| rdfs:comment | - The Four Gods are the central figures of an ancient Chinese system of astrology and geomancy which was imported to Japan and absorbed into Onmyodo mysticism, among other beliefs. In this system, there were 28 'star houses' (constellations) which ran the circumference of the sky. The Heavenly Emperor divided the sky into the northern, southern, eastern, and western quadrants, each with 7 star houses; each quadrant was ruled by a divine beast. In the original Chinese version, there was one more divine beast, Huánglóng, the Yellow Dragon of the Center, embodying the element of Earth. He is very notably missing from the Japanese version, where the center represents void. Void, being nothingness, has no divine beast associated with it. The closest Japanese version of him would be Ouryu. This is
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| abstract | - The Four Gods are the central figures of an ancient Chinese system of astrology and geomancy which was imported to Japan and absorbed into Onmyodo mysticism, among other beliefs. In this system, there were 28 'star houses' (constellations) which ran the circumference of the sky. The Heavenly Emperor divided the sky into the northern, southern, eastern, and western quadrants, each with 7 star houses; each quadrant was ruled by a divine beast. In the original Chinese version, there was one more divine beast, Huánglóng, the Yellow Dragon of the Center, embodying the element of Earth. He is very notably missing from the Japanese version, where the center represents void. Void, being nothingness, has no divine beast associated with it. The closest Japanese version of him would be Ouryu. This is probably the biggest reason why you will not see him in Japanese culture. These gods were (Chinese, then Japanese names):
* Qīnglóng -- Seiryū (The Azure Dragon, representing Spring and Wood) to the East
* Zhūquè -- Suzaku (The Vermillion Bird, representing Summer and Fire) to the South
* Báihǔ -- Byakko (The White Tiger, representing Autumn and Metal) to the West
* Xuánwǔ -- Genbu (The Black Turtle, representing Winter and Water) to the North
* Huánglóng -- Kōryū or Ōryū (The Yellow Dragon, representing the Changing Seasons and Earth) to the Center Common variations of the above are Xuánwǔ actually being a two-headed turtle/snake hybrid or a turtle and a snake having sex -- and Báihǔ and Huánglóng occasionally being replaced by Qílín/Kirin, a unicorn-like chimera. Also of note is the fact that many people confuse The Phoenix with Zhūquè. While they seem similar, they are entirely different entities; in fact the Fènghuáng (Hōō) is a closer representation of The Phoenix in comparison. The remains of this belief system can be found in temples and shrines all over Japan, and even in the architecture of places like the city of Nara. It is part of the Japanese cultural heritage, although not always a prominent or even well-remembered part. In recent years, several anime, manga and video games have drawn upon the imagery of the Four Gods. The most prominent of these is Fushigi Yuugi, in which they are active deities overseeing a land found inside a magic book called "The Universe of the Four Gods". When she falls into the book, the heroine finds herself thrust into the position of priestess to Suzaku, with the power to summon the god. The Four Gods are apparently exempt from Four Is Death, except when they aren't. Note: The subversion may be caused by the fact that while the Japanese version has only four gods, the cultural memory of there being five dragons in the Chinese version makes the four get treated as if it was five, except when the four is treated as four. Examples of The Four Gods include:
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