Lit. Wind God and Thunder God. Based on popular Indian deities (Sk: Vayu and Varun) and Chinese deities (Ch: Fengshen 風神 and Leigong 雷公). Although the deities have no basis in early Buddhist scripture, the pair were added to the Twenty-eight Attendants, *Nijūhachi bushū 二十八部衆, forming part of the retinue of the Thousand-armed Kannon, *Senju Kannon 千手観音. In Esoteric Buddhism, mikkyō 密教, the Wind God is included among the Twelve Devas, *Jūniten 十二天, as Fūten 風天, and among the Gods of the Realms and Eight Directions, Gosei happōten 護世八方天, as the guardian of the northwest. He is also associated with the constellation Sagittarius (Jp: Iteza 射手座). The Wind God holds a large drawstring bag over his shoulder, from which he releases wind. Sometimes he grasps a spear with a red pennant. In Japan, the Wind God is usually depicted as a green demon with two horns, a grimacing mouth, and claw-like feet and hands. The Thunder God, typically, is red with a horned demon head, simian mouth, and claw-like feet and hands. He is encircled by a ring of drums, and often a small hammer to beat them. In China, the earliest known representations of the Wind and Thunder Gods are found in the 6th-century caves at Dunhuang (Jp: Tonkō 敦煌), where they are accompanied by rain and lightning gods. The Wind and Thunder Gods later appeared in 12th-century woodblock printed books depicting the Thousand-armed Kannon and the Twenty-eight Attendants. The earliest depiction in Japan is in an illustration of the Sutra of Past and Present Cause and Effect, Kako genzai ingakyō 過去現在因果経 (8th century), in which the Wind and Thunder Gods are included among demons attempting to frighten the historic Buddha, *Shaka 釈迦. The two deities appear in several Heian period *mandara 曼荼羅, such as in the Konkōmyō saishōōkyō mandara 金光明最勝王経曼荼羅 (12th century). The 13th-century Kei school, *Kei-ha 慶派 sculptures at the Sanjūsangendō 三十三間堂, Kyoto, represent the development of a sculptural tradition. Many legends and folktales surround the Thunder God, and he is included in various illustrated narrative handscrolls, *emaki 絵巻. For instance, according to the *Kitano tenjin engi 北野天神縁起 (Legends of Kitano Shrine), the vengeful spirit of Sugawara Michizane 菅原道真 (845-903) took the form of the Thunder God, and this illustration became one of the highlights of various versions of scrolls. The Edo period folding-screen, *byōbu 屏風, paintings of the Wind and Thunder Gods by Sōtatsu 宗達 (?-ca. 1640; Ken'ninji 建仁寺, Kyoto) and Ogata Kōrin 尾形光琳 (1658-1716; Tokyo National Museum) are well known.