The guardian of the North, distributor of wealth and protector of those who worship the "Lotus of the righteous Law". Bishamon is also a Japanese god of war and protector against demons and disease.

He's a member of the elite, ass-kicking Shichi Fukujin and is usually portrayed in full armor, standing on demons and holding a spear...occasionally wearing a wheel of fire like a halo.

(Also Vaisravana or Vaisramana in India; Bishamonten more formally)

The God of dignity, defender against evil, bringer of fortune. In addition to being a part of the Shichifukujin, he is one of the Four Kings of Heaven. Often mistaken for god of war, but he is a defender only, not attacker: “the policeman of the gods.” He is also something of a god of healing.
compiled overview of the 45ton Bishamon 'Mech, from various BattleTech novels and game sourcebooks:



Impressed by the success of the Venom design, Draconis Combine officials approached Nimakachi Fusion Products about producing a slightly larger scout 'Mech that used some of the newer technology available. Intrigued by the challenge, Nimakachi designers began work on what would become the Bishamon.

In their first and most important decision. the designers chose to use a four-legged chassis. Seeking a more stable platform for scouting. Nimakachi found the unorthodox quad configuration to be the best choice. The designers also felt that a heavily armed scout could go more places on the battlefield than lighter armed and armored 'Mechs could, and so made full use of several new weapons. Unfortunately, this left no room for jump jets, but Nimakachi's designers felt that the combination of heavier weapons and armor, speed and the stable quad chassis would make up for the lack of jump capability. After reviewing the design. the DCMS agreed.

The Bishamon was built using all of the latest materials; sparing no expense. Nimakachi included a 315 XL engine and an endo steel chassis. The innate space limitations of a quad design precluded the use of ferro-fibrous armor, but the designers added 10.5 tons of standard armor, more than any bipedal 'Mech of the Bishamon's size can carry.

For weapons, Nimakachi first chose the newly available medium-range missiles, adding a rack of twenty and enough ammunition to keep the Bishamon supplied during the scouting missions for which it was intended. Supplementing the missiles are two Tronel XII medium pulse lasers, weapons with a proven track record on the Venom. The designers also purchased Diverse Optics ER medium lasers from the Free Worlds League, who are selling much of their advanced technology across the Inner Sphere.

The Bishamon has so far been distributed only to the First Sword of Light regiment, which is fitting. The First Sword are known as the "Ivory Dragon" representing religious devotion, and the Bishamon is named for a Japanese god one of the Seven Fortunes. This symbolism is likely deliberate.



Note: Information used here was the domain of FASA before they split the rights between Wizkids LLC and Microsoft (table-top gaming and video games respectively). Copyright of the fluff text is in limbo, but names of persons, places, & things are without any doubt the property of Wizkids LLC. Use of any terms here related to the BattleTech trademark are not meant as a challenge to Wizkids LLC's rights.

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