Shōki wanted, above all else, to serve as a physician in the imperial palace, but when he failed the national exam he committed suicide in despair.

= Rōshi) reportedly gave classes and wrote the Taoist classic 'Tao Te Ching.' The sacred terrace monastery is called Louguantai 楼観台. It is here that Taoism's founder, Laozi 老子 (Jp. By the way, Zhongnanshan 終南山 is the legendary birthplace of Chinese Taosim. In gratitude, the emperor awarded Shōki the title of 'Doctor of Zhongnanshan' (Jp. According to this legend, Shōki appeared to the sick emperor in a dream and subdued the demons causing his sickness.

Shōki is the Chinese deity who protected Tang-era Emperor Xuanzong 玄宗 (Jp: Gensō, 685-762) from malevolent demons.

Numerous legends surround Shōki in Japan and the West. The deity reached Japan by at least the late Heian Period (794 to 1185), for the oldest extant image of Shōki in Japan is a scroll at the Nara National Museum dated to the reign of Emperor Goshirakawa 後白河天皇 (1127-1192). Legends about Shōki reportedly first appear in Tang-era (618-907) Chinese documents.

Shōki 鍾馗 is a deity from China’s Taoist pantheon who was depicted often in Edo-period (1615-1868) Japanese sculptures and paintings, but one who is today largely neglected. Last seen in 1975, has been rediscovered in a private home in Japan. Japanese spellings: Shōki, Shoki, Shouki, ShookiĪn original ink painting of SHŌKI by Kitagawa Utamaro (1754-1806), Protects Male Heirs to the Chinese ThroneĬhinese Name = Zhōng Kuí, Chung Kuei, Chung K’uei, Chung Kwei

Shogi demon killer