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Zhong Kui (Shōki)
SHOH-kee
Also Known As
Zhong Kui(JOHNG-kway)
Category
Deities & Divine Spirits
Personality
Origin
Chinese origin; spread throughout Japan
Zhong Kui (Shōki)
SHOH-kee
Basic Description
Shōki is a demon-banishing deity originating in Chinese folk religion. In Japan he is venerated as a protector against smallpox and epidemics, and as a patron of academic success. He is portrayed with a long beard, dressed in official court robes, wearing a sword, and glaring demons into flight. He appears as early as late Heian-period apotropaic paintings, and later became a common motif for Boys’ Day and year-end or New Year talismans in hanging scrolls, dolls, and roof ornaments.
Folklore & Legends
A popular tale tells that during a fever, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang dreamed of Zhong Kui, who seized a demon, devoured it, and cured the emperor’s illness. From then on, his image was displayed on doors to ward off evil. In Japan, his icon appears from the late Heian period. By the late Edo period he was established as a May festival figure in the Kanto region and as a rooftop statue in the Kansai region. In Kyoto, stories relate that setting a Shōki figure against demon-faced roof tiles (oni-gawara) cured illnesses.
Detailed Analysis
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