The Japanese Buddhist goddess associated with music, art, and wealth is Benzaiten.
Benzaiten originated from the Hindu goddess Saraswati, patron of speech, learning, music, and the arts. Her worship reached Japan through Chinese translations of the Golden Light Sutra during the sixth through eighth centuries. In Japan, she became a Buddhist deity known as Benzaiten or Benten.
Her most recognizable attribute is the biwa, a traditional Japanese lute. She may also carry a sword or a wish-granting jewel, and her connection with flowing water links her to snakes and dragons. These water associations help explain why many Benzaiten shrines stand on islands, beside ponds, or near the sea.
Benzaiten was later syncretized with Shinto kami and joined Japan’s Seven Lucky Gods. A common mix-up is treating her as solely a goddess of money: wealth and fortune are important later associations, but music, eloquence, wisdom, and the arts belong to her older identity as well.