White Tiger (mythology)
The White Tiger (Chinese: 白虎 Báihǔ) is one of the Four Symbols of the Chinese constellations. It is sometimes called the White Tiger of the West (Chinese: 西方白虎; pinyin: Xīfāng Báihǔ), and is known as Baihu in Chinese, Byakko in Japanese, and Baekho in Korean. It represents the west in terms of direction and the autumn season.
| White Tiger | |||||||||||||||||
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 Bái Hǔ sculpture on the eaves tile | |||||||||||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||||||||||
| Chinese | 白虎 | ||||||||||||||||
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| Korean name | |||||||||||||||||
| Hangul | 백호 | ||||||||||||||||
| Hanja | 白虎 | ||||||||||||||||
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| Japanese name | |||||||||||||||||
| Kanji | 白虎 | ||||||||||||||||
| Hiragana | びゃっこ | ||||||||||||||||
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Seven Mansions of the White Tiger
As with the other three Symbols, there are seven astrological "Mansions" (positions of the Moon) within the White Tiger. The names and determinative stars are:[1][2]
| Mansion no. | Name (pinyin) | Translation | Determinative star |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | 奎 (Kuí) | Legs | Eta Andromedae |
| 16 | 婁 (Lóu) | Bond | Beta Arietis |
| 17 | 胃 (Wèi) | Stomach | 35 Arietis |
| 18 | 昴 (Mǎo) | Hairy Head | Alcyone |
| 19 | 畢 (Bì) | Net | Ain |
| 20 | 觜 (Zī) | Turtle Beak | Meissa |
| 21 | 參 (Shēn) | Three Stars | Alnitak |
Origin
In Chinese culture, the tiger is the king of the beasts and has been presented with a 王 (pinyin: wáng; lit.: 'king') on his forehead for centuries. According to legend, the tiger's tail would turn white when it reached the age of 500 years. In this way, the white tiger became a kind of mythological creature. It was said that the white tiger would only appear when the emperor ruled with absolute virtue, or if there was peace throughout the world. Because the color white of the Wu Xing theory also represents the west, the White Tiger became a mythological guardian of the west.
In fiction
- In the Beyblade series, Ray Kon's bitbeast Driger is based on this.
- In the novel Tales of the Tang Dynasty (Chinese: 隋唐演義), the reincarnation of the White Tiger's star is said to be General Luo Cheng (simplified Chinese: 罗成; traditional Chinese: 羅成), who served the Wagang Army (Chinese: 瓦岗军) and later Li Shimin, and the reincarnation of the Azure Dragon's star is said to be the rebellious General Shan Xiongxin (simplified Chinese: 单雄信; traditional Chinese: 單雄信), who served Wang Shichong. The two are sworn brothers of Qin Shubao and Cheng Yaojin. Their souls after death are said to possess the body of the new heroes of the Tang and Goguryeo dynasties, Xue Rengui (simplified Chinese: 薛仁贵; traditional Chinese: 薛仁貴) and Yeon Gaesomun (淵蓋蘇文).
- In Gosei Sentai Dairanger, the character named Kibaranger has a Byakko theme, with his sword called Byakkoshinken (白虎真剣, a combination of the Japanese word for the White Tiger and shinken), and his giant robot Won Tiger. The character is later repurposed in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers as the White Ranger.
- In B-Daman Fireblast, Bakuga Shira owns Kreis Raydra, a B-daman with the White Tiger of the West as its B-Animal.
- In Digimon, Baihumon is based on the White Tiger.
- In Puzzle & Dragons, the White Tiger is incarnated as a little girl named Haku. She is part of the Chinese Pantheon, which features the other Four Symbols; the Vermilion Bird, the Black Tortoise, and the Azure Dragon.
- In Yu Yu Hakusho, Byakko is portrayed as a member of the Underworld group, The Four Beasts.
- In Kylie Chan's Xuan Wu series, he is depicted as a womanising tiger who is otherwise loving and loyal.
- In the Fushigi Yuugi series, the story Fushigi Yûgi Byakko Senki is dedicated to Suzuno Osugi's quest to become the Priestess of Byakko.
- In Overwatch’s Chinese New Year 2018 event (Year of the Dog), Genji has a skin inspired by the White Tiger.
- In the video game Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood, Byakko appears as a boss in the Four Lords trial subquest, appearing as a white tiger that transforms into a giant humanoid with his right arm retaining elements of his tiger form.
- In Kung Fu Panda: The Paws of Destiny, he is one of the Four Constellations, being the healer of the group. His chi is used by the trigger-happy and violent Jing, allowing her to heal and pacify others.
- In MapleStory, the class Hoyoung is based on the White Tiger.
See also
References
- "The Chinese Sky". International Dunhuang Project. Archived from the original on 2015-11-04. Retrieved 2011-06-25.
- Sun, Xiaochun (1997). Helaine Selin (ed.). Encyclopaedia of the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine in Non-Western Cultures. Kluwer Academic Publishers. p. 517. ISBN 0-7923-4066-3. Retrieved 2011-06-25.