The Four Symbols are mythological creatures appearing among the Chinese constellations along the ecliptic , and viewed as the guardians of the four cardinal directions . These four creatures are also referred to by a variety of other names, including " Four Guardians ", " Four Gods ", and " Four Auspicious Beasts ". They are the Azure Dragon of the East, the Vermilion Bird of the South, the White Tiger of the West, and the Black Tortoise (also called "Black Warrior") of the North. Each of the creatures is most closely associated with a cardinal direction and a color , but also additionally represents other aspects, including a season of the year, an emotion, virtue, and one of the Chinese " five elements " (wood, fire, earth, metal, and water). Each has been given its own individual traits, origin story and a reason for being. Symbolically, and as part of spiritual and religious belief and meaning, these creatures have been culturally important across countries in the Sinosphere .
14-607: (Redirected from Shusaku ) Not to be confused with Su-Zaku , the Japanese name for the Vermillion Bird of Sino-Japanese mythology and folklore. Shūsaku Gender Male Origin Word/name Japanese Meaning Different meanings depending on the kanji used Shūsaku , Shusaku or Shuusaku is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with
28-732: Is a legendary ruler of birds who is associated with the Chinese Empress in the same way the dragon is associated with the Emperor, while the Vermilion Bird is a mythological spirit creature of the Chinese constellations. As with the other three Symbols , there are seven astrological "Mansions" (positions of the Moon ) within the Vermilion Bird. The names and determinative stars are: The Vermilion Bird
42-600: Is different from Wikidata All set index articles Vermilion Bird The Vermilion Bird ( Chinese : 朱雀 ; pinyin : Zhūquè ) is one of the Four Symbols of the Chinese constellations . According to Wu Xing , the Taoist five elemental system, it represents the Fire element, the direction south , and the season of summer correspondingly. Thus it is sometimes called
56-566: Is elegant and noble in both appearance and behavior, with feathers in many different hues of vermilion . It is very selective about what it eats and where it perches. Four Symbols Depictions of mythological creatures clearly ancestral to the modern set of four creatures have been found throughout China. Currently, the oldest known depiction was found in 1987 in a tomb in Xishuipo in Puyang , Henan, which has been dated to approximately 5300 BC. In
70-677: Is the Supreme Polarity, ( 太極 ; Taiji ), which generates the Two Modes. ( 兩儀 ; Liangyi ) The Two Modes generate the Four Images, ( 四象 ; Sixiang ) and the Four Images generate the Eight Trigrams. ( 八卦 ; Bagua ). These mythological creatures have also been syncretized into the Five Phases system ( Wuxing ). The Azure Dragon of
84-676: The Vermilion Bird of the South ( Chinese : 南方朱雀 , Nán Fāng Zhū Què ). It is described as a red bird that resembles a pheasant with a fire-colored plumage and is perpetually covered in flames. It is known as Suzaku in Japanese, Jujak in Korean and Chu Tước in Vietnamese. It is often mistaken for the Fenghuang due to similarities in appearance, but the two are different creatures. The Fenghuang
98-531: The Warring States period ( c. 453 –221 BCE), gives five directions rather than four and places the animals differently. According to that document, Yu the Great gave directional banners to his people, marked with the following insignia: the north with a bird , the south with a snake, the east with the sun, the west with the moon, and the center with a bear . The Chinese classic Book of Rites mentions
112-531: The White Tiger Jian Bing ( 監兵 ), and the Black Tortoise Zhi Ming ( 執明 ). Its Japanese equivalent, in corresponding order: Seiryū (east), Suzaku (south), Byakko (west), Genbu (North). The colours associated with the four creatures can be said to match the colours of soil in the corresponding areas of China: the bluish-grey water-logged soils of the east, the reddish iron-rich soils of
126-769: The East represents Wood, the Vermilion Bird of the South represents Fire, the White Tiger of the West represents Metal, and the Black Tortoise (or Black Warrior) of the North represents Water. In this system, the fifth principle Earth is represented by the Yellow Dragon of the Center . The Four Symbols are represented in an inspired line of skins for characters of the first-person-shooter Overwatch . In
140-477: The Vermillion Bird, Black Tortoise (Dark Warrior), Azure Dragon, and White Tiger as heraldic animals on war flags ; they were the names of asterisms associated with the four cardinal directions: South, North, East, and West, respectively. In Taoism , the Four Symbols have been assigned human identities and names. The Azure Dragon is named Meng Zhang ( 孟章 ), the Vermilion Bird is called Ling Guang ( 陵光 ),
154-641: The name include: Chiba Shusaku Narimasa ( 千葉 周作 成政 , 1793–1856) , Japanese swordsman Honinbo Shusaku ( 本因坊 秀策 , 1829–1862) , Japanese professional Go player Shusaku Arakawa ( 荒川 修作 , 1936–2010) , Japanese artist and architect Shūsaku Endō ( 遠藤 周作 , 1923–1996) , Japanese author Shusaku Hirasawa ( 平沢 周策 , born 1949) , Japanese footballer Shusaku Nishikawa ( 西川 周作 , born 1986) , Japanese footballer Shusaku Sugiuchi ( 杉内 周作 ) , Japanese Paralympic swimmer Shusaku Tokita ( 鴇田 周作 , born 1990) , Japanese footballer [REDACTED] Name list This page or section lists people that share
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#1732897889811168-466: The same given name . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change that link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Shūsaku&oldid=1159986435 " Categories : Given names Japanese masculine given names Masculine given names Hidden categories: Articles containing Japanese-language text Articles with short description Short description
182-505: The south, the whitish saline soils of the western deserts, the black organic-rich soils of the north, and the yellow soils from the central loess plateau. The chapter 繫辭上 ; Xì Cí shàng ; 'The Great Treatise I' in the I Ching ( 易經 ; 'Classics of Changes') describes the origins of the Four Symbols thus: 易有太極， 是生兩儀， 兩儀生四象， 四象生八卦， Yì yǒu tài jí ， shì shēng liǎngyí ， liǎngyí shēng sìxiàng ， sìxiàng shēng bāguà ， In Change there
196-537: The tomb, labeled M45, immediately adjacent to the remains of the main occupant to the east and west were found mosaics made of clam shells and bones forming images closely resembling the Azure Dragon and White Tiger, respectively. The modern standard configuration was settled much later, with variations appearing throughout Chinese history. For example, the Rong Cheng Shi manuscript recovered in 1994, which dates to
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