Benten shrines enshrine Benzaiten — the only female deity among the Seven Lucky Gods — goddess of music, eloquence, water, and wealth. She derives from the Hindu Sarasvati and was later identified with Ichikishimahime of Japanese mythology.

Ichikishimahime no Mikoto is one of the three Munakata goddesses, revered as a deity of water, music, the arts, and prosperity. Enshrined at Itsukushima Jinja, Munakata Taisha, and Enoshima Jinja, she became deeply identified with the Buddhist goddess Benzaiten through centuries of syncretic worship.