Four Daijoko God Beasts

The four great beasts, also known as the Four Elephants and the Four Spirits of Heaven, are Qinglong, Baihu, Suzaku and Xuanwu, which are the products of the combination of ancient mythology and astronomy.

Qinglong 1

Qinglong, also known as "Black Dragon", is the God of the East in ancient mythology. Dragon is the totem of the Chinese nation. Since the Yellow Emperor entrusted it to Tianhe and weiser, it has been a symbol of the Chinese nation and even the whole of China, and its stereotype was in the Han Dynasty. Since the Great Han Dynasty, it has been identified as the symbol and representative of the emperor. According to oriental legends, the dragon looks like a long snake, the head of a unicorn, the tail of a carp, a bearded face, horns like deer, five claws and a formidable appearance.

Qinglong is one of the four elephants in China traditional culture. Since the pre-Qin period, Qinglong has always been a god beast representing Tai Hao and the Seventh Oriental Academy. When the theory of five elements began to rise, its symbolic meaning was added with A, B and Chun. Among the 28 constellations in China, the ancients imagined the seven houses in the East-horn, sound, fork, room, heart, tail and dustpan-as Jackie Chan.

2. White tiger

White tiger, named prison soldier. The god of the west in ancient mythology. The figure is like a tiger and the white tiger is fierce, so it becomes a symbol of dignity. At the same time, the white tiger also symbolizes power and the army, so many places named after the white tiger in ancient times are related to the military. For example, the white tiger flag in the ancient army and the white tiger statue on the military symbol.

The worship of tigers should originate from the totem worship of tigers in Chu culture. The tiger has always been worshipped by the Han people. It is a symbol of justice, courage and majesty. According to textual research, the image of tiger also appeared in ancient Qiang and Rong nationalities, but it was most popular in southwest China.

In the traditional culture of China, the white tiger is one of the four images in the seven constellations of western Taoism. It is called the God of the West and the God of War and Cutting. It is one of the four great beasts in ancient China, and it comes from one of the five beasts in Huainanzi. It has many divine powers, such as avoiding evil, avoiding disasters, praying for blessings, punishing evil and promoting good, making a fortune, and tying the knot. It is a symbol of power and dignity.

3. Suzaku

Suzaku, whose name is Lingguang, whose Taoist name is Lingguang Shen Jun, and whose attribute is fire, is the god of the South, representing summer. Many people often associate Suzaku with Phoenix. In fact, it is obvious that they are completely different systems. Without any blood relationship, Suzaku will not be reborn, and it is immortal in itself.

Suzaku is one of the four spirits in ancient China mythology, which originated from the worship of ancient stars. It is the southern god who represents Emperor Yan and the seven nights in the south. It is separated from the gossip, igniting the fire in the five elements, symbolizing Lao Yang in the four elephants and summer in the four seasons.

4. Xuanwu

Xuanwu, also known as Xuanming, represents the state of "secluded avenue", so Xuanming is the closest to Taoism in the four seasons and five elements, and then Xuanming derived Xuanwu belief. Turtles and snakes are a combination of water gods, living in the North Sea, and turtles have a long life. Xuan Ming has become a symbol of immortality, and the underworld is also in the north, so it is the god of the north.

Xuanwu is different from other three spirits because it can ask divination in the underworld. It is called the God of Tian Xuan and the "Zhenwu Emperor", and it is the god worshipped by Taoism. It is one of the four gods in China's ancient mythology, which originated from the worship of ancient stars. It is the northern Xuanwu seven nights divided into four elephants according to the southeast and northwest.

The origin of the four great beasts

In ancient times, the ancients in China looked up at the starry sky near the ecliptic, divided the astrology near the ecliptic into several areas, called Twenty-eight Hostels, and associated these Twenty-eight Hostels with the four elephants according to their directions and seasons. The ancients successively chose 28 stars near the equator of the ecliptic as coordinates. Because they revolve around the sun, the moon and the five stars, they are very similar to the places where the sun, the moon and the five stars live, so they are called twenty-eight lodgings.

According to the orientation, season and four images, it is divided into four palaces: East, South, West and North, with seven nights in each palace. Imagine the seven-night couplets belonging to each palace as animals and consider them as "the four spirits of heaven and square". Qinglong (Black Dragon), White Tiger, Suzaku and Xuanwu (a turtle-shaped god) are named after them. In fact, the sky is divided into four parts, which are connected by seven main stars in each part and named after their shapes.