The Four Heavenly Kings are also known as the "Four Heavenly Kings of the World" or "Four Heavenly Kings." They are the four gods who protect the four directions and the nation, and are Jikokuten in the east, Zochoten in the south, Komokuten in the west, and Tamonten (Bishamonten) in the north.
They are the lords of the four directions on the slopes of Mount Sumeru, serving the god Taishakuten above and ruling over the eight guardians below, and are the gods who protect the Buddhist teachings and the sentient beings who take refuge in them. Their names are also recorded in the introductory chapter of the Lotus Sutra.
The Four Heavenly Kings of this temple are Zochoten to the right of the Nitenmon Gate and Komokuten to the left, while Jikokuten and Tamonten are on either side of the principal image in the Taishakudo Hall. Tamonten (Bishamonten) holds a spear in his right hand and a pagoda in his left hand, protecting the north, while Jikokuten holds a sword in his right hand and protects the east. Zochoten holds a sword in his left hand and protects the south, and Komokuten holds a sword in his right hand and a scroll in his left hand, protecting the west.
In his "Kitosho" (Prayer Scroll), Nichiren Shonin states, "The Four Heavenly Kings are seated on the waist of Sumeru," and in the "Seichoji Daishochu" (Seichoji Massacre), he writes, "The Four Heavenly Kings and the Ten Rakshasas protect the practitioners of the Lotus Sutra." Bhaisajyaguru and Yushi Bodhisattva are called the Two Saints, and Jikokuten and Bishamonten are also called the Two Heavenly Kings.