deities and the Buddhist Statues and Sacred Art collection. Our collector concierge can search Japan for a Kichijōten image.

See also

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