Sekizan Myōjin (赤山明神; also romanized as Sekisan Myōjin) is a Japanese Buddhist god venerated in the Tendai tradition. It is presumed that he is derived from a Chinese deity associated with Chishan, a mountain in Shandong who was incorporated into Buddhism and later brought to Japan by monks. Traditional narratives credit Ennin with his introduction, but this most likely does not reflect historical reality. Sekizan Myōjin is primarily considered a god of destiny, and in this capacity can be identified as a representation of the so-called "auxiliary star” of the Northern Dipper, Hosei (Alcor). He can also function as a protective god of Mount Hiei or as a deity associated with pestilence. In art he is depicted as an old man resembling the Ten Kings of Hell, sometimes armed with a bow and arrow. Oldest surviving depictions of him date to the Edo period. Through history, he acquired a number of associations with other deities, including , Shinra Myōjin or Matarajin. The located on Mount Hiei is a temple dedicated to him, originally erected in the ninth century. Name and origin According to Sekizan Myōjin engi (赤山明神縁起), Sekizan Myōjin was originally a Chinese deity associated with Chishan (赤山, read as Sekizan in Japanese; literally “Red Mountain”), a mountain in Shandong. It has been suggested that his name was initially a generic designation for any deities associated with this location. Supposedly Ennin came to pray at Chishan before embarking on the journey back to Japan. He promised the deity of the mountain that he will dedicate a shrine to him. When Ennin's ship was caught in a storm on the way back, Sekizan Myōjin appeared to him in the form of an old man and helped with securing safe passage. According to a variant of the tale, while Ennin was praying in Fahua yuan (法華院), a house of worship founded by Chang Pogo, Sekizan Myōjin appeared to him in the form of an old man and made a vow that he will protect him. Jikaku daishi den (慈覚大師伝) does not directly use the name Sekizan Myōjin, but it does state that in a dream Ennin met a local deity who took the form of an old merchant and sold him scales which let him acquire great knowledge. Despite the content of the narratives about Ennin,the oldest references to the worship of Sekizan Myōjin in Japan postdate his death. The link between