Ki	Ki of Kishimojin is composed of a large demon’s head (square shape on top). Under the head are legs, and a triangular-shaped appendage representing "vapor".

Demons from the mountains would come into the villages at night and steal the head of a living person and run around wearing it. These demons were also known as hungry ghosts because they still have unresolved “hunger” or issues. When they satisfy their “hunger” they can move on to the next phases of life/death.
 

Shi	Shi of Kishimojin is a child wrapped in swaddling. His/her arms extend outside the swaddling.
Mo	Mo is mother. The outline of Mo is that of nu — the radical (root word) for woman. Inside this radical structure are two squares representing a mother’s breasts. The dots inside the squares are nipples.
Jin	Jin of Kishimojin is composed of two elemental characters. On the left is the instruction of the cosmos — on top of this character is a horizontal line representing heaven. Under the top line is the light of the sun, moon, and stars shining down. This elemental character represents the wisdom of the cosmos being shared through the illumination of heavenly bodies. On the right are two hands grasping a rope. The rope extends the usefulness and power of the hands. It means “to extend [oneself for others]”.  Jin is the extension of heavenly aid or protection.  This same jin is found in Shoten zenjin.  Kishimojin is the heavenly protector of children, mothers, and practitioners of the Lotus Sutra.

Ki = Demon Shi = Child Mo = Mother Jin = Heavenly (Cosmic) Protector

Kishimojin is commonly translated as “Mother of Demon Children”, but more accurately she is the Demon that protects mothers and children. In some “Nichiren” sects she is the central object of worship and there are special ceremonies that pay homage to her.

According to legend, Kishimojin drank the blood of children so that she could provide mother’s milk to her favorite child. Mothers in the nearby villages asked the Buddha if he could put an end to this practice. So the Buddha caused Kishimojin’s child to be invisible to her. She searched frantically for him (even though he was near her at all times) and eventually she came to the Buddha for help. The Buddha asked her how she felt about not being able to find her child. When Kishimojin told him of her great aguish, the Buddha explained that that is how she made other mothers feel when she took their children. After that, Kishimojin vowed to protect mothers and children. Later, in the Dharani (Spells) 26th Chapter of the Lotus Sutra, she and her ten daughters vow to protect the practitioners of the Lotus Sutra in the evil age that was to come.