Because these gods were considered to be members of the Goho zenjin, a group of gods who respected and guarded the Buddhist law, some were even granted Bosatsu-go (the title of Bodhisattva) from the end of the Nara era through the Heian era.
実際には、仏の説いた法を味わって仏法を守護する護法善神の仲間であるという解釈により、奈良時代の末期から平安時代にわたり、神に菩薩号を付すまでに至った。