Also sometimes called godaison 五大尊. Lit. five great *myōō 明王. Myōō is a translation of the Sanskrit vidyaraja, king of those who hold knowledge. The knowledge held is contained in the darani 陀羅尼, which are powerful mystic formulae the recital of which will afford protection to the user, and the mantras, Shingon 真言 which in Sanskrit means True words and which to Buddhists are a distillation of the Buddhist truth. The godai myōō is a group of five fierce deities that correspond to the five directions. *Fudō Myōō 不動明王 is in the center, surrounded by *Gōzanze Myōō 降三世明王 in the east, *Gundari Myōō 軍荼利明王 in the south, *Daiitoku Myōō 大威徳明王 in the west, and *Kongōyasha Myōō 金剛夜叉明王 in the north. In Tendai 天台 esotericism taimitsu 台密, *Ususama Myōō 烏枢沙摩明王 may replace Kongōyasha Myōō. The godai myōō are closely related to the *godairiki bosatsu 五大力菩薩. In the Ninnō gokoku hannya haramittakyō 仁王護国般若波羅蜜多経 (also known as Shin'yaku ninnōgyō 新訳仁王経) translated by Bukong (Jp: Fukū 不空, Sk: Amoghavajra, 705-774) the godairiki bosatsu of the older translation Kyūyaku ninnōgyō 旧訳仁王経 made by Kumarajiva (Jp: Kumarajuu 鳩摩羅什) are replaced by the five bodhisattvas of the five directions. These are *Dainichi 大日 in the center, *Ashuku 阿しゅく in the east, Houshou 宝生 in the south, *Amida 阿弥陀 in the west and Fukū jōju 不空成就 in the north. In the Ninnōkyō hannya haramitta nenju giki 仁王般若波羅蜜多念誦儀軌 (Ninnō nenju giki 仁王念誦儀軌), also translated by Amoghavajra, the description of the mandala *mandara 曼荼羅 of the Ninnōgyōhō 仁王経法 (see *Ninnōgyō mandara 仁王経曼荼羅) and the directions for the ritual show that the five bodhisattvas have fierce forms *funnusō 忿怒相 and thus they are equivalent to the five fierce deities or the godai myōō. The only Chinese illustration of the godai myōō appears on a Tang vajra-bell godai myōō gokorei 五大明王五鈷鈴, a ritual implement now in the Tokyo National Museum. The first appearance of the godai myōō in Japan was in the sculptural group of 21 figures in the *Kōdō 講堂 of Tōji 東寺 (Kyōōgokokuji 教王護国寺) in Kyoto, finished in 839, four years after *Kūkai's 空海 death. This sculptural expression of the sutra Ninnōgyō 仁王経, comprised three sets of five deities: the Five Buddas gobutsu 五仏; jishōrinjin 自性輪身, the Five Bodhisattvas gobosatsu 五菩薩; shōbōrinjin 正法輪身 and the five myōō kyōryōrinjin 教令輪身. They are accompanied by the Four Guardian Kings *shitennō 四天王, *Taishakuten 帝釈天, and *Bonten 梵天. A fire destroyed the original images of the Five Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, but the five great myōō have survived with some repair. Paintings of the godai myōō were made for the goshichinichi-no-mishuhō 五七日御修法, a ceremony held yearly in the Shingon'in 真言院 of the imperial palace from the early Heian period to intercede for the safety of the person of the emperor, the protection of the nation, and other benefits. The paintings and other art and ritual objects were brought from Tōji, where they were stored. Sculptures were made as principal image *honzon 本尊 for the the ritual godanhō 五壇法, first celebrated in 961 on Mt. Hiei 比叡 and celebrated for the first time in the palace in 1065. Special halls, called *godaidō 五大堂, were built to enshrine the godai myōō and accommodate the ceremony. The godanhō was celebrated by five officiants performing goma 護摩, a fire ceremony, for each of the five deities. With the shift in power from the imperial family to the Fujiwara 藤原 aristocracy in the mid-Heian period, the focus of the ritual appears to have changed from public issues, such as national security, to more personal concerns, such as harmony and prosperity. Both the imperial family and aristocrats came individually to propitiate Fudō and the godai myōō for quelling demons, healing and safe childbirth. Besides the Tōji Kōdō sculptures, famous images of the godai myōō include 9th-century sculptures Daigoji ō醐寺, Kyoto, and the 12th-century sculpture of Futaiji 不退寺 in Nara. Paintings include the 1090 set of Kiburuji 来振寺 in Gifu Prefecture, the 1127 set in Tōji, and the Kamakura period set in Daigoji.