Lit. "28 lunar mansions." In the astronomical theory of both ancient India and China the path of the moon during a single lunation was divided into 28 (in India initially 27) segments, to each of which a particular constellation was assigned, and the 28 lunar mansions refer to the 28 constellations through which the moon passes during a single lunar month. These (with the exception of Gyūshuku 牛宿) are in turn superimposed upon the 12 hours jūnikyū 十二宮 into which the zodiacal belt is divided. Although originally a calendrical convention, the 28 lunar mansions also came to play an important role in astrology and were adopted as sidereal divinities in Esoteric Buddhism. As such they appear in the Gekongōbu-in 外金剛部印 of the Womb World Mandala *Taizōkai mandara 胎蔵界曼荼羅 in the form of celestial maidens (seven in each quarter) and also in the *hokuto mandara 北斗曼荼羅. Their names in the order that they appear in the Taizōkaimandara (starting from the east) are as follows: Bōshuku 昴宿 (Sk: Krttika), Hisshuku畢宿 (Rohini), Shishuku 觜宿 (Mrgasiras), Sanshuku 参宿 (Ardra), Seishuku 井宿 (Punarvasu), Kishuku 鬼宿 (Pusya), Ryūshuku 柳宿 (Aslesa), Seishuku 星宿 (Magha), Shinshuku 軫宿 (Hasta), Kōshuku 亢宿 (Svati), Chōshuku 張宿 (Purvaphalguni), Yokushuku 翼宿 (Uttaraphalguni), Kakushuku 角宿 (Citra), Teishuku てい宿 (Visakha), Joshuku 女宿(Sravana), Toshuku 斗宿(Uttarasadha), Gyūshuku (Abhijit), Kishuku 箕宿 (Purvasadha), Bishuku 尾宿 (Mula), Shinshuku 心宿 (Jyestha), Bōshuku 房宿 (Anuradha), Kyoshuku 虚宿 (Dhanistha), Kishuku危宿 (Satabhisaj), Shisshuku 室宿 (Purvabhadrapada), Keishuku 奎宿 (Revati), Hekishuku壁宿 (Uttarabhadrapada), Rōshuku 婁宿 (Asvini), and Ishuku 胃宿 (Bharani).