Eight Buddhist deities is associated with the twelve animals of the Chinese Zodiac
Personal Guardian Deity Based on One’s Birth Year
Hachi Hogo Butsu, Hachi Shugo Butsu 八守護仏
Also known as Ichidai Mamori Honzon 一代守本尊
Also called Mamori Honzon 守本尊 or Hachi Butsu 八仏
This grouping of eight Buddhist deities is associated with the twelve animals of the Chinese Zodiac calendar. Each deity is associated with a specific Zodiac animal and serves as the protector (guardian, patron) for all people born in that animal year.
For example, people born in the Year of the Tiger are protected by Kokūzō Bosatsu (see chart below). Among the eight, four guard the four cardinal directions while the other four guard the four semi-directions (the latter four are each associated with two animals, thus covering all 12 animals).
At many Japanese temples even today, visitors can purchase small protective amulets or carvings of their patron Buddhist-Zodiac deity.
The origin of this grouping is unknown to me, but it likely is a purely Japanese convention. The grouping was popular in Japan by at least the Edo period (1603 - 1867) for it was listed in the 1783 enlarged edition of the Butsuzō-zu-i 仏像図彙 or “Illustrated Compendium of Buddhist Images,” one of Japan's most important studies of Buddhist iconography.
The first edition of the Butsuzō-zu-i was published in 1690 but did not include this grouping of eight. These eight may have derived from an earlier grouping of thirteen Buddhist deities known as the Thirteen Butsu 十三仏 (Jūsanbutsu). All eight are members of the Jūsanbutsu grouping of thirteen.
The latter group was developed in the 14th century and popularized in the 15th. They are invoked at the 13 memorial services held over a long period of time by the living for the dead. Curiously, the Jūsanbutsu also fail to appear in the 1690 Butsuzō-zu-i, but they do appear in the 1783 version.
Each of the eight Buddhist protectors is linked to one of the 12 zodiac animals, to one of the eight directions and semi-directions, and to one of the 10 calendar signs. The list goes on, with these Buddhist protectors also linked to the Five Elements, Five Colors, and Five Entrances.
The Chinese Zodiac is tremendously confusing and clouded by differing interpretations, making it hard to track down the origin of the many traditions and legends still flourishing in Japan.
Why not assign 12 patron Buddhist deities instead of eight?
The most plausible reasons involve Chinese cosmology, Taoist yin-yang influences, and divination (Jp. = Onmyōdō 陰陽道).
In Chinese cosmology, there are eight interrelated trigrams called the Bā Guà 八卦 (Jp. = Hakka).
Each consists of three lines, each is associated with either yin 陰 or yang 陽, and each is linked to one of the eight directions (four cardinal directions and four semi-directions). The eight trigrams are used in divination.
Find Your Personal Guardian Deity Based on Your Birth Year
Year of Birth
N
1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008
NE
1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009
NE
1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010
E
1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011
SE
1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012
SE
1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013
S
1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014
SW
1931, 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003, 2015
SW
1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016
W
1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017
NW
1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, 2018
NW
1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019
There is approximately a one-month disparity between the lunar and solar calendars, so one’s Zodiac sign may differ from that shown above for people born in January or February.
For example, say you were born on 19 Jan. 1987. Your sign is not the HARE (as shown above), but rather the TIGER. Why?
Because the lunar year (not solar year) began on 9 Feb. 1986 and ended on 29 Jan. 1987.
People born on Jan. 30 (1987) or thereafter are HARE folk, but people born between Jan. 1 and Jan. 29 (1987) are TIGERS.
To determine your exact animal sign and Buddhist patron based on the Chinese lunar calendar,
Source
https://www.onmarkproductions.com/html/8-zodiac-protectors.shtml
