heavenly king
Buddhist term for a divine guardian king, especially one of the Four Heavenly Kings (四天王).
The Four Heavenly Kings are guardian deities in Buddhism, each protecting one of the four cardinal directions.
Gozu Tenno
Refers specifically to Gozu Tenno (牛頭天王), a deity of Japanese folk religion often identified with the Indian god Gavagriva. Usually encountered in the compound 牛頭天王.
See also: 牛頭天王
Gozu Tenno has been worshipped as a deity who quells epidemics.
From Chinese 天王 (tiānwáng), meaning 'heavenly king'. The specific Japanese reading てんのう is the on'yomi of the characters.