noun
Wei-To; Skanda; temple guardian deity
Buddhist guardian deity, originally Skanda, sometimes confused with Vajrapani. In Japanese folk context, also known as a swift-footed deity, giving rise to the idiomatic expression 韋陀天走り (いだてんばしり) for a very fast runner.
韋陀天は仏教の守護神で、足が速いことで知られている。
Idaten is a guardian deity in Buddhism, known for being swift-footed.
彼は韋陀天のような速さで走った。
He ran with the speed of Idaten.
From the Sanskrit name Skanda, via Chinese 韋陀天 (Wéituótiān). The Japanese reading いだてん reflects the historical adaptation of the Chinese characters.