He was also the patron god for yidan (the Chinese counterpart to Japan's high-class geisha entertainers). One can see in old newspapers from the Japanese colonial period that yidan used to dress up as celestial goddesses on Marshal Tiandu's birthday as an expression of gratitude to their patron deity.
從日據時代的報紙可以發現，善於曲藝的藝旦，會在田都元帥生日期間，裝扮成各種仙班人物競美，來表達對祖師爺的感謝。