Greetings yokai fans!
This week’s yokai is kendatsuba. There’s only a few more of these Buddhist spirits to go before I’ve got the whole hachibushu completed. Next time you visit a Buddhist temple, keep your eyes out for these guys. You can usually tell them because they have animal parts; sometimes a lion hood, other times a horse’s head or bird’s feathers!
Kendatsuba
乾闥婆
けんだつば
Translation: gandharva; musical demigods from Indian cosmology
Alternate names: jikikō (“scent eater”), kōjin (“scent god”)
Habitat: the heavens
Diet: incense and fragrant herbs
Appearance: Kendatsuba are demigods who are renowned for their musical talents. They usually appear as male humans, and are occasionally depicted as having animal body parts. They nature spirits, connected with trees and flowers, and can fly. They are revered as patron spirits of music and medicine, and as holy guardians who protect children from sickness and danger.
Behavior: Kendatsuba feed only on pleasant smells, such as incense trees and fragrant herbs. They serve other gods as singers, musicians, and messengers. Although they are artistic spirits, kendatsuba can also be violent. They often serve yasha as fearsome warriors.
Interactions: Long ago, kendatsuba were among the many nature spirits who were seen as an impediment to spiritual enlightenment. This was because they would disturb monks meditating in the forests and mountains. However, they converted to Buddhism after hearing the Buddha’s sermon, and pledged to no longer bother humans. They joined the hachibushū—eight races of divine beings who serve as warriors and spiritual guardians. They became defenders of the Buddhist faith, using their music to guide humans on their spiritual paths.
Origin: Kendatsuba come from Hindu mythology, where they are known as gandharva. Gandharva are spirits of the trees and flowers who are renowned for their skills in horsemanship, music, and illusion. They are the male counterparts and husbands of the apsaras (who are known as tennyo in Japan). They are also the keepers of a sacred hallucinogenic drink called soma. In Buddhism, they are viewed as celestial musicians, servants of the gods, and protectors of the teachings of Buddhism. Because they are closely tied to incense, herbs, and soma, they came to be viewed as gods of medicine as well.
The most famous depiction of a kendatsuba in Japanese art is found in the Hekijae (“The Extermination of Evil”) paintings, a National Treasure of Japan which depicts wrathful deities destroying evil spirits. In one of the paintings, Sendan Kendatsuba, the king of the kendatsuba, is shown decapitating hordes of demons with his trident in order to protect children and babies from harm.