Also known as: 12 Celestial Beings, 12 Deva, 12 Deva Guardians

The highest-ranking deities of the highest heaven of the Plane of Desire who are particularly important to the Shingon sect of Esoteric Buddhism. The 12 Devas are guardians of the 12 directions: the eight cardinal and ordinal directions, up, down, sun, and moon. The twelve are: Bonten, Taishakuten, Suiten, Bishamonten, Enmaten, Katen, Rasetsuten, Ishanaten, Futen, Nitten, Gatten, Chiten.