The close retainers, Tenkai and Suden, contested whether his shingo should be Gongen (incarnation) or Myojin (a gracious deity), and with Tenkai having won, Ieyasu was made the Gongen (incarnation) of Yakushinyorai (Bhaisajyaguru, Buddha able to cure all ills) based on Sanno-ichijitsu Shinto.
神号は側近の天海と崇伝の間で、権現と明神の何れとするかが争われたが天海が勝ち、山王一実神道に則って薬師如来を本地とする権現とされた。