Hachiman (“many flags”), in Japanese mythology, is the patron god of warriors. Scholars suggest that his name comes from the custom of raising flags in honor of the gods. In the Middle Ages, Hachiman acted as the patron of samurai from the Minamoto clan, then as the protector of the samurai military class, “the god of bow and arrow,” that is, as the god of war. At the same time, he began to be revered as the guardian of the imperial citadel and, ultimately, as the patron of the imperial family. Ancient monuments depict legends about the appearances of Hachiman in the guise of an old blacksmith, a three-year-old child, and also about how God helped people. In Japan, his cult is very popular today. Under the name Hachiman, the ruler of the country Ojin, the fifteenth emperor of Japan, who reigned from 270 to 312, was deified; he was revered as the “god of bow and arrow”, as well as the patron of the samurai military class.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru