text: kangiten kangi - ten ( japanese : , " god of bliss " ) is a god ( deva or ten ) in shingon and tendai schools of japanese buddhism . he is generally considered the japanese buddhist form of the hindu elephant - headed god of wisdom , ganesha and is sometimes also identified with the bodhisattva avalokiteshvara . he is also known as - ten , shō - ten ( , " sacred god " or " noble god " ) , daishō - ten ( " great noble god " ) , daishō kangi - ten ( ) , ( , " venerable god " ) , kangi - ten ( ) , - sama , vinayaka - ten , binayaka - ten ( ) , ( ) and - ten ( ) . kangiten has many aspects and names , associated with vajrayana ( esoteric buddhist , tantric , ) schools , shingon being one of them . although kangiten is depicted with an elephant 's head like ganesha as a single male deity , his most popular aspect is the dual ( ) kangiten or the embracing kangiten depicted as an elephant - headed male - female human couple standing in an embrace . names kangiten inherits many names and characteristics from the hindu god ganesha . he is known as bināyaka - ten , derived from the epithet vinayaka ; or gaṇapati ( ganapati is a popular epithet of ganesha ) and ( ganesha ) . like ganesha , bināyaka is the remover of obstacles , but when propitiated , he bestows material fortunes , prosperity , success and health . in addition , bināyaka is said to be of evil nature , creator of discord and dispute and leading people towards immoral ways . shō - ten or indicates his association with good luck and fortune . the name " kangi - ten " , generally implied to the tantric embracing deity icons , is venerated as giver of joy and prosperity . the dual kangiten icon called soshin kangi - ten ( " dual - bodied god of bliss " ) is a unique feature of shingon buddhism . it is also called soshin binayaka in japanese , kuan - shi ten in chinese and in sanskrit . iconography and depictions kangiten is often represented as an elephant - headed male and female pair , standing embracing each other in sexual union . the genders of the pair is not explicit , but hinted in the iconography . the female wears a crown , a patched monk 's robe and a red surplice , while the male wears a black cloth over his shoulder . he has a long trunk and tusks , while she has short ones . he is reddish - brown in colour and she is white . she usually rests her feet on his , while he rests his head on her shoulder . a variant form called " shoten fondly smiling " form , both of them gaze into each other 's eyes , smiling intently . she wears loose garments , while he wears tight ones . sometimes , they are cloaked in a single garment . in another variant , " embracing shoten looking over the shoulder " , as the name suggests , the couple look over each other 's shoulders . the iconography represents unity of opposites ( oppositorum ) . though they are separate figures with contrasting iconographies and genders , however they share the common name " kangiten " and are engrossed in an intimate embrace , indicating their . the non - dual is further stressed by sexual indicators like the feet - on - feet or the single garment . shoten may be also depicted as male alone . the deity figure ( s ) is / are portrayed as elephant - headed , with two , four , six , eight or twelve arms . however , his images are rarely displayed in public . when depicted as a male , shoten is generally four - armed , holding a radish and a sweet ( ) . he may also hold a mace , a sword , a cup of ambrosia or have two of his front arms folded . the six - armed aspect of kangiten is described carrying a knife , a fruit bowl , a discus in his left hands and a club , a noose and his broken tusk in his right . vinayaka are also depicted in two most important shingon mandalas , vajra - and - . the mandalas generally have more than 1 vinayaka figures . the vinayakas are elephant - headed , carry emblems such as radish and axe and are seated on lotus pedestals ( padmasana ) , the sign of divinity . the vinayakas are generally positioned as guardians of the directions and serve as protectors against demons and evil . the central figure of the mandalas is vairocana , one of the five great buddhas , whose incarnation the vinayakas are considered in this configuration . kangiten may also be depicted symbolically by symbolic syllable called or bija or by symbols such as an umbrella , garland or bow and arrow in mandalas . origins and texts kangiten first emerged as a minor deity in the japanese buddhist pantheon in the eighth - ninth centuries ce , possibly under the influence of ( 774 – 835 ) , the founder of shingon buddhism . the hindu ganesha icon travelled to china , where it was incorporated in buddhism , then journeyed further to japan . kangiten 's early role in shingon , like most other hindu deities assimilated in buddhism , is of a minor guardian of the twin mandalas . later on , kangiten emerged as , an independent deity . kangiten appears in numerous japanese guides , compiled in heian period ( 794 – 1185 ) . while it includes rituals and iconographic forms like the early chinese texts , it introduces origin myths of the deity to justify the buddhist nature of the hindu ganesha . early images show him as with two or six arms . the paintings and gilt - bronze images of the dual kangiten with explicit sexual connotations emerged in the late heian period , under the tantric influence of tibetan buddhism where such sexual imagery ( - yum ) was common . the rare japanese sexual iconography was hidden from public eye , to abide with confucian ethics . kangiten has now become an important deity in shingon . the origins of the dual kangiten have perplexed scholars for years ; there is no concrete evidence about the inception of this form . it is first found in chinese texts , related to chinese tantric buddhism , which was centred on the buddha vairocana and propagated by the three great masters śubhakarasiṃha , , and amoghavajra . the translated to chinese by the monk ( ) in 654 ce describes a ritual to worship the dual kangiten ; the same ritual was replicated by amoghavajra ( 705 – 774 ) in his ritual text kangi soshin binayaka ho . amoghavajra describes soshin kangiten as a deva , who grants one 's desires and a , the protector against evil and calamity . it details rituals and mantras to gain favour of the dual kangiten as well as the six - armed shoten . in another text by amoghavajra , soshin kangiten is called a bodhisattva . this text categorizes the worshippers into three : the highest can learn inner secrets , the middle can read this text and the lowest should just accompany a higher worshipper in rituals . it describes rituals to gain four siddhis ( " powers " ) , namely of " protection , of gain , of love and of subjugation " . rituals to appease kangiten are described to gain three material things : kingship , prosperity and sufficient food and clothing . the text especially prescribes wine , the " water of bliss " as an offering to kangiten . a minor text " ritual of sho kangiten " ( 861 ) by - jo - je chieh - lo describes the mandalas of kangiten . ( trad . 572 – 727 ) has written two texts ( dated c . 693 – 713 ) that narrate about vinayaka . in one of the texts , vinayaka teaches a host of deities and demons a one - syllable mantra , followed by a description of a ritual dedicated to the dual kangiten , which is also found in amoghavajra 's kangi soshin binayaka ho . vinayaka 's demon followers promise the deity to grant of wishes of beings , who repeat the one - syllable mantra . in the longer version of the previous text , elaborates of the vinayaka story and enlists many rituals to propitiate the dual kangiten as well as the four - armed form of the deity . it also has rituals to entice , gain wisdom , destroy foes etc . besides the usual list of rituals , mantras and iconographical descriptions of the deity , śubhakarasiṃha ( early 8th century ) in text , predating amoghavajra but post - dating composed in c . 723 - 36 , equates kangiten to shiva and associates " the hindu king " vinayaka with avalokiteshvara ( kannon ) . the dual kangiten may also have been by the hindu tantric portrayal of ganesha with consorts . legends numerous japanese buddhist canons narrate tales about the evil nature of vināyaka . the as well as śubhakarasiṃha 's early chinese text describes that king vinayaka ( binayaka ) was the son of uma ( hi ) ( identified with the hindu parvati , mother of ganesha ) and maheshvara , the buddhist equivalent of shiva , father of ganesha . uma produces 1500 children from her either side ; from her left a host of evil vinayakas , headed by vinayaka ( binayaka ) and from her right , benevolent virtuous hosts headed by the manifestation of avalokiteshvara – senanayaka ( " lord of the army [ of gods ] " , identified with the hindu god of war skanda , the brother of ganesha ) , the antithesis of vinayaka . senanayaka would take many births as the elder brother ( as in the hindu tradition ) or wife of to defeat him . then śubhakarasiṃha 's text says that as wife , senanayaka embraces vinayaka leading to the icon of the dual kangiten . in the japanese pantheon , kangiten is considered as the brother of ida - ten , with skanda . another legend narrates that the king of only ate beef and radishes . when these became rare , he started feasting on human corpses and finally living beings , turning into the great demon - king vinayaka , who commanded an army of . the people prayed to the avalokiteshvara , who took the form of a female and seduced vinayaka , filling him with joy ( ) . thus , he , in union with her , became the dual kangiten . the tells that , maheshvara 's consort , had a son named shoten , who was banished from heaven , due to his evil and violent nature . a beautiful goddess named ( ) , took the form of a terrible demoness and married shoten , leading him to good ways . another tale narrates that kangiten was the evil daughter of , driven out from heaven . she took refuge at mount binayaka and married a fellow male - binayaka , resulting in the dual kangiten icon . japanese variants of the legend of the dual kangiten emphasize that union of vinayaka ( the male ) and ( the female ) transforms an evil obstacle creator into a reformed individual . worship kangiten is considered to be endowed with great power . kangiten is regarded as protector of temples and worshipped generally by gamblers , actors , geishas and people in the business of " pleasure " . mantras are often prescribed in ritual texts to appease the deity and even to drive away this obstacle - maker . rice wine ( sake ) , radishes and " bliss - buns " ( - dan ) are offered to the god . while kangiten is worshipped throughout japan , - ji on the summit of mount is his most important and active temple . though the temple is believed to have been founded in the sixth century , it came in the limelight in the 17th century when the monk ( 1629 – 1716 ) made the temple 's , a heian period , gilt - bronze image of the dual kangiten , the centre of attraction . in the genroku era ( 1688 – 1704 ) , osaka merchants , especially vegetable - oil sellers , joined kangiten 's cult , attributing their success to his worship . business people still continue to worship him at the sanctuary and figurines of the dual kangiten are found in shops around the temple . the central dual kangiten icon is kept under a phallic cover called the linga - , when not being worshipped . besides shingon worship , as of 1979 , kangiten 's worship was recorded in at least 243 japanese shrines .