It is often shown in a paulownia tree (Chinese parasol tree, Jp. Its back resembles a tortoise, and its tail is like a fish. The phoenix has a bird's beak, a swallow's jaw, and a snake's neck the front half of its body is thought to resemble a giraffe, the back half a deer. For more details, seeġ893 expo's historic Japanese Phoenix panels reunited, restored (The SouthtownStar)īelow text courtesy JAANUS : A mythical Chinese bird, thought to have been introduced to Japan in the Asuka period (mid 6th to mid 7th century AD). Photo courtesy of The Art Institute of Chicago. Pavilion at the World's Columbian Exposition, 1893.
Phoenix Panel by Takamura Kōun 高村光雲 (1852-1934)Ĭarved wooden Phoenix transom panels ( ranma 欄間) from the Phoenix Hall (Hō-ō-den 鳳凰殿), the Japanese Photo courtesy Nihon Toji Taikei magazine, Vol. Photo: One of the most widely know depictions of the Phoenix in the West.īy Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai 葛飾北斎 (1760-1849). Click here for background on the Egyptian and Greek phoenix.Ĩ-Panel Phoenix Screen (Hō-ō zu Byōbu) by Katsushika Hokusai 葛飾北斎 (1760-1849) When it dies, it dies in flames, and from the ashes is born the next phoenix. The Arabian-Western Phoenix, if you recall, is a solidary creature - only one of its kind. The Asian Phoenix should not be confused with the Phoenix found in Egypt and Greece - that is a bird of completely different feathers and traditions. For more details on Phoenix lore in China, please click here. The four appear during China’s Warring States period (476 BC - 221 BC), and were frequently painted on the walls of early Chinese and Korean tombs to ward off evil spirits. The Red Bird is one of four legendary Chinese creatures guarding the four cosmic directions ( Red Bird - S, Dragon - E, Tortoise - N, and the Tiger - W). I believe the Red Bird is the same creature as the Phoenix, although I may be wrong. In Japan, the Red Bird is pronounced Suzaku (same Chinese characters). = Zhū Qiǎo 朱雀 or Zhū Niǎo 朱鳥), also of Chinese lore. The symbolism of the Chinese Phoenix (Fèng Huáng) is strikingly similar to the symbolism of the mythological Red Bird (Chn. Its image first appears on Shang artifacts of China’s Western Zhou Period (11th century BC to 771 BC). The Feng Huang was believed to control the five tones of traditional Chinese music and to represent the Confucian virtues of loyalty, honesty, decorum and justice. The Chinese compound term Fèng Huáng means Phoenix. 鳳 = Fèng, Male Phoenix 凰 = Huáng, Female Phoenix When shown together, the two symbolize both conflict and wedded bliss, and are a common design motif even today in many parts of Asia (see below). In China, early artifacts show the Phoenix (female) as intimately associated with the Dragon (male) - the two are portrayed either as mortal enemies or as blissful lovers. It is both a symbol of peace (when the bird appears) and a symbol of disharmony (when the bird disappears). As the herald of a new age, the Hō-ō decends from heaven to earth to do good deeds, and then it returns to its celestial abode to await a new era. In other traditions, the Hō-ō appears only in peaceful and prosperous times (nesting, it is said, in paulownia trees), and hides itself when there is trouble. This mythical bird represents fire, the sun, justice, obedience, fidelity, and the southern star constellations.Īccording to legend (mostly from China), the Hō-ō appears very rarely, and only to mark the beginning of a new era - the birth of a virtuous ruler, for example.
In Japan, as earlier in China, the mythical Phoenix was adopted as a symbol of the imperial household, particularily the empress. One of Four Celestial Guardians of Four DirectionsĬonsidered equivalent to the Red Bird | Big Bird Huang 凰 represents female phoenix, yin, lunarĮither as mortal enemies or as blissful lovers. Feng 鳳 represents male phoenix, yang, solar
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