Reverence among the samurai class led to the establishment of Hachiman shrines all over the country from the Heian period, but as the belief spread that Shinto deities are manifestations of Buddhist deities, he began to be depicted in the form of a Buddhist priest known as 'Sogyo Hachiman-shin' (lit. Hachiman Daibosatsu in a priest style).
平安時代以降、武士の尊崇をあつめて全国に八幡神社が勧請されたが、本地垂迹思想が広まると、僧形で表されるようになり、これを「僧形八幡神（そうぎょうはちまんしん）」という。