毘沙門天 (pronounced as '[i]Bishamonten'[/i] in Japanese, 'Vaiśravaṇa' in Sanskrit) is one of the most popular "'[i]tenbu[/i]' (天部, deva)":http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deva_%28Buddhism%29 in Japan. Devas are former gods of Hindu mythology which became the guardian deities of Buddhism.
He has various characteristics and figures in different regions. In Japan, he is a warrior god wearing Chinese-style [[armor]], holding a [[spear]] and a miniature pagoda ([[bishamonten's pagoda]]). In Chinese folklore, he has an [[umbrella]] and a silver [[mouse (animal)|]].
He is a member of the "Four Heavenly Kings":http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Heavenly_Kings (Kanji: 四天王) and the guardian god of the northern direction. Another name for him is 多聞天 (Tamonten, lit. 'Much hearing god').
In Japanese folklore, he is a member of '[i]Shichi Fukujin[/i]' (七福神, the [[Seven Lucky Gods]]).

[[Toramaru Shou]] in the [[Touhou]] series is a disciple of Bishamonten, as is [[Uesugi Kenshin]] in the [[Sengoku Musou]] series.

h4.See also

* Wikipedia: "Vaiśravaṇa":http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vai%C5%9Brava%E1%B9%87a 
* Wikipedia: "Four Heavenly Kings":http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Heavenly_Kings 
* Wikipedia: "Seven Lucky Gods":http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_Lucky_Gods
bishamonten