Tentōki and Ryūtōki
In Japan there are a pair of heavenly demons called Tentoki (天燈鬼) the Celestial Lantern Demon; and Ryutoki (龍燈鬼) the Dragon Lantern Demon, and the myth is that they started out as evil Amanojakus or evil servants of the wicked deity Amanosagume (天探女)
But these demons were caught and literally stomped into submission by the 4 Buddhist Kings over a period of thousands of years. The demons ultimately recognized the error in their ways and repented. And as penance, they now carry the huge lanterns that put forth the pure white light of stars, benevolent souls and dragon fire to light the path in front of the Buddha, so that he can travel and spread his word.
However, in a more sinister retelling, evil demons can never be truly rehabilitated and the two, pre-historic, amanojaku demons are secretly using the celestial laterns as a beacon for the evil over-demon, Amanosagume to directly find and counter Buddha. Of course the all-knowing Buddha is keenly aware of this deception, but allows it to occur so that Amanosagume can be confronted and defeated once and for all.
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