Which goddess is the Shinto deity of music and eloquence?

Benzaiten is the goddess associated with music and eloquence in Japanese religious tradition.

She originated as Saraswati, the Hindu goddess of speech, learning, music, and the arts. Her worship reached Japan through East Asian Buddhism, especially translations of the Golden Light Sutra, between the sixth and eighth centuries. In Japan, her name developed from the Chinese rendering of Saraswati as a deity of eloquence.

Although Benzaiten began as a Buddhist goddess rather than an indigenous Shinto kami, she was absorbed into Japanese religious practice through syncretism. She became identified with local water deities, including the Shinto kami Ichikishima-hime, and was worshipped at both temples and shrines. Her links with rivers, ponds, snakes, and dragons reflect her earlier association with flowing water.

Benzaiten is commonly shown playing a biwa, a Japanese lute. Over time she also became connected with wealth and good fortune and joined the Seven Lucky Gods. Ame-no-Uzume is another goddess of performance and dance, but eloquence and musical learning most specifically point to Benzaiten.