Tennin

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Tennin (天人, lit. "Heaven(ly) Person"), which may include Tenshi (天使, lit. "Heaven(ly) Messenger"), Ten no-Tsukai (天の使い, lit. "Messenger(s) of Heaven"), Hiten (飛天, lit. "Flying Heaven") and the specifically female version, the Tennyo (天女, lit. "Heaven(ly) Woman/Women"), are a divine kind of spiritual beings found in Japanese Buddhism, the equivalent of angels. They were seemingly imported from Chinese Buddhism, which was itself influenced by the concepts of heavenly beings found in Indian Buddhism and Chinese Taoism.^[1][2]

They originated in Hinduism as "Apsara" (Sanskrit: अप्सरा, romanized: apsaras or apsarā); a member of a class of celestial beings in Hindu and Buddhist culture. They are originally a type of female spirit of the clouds and waters, who later plays the role of a "nymph" or "fairy". They figure prominently in the sculpture, dance, literature and painting of many Indian and Southeast Asian cultures. See also Devi, Deva (Hinduism) (a divine being or god in Hinduism), Deva (Buddhism) (a higher being in Buddhism) and Deva (Jainism) (a term used for heavenly beings in Jainism).

In China, Apsara are known as "Tiānshǐ" (天使) and "Tiānrén" (天人); "Tiānnǚ" (天女) for "female Tennin" and "Tennan" (天男) for "male Tiānnán".

In Japan, Apsara are known as "Tenshi" (天使) and "Tennin" (天人); "Tennyo" (天女) for "female Tennin" and "Tennan" (天男) for "male Tennin".