The twenty-eight deities of Kannon

…They are related to the Thousand-Armed Kannon, and are the 28 guardian deities who protect those who have faith in the Thousand-Armed Kannon. They are also called the 28 Thousand-Armed Kannon or the 28 Kannon. They are described in the Tang Dynasty translation of the Thousand-Armed Thousand-Eyed Kannon Bodhisattva's Great Compassion-Hearted Darani Sutra and the Tang Dynasty translation of the Thousand-Armed Kannon's Creation Process Hogiki, but there are some differences in the names of the 28 deities in the various sutras. …

*Some of the terminology used to refer to the "Twenty-Eight Deities of Kannon" is listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

…千手観音の眷属で，千手観音を信仰するものを守る二十八部の護法善神。千手観音二十八部衆，観音二十八部衆などともいう。唐の伽梵達摩訳《千手千眼観世音菩薩広大円満無礙大悲心陀羅尼経》，唐の善無畏訳《千手観音造次第法儀軌》などに説かれているが，二十八の名称については諸経に多少の差がある。…

※「観音二十八部衆」について言及している用語解説の一部を掲載しています。

出典｜株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典 第２版について | 情報