(921?-1005?) was an
onmyōji, a leading specialist of
onmyōdō' is a traditional Japanese esoteric cosmology, a mixture of natural science and occultism. It is based on the Chinese philosophies of Wu Xing and Yin and yang, introduced into Japan at the turn of the 6th century, and accepted as a practical system of divination...
during the middle of the
Heian PeriodThe is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. The period is named after the capital city of Heian-kyō, or modern Kyoto. It is the period in Japanese history when Buddhism, Confucianism and other Chinese influences were at their height...
in
Japanis an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. In addition to his prominence in history, he is a legendary figure in
Japanese folkloreThe folklore of Japan is heavily influenced by both Shinto and Buddhism, the two primary religions in the country. It often involves humorous or bizarre characters and situations and also includes an assortment of supernatural beings, such as bodhisattva, kami , yōkai , yūrei ,...
and has been portrayed in a number of stories and films.
Seimei worked as an
onmyōji for emperors and the Heian government, making calendars and advising on the spiritually correct way to deal with issues. He prayed for the well-being of emperors and the government as well as advising on various issues. He was also an
astrologistAstrology is a group of systems, traditions, and beliefs which hold that the relative positions of celestial bodies and related details can provide information about personality, human affairs, and other terrestrial matters. A practitioner of astrology is called an astrologer...
and predicted astrological events. He enjoyed an extremely long life, free from any major illness, which contributed to the popular belief that he had
mysticalMagic, sometimes known as sorcery, is the practice of consciousness manipulation and/or autosuggestion to achieve a desired result, usually by techniques described in various conceptual systems...
powers.
The
Seimei Shrineis a Shinto shrine located in Kyoto, Japan. It is dedicated to the onmyōji, Abe no Seimei.-History:Seimei Shrine was founded on the 4th year of the Kankō era by Emperor Ichijō, who ordered the shrine built in memory of Abe no Seimei, after his death in 1005...
, located in
Kyotois a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area....
, is a popular shrine dedicated to him. The Abeno
train station|} is a train station on the Kintetsu Minami-Osaka Line in Abeno-ku, Osaka, Japan. The station is also called "Abenobashi Station" ....
and
districtAbeno-ku is one of 24 wards of Osaka, Japan. It is located in southern Osaka city and has a population of over 107,000. In the northern part of Abeno, Abenobashi, there is the Kintetsu Minami-Osaka Line which terminates at Abenobashi Station, the Midōsuji Line and Tanimachi Line of the Osaka...
, in Osaka, are sometimes said to be named after him, as it is one of the locations where legends place his birth.
Life
His life is well recorded, and there is little question about it. Immediately after his death, however, legends arose much like those surrounding Merlin. Many legends of Seimei were originally written in the
Konjaku Monogatarishuis a Japanese collection of over one thousand tales written during the late Heian period . The entire collection was originally contained in 31 volumes, of which only 28 remain today...
, and by the
Edo periodThe , or , is a division of Japanese history running from 1603 to 1868 and is the premodern era. The period marks the governance of the Edo or Tokugawa shogunate, which was officially established in 1603 by the first Edo shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu. The period ended with the Meiji Restoration, the...
there were many stories in circulation which focused on his heroic acts.
According to legend, Abe no Seimei was
not entirely humanIn speculative fiction and, loosely applied, in mythology, a liminal being is a fantasy character that combines two distinct states of simultaneous existence within one physical body...
. He was the issue of a human father, Abe no Yasuna, and his mother,
Kuzunoha, also written Kuzu-no-Ha, is the name of a popular kitsune character in Japanese folklore. Her name means kudzu leaf. Legend states that she is the mother of Abe no Seimei, the famous onmyōji.-Legend:...
, was a
kitsuneis the Japanese word for fox. Foxes are a common subject of Japanese folklore; kitsune usually refers to them in this context. Stories depict them as intelligent beings and as possessing magical abilities that increase with their age and wisdom. Foremost among these is the ability to assume human...
(a
fox spirit). At a very early age, no later than five, he was allegedly able to command weak
oni to do his bidding. His mother entrusted Seimei to Kamo no Tadayuki, a master of
onmyōdō, so that he would live a proper human life and not become evil himself.
The Heian period, especially the time when Seimei lived, was a time of peace. Many of his myths revolve around a series of magical battles with a rival, Ashiya Doman, who often tried to embarrass Seimei so that the former could usurp the latter's position. One noted story involved Doman and the young Seimei in a
divinationDivination is the attempt to gain insight into a question or situation by way of a standardized process or ritual. Diviners ascertain their interpretations of how a querent should proceed by reading signs, events, or omens, or through alleged contact with a supernatural agency...
duel to reveal the contents of a particular box. Doman had another person put fifteen
mandarin orangeThe Mandarin orange, also known as mandarin or mandarine, is a small citrus tree with fruit resembling other oranges. The fruit is oblate, rather than spherical. Mandarin oranges are usually eaten plain, or in fruit salads...
s into the box and "divined" that there were fifteen oranges in the box. Seimei, however, saw through the ruse, transformed the oranges into
ratRats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents of the superfamily Muroidea. "True rats" are members of the genus Rattus, the most important of which to humans are the black rat, Rattus rattus, and the brown rat, Rattus norvegicus...
s, and stated that fifteen rats were in the box. When the rats were revealed, Doman was shocked and defeated.
It has been said that Abe no Seimei had no children. It has also been said, in contradiction, that the
onmyōji Abe no Yasuaki and Abe no Yasuchika were his son and grandson, respectively. Whether this was through adoption, or whether the story has some other meaning is unclear.
After Seimei's death the emperor had a
shrineA Shinto shrine is a structure whose main purpose is to house Shinto kami, and is usually characterized by the presence of a or sanctuary, where the kami are enshrined...
, the Seimei shrine, erected at the location of his home, where it stands today.
Senji Ryakketsu
Abe no Seimei is credited with the writing of the
Senji Ryakketsuis one of the texts written by the legendary Abe no Seimei during the Heian Period in Japan. It is attributed to Seimei since it contains a chapter that clearly bears his name.-Contents:...
, an onmyōdo primer.
In fiction
His name appears in many works of fiction, often as a helpful, wise man, and rarely as an enemy.
In 1994,
Baku Yumemakurais a Japanese science fiction and adventure writer. He is best known for writing Jōgen no Tsuki wo Taberu Shishi , which won both the Seiun Award and the Nihon SF Taisho Award...
started a novel series named
Onmyoji with Seimei portrayed as a handsome young adult male who lived in a Heian-period world populated with mysterious beings. This was turned into a manga by
Reiko Okanois a Japanese manga artist. In 1989, she won the Shogakukan Manga Award for shōjo for Fancy Dance. She is married to director Makoto Tezuka....
and became popular with teenage girls. In 2002, an NHK television series was later made, based on the novels. A version of Abe has also been rendered by acclaimed Taiwanese mangaka Ethan, who has stated that he is a huge fan of the novel.
The movie
Onmyojiis a Japanese movie that was released in 2001 and sent to the US in 2004. Directed by Yōjirō Takita, it tells of the exploits of Abe no Seimei, the Onmyoji from the court of the Emperor. He was befriended by bungling court noble Minamoto no Hiromasa, who enlists his aid to defend the Heian emperor...
, starring
Mansai NomuraMansai Nomura , born April 5, 1966 under the name Takeshi Nomura , is a well known Kyogen stage actor, and minor film actor. Nomura recently gained notoriety for his role as the eccentric Abe no Seimei in the film Onmyoji and its sequel.His debut was at the age of three in the drama, Quiver of The...
as Seimei, was released in
2001The year 2001 in film involved some significant events. -Top-grossing films:...
(2004 in the
U.S.The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
) by Pioneer (now
Geneonis a Japanese anime and home entertainment production and distribution enterprise. Geneon has been involved in the production and distribution of several anime in Japan...
). In 2003, a
sequelA sequel is a work in literature, film, or other media that chronologically portrays events following those of a previous work.In many cases, the sequel continues elements of the original story, often with the same characters and settings. A sequel can lead to a series, in which key elements appear...
,
Onmyoji II, was produced. Though they share the same name as the above series, the two franchises are unrelated. To capitalize on the success of the
Onmyoji films,
Fuji Televisionis a Japanese television station based in Daiba, Minato, Tokyo, Japan, also known as or CX, based on the station's callsign, JOCX-TV...
produced a miniseiries in 2004, called
Onmyoji: Abe no Seimei. This series has no ties to either of the above two productions.
Seimei can also be seen in the anime
Magical☆Shopping Arcade Abenobashi, which was released in 2004 in the U.S. by ADV Films. The show's focus was on the Onmyoji practice of changing events to avoid an ill occurrence, and the misadventures of two youths in the resultant realities.
One of Seimei's rare appearances as a villain is in the anime series
Otogizoshi.
Another one of Seimei's appearances as a villain is in the 2005 anime Shin
Getter Robois a Super Robot manga series created by Go Nagai and Ken Ishikawa, as well as an anime series produced by Toei Animation. The series was broadcast on Fuji TV from April 4 1974 to May 8 1975, with a total of 51 episodes.- Plot :...
. (Where Shin translates to "New" as opposed to "True" - A very different Getter Robo series was produced in 1998 under the Shin (True) Getter Robo title. (Please see:
Getter Robo: Armageddon)) Abe no Seimei appears as a powerful sorcerer inhabiting a castle and a surrounding township. He wields powerful magical abilities, has thousands of
oni under his command, and can summon even larger oni with size on par with Getter Robo - evidently at will. After Ryoma and company defeat him in the time of ancient Heiankyo, he returns in the modern era, only to be effortlessly dispatched, courtesy of Getter Robo's upgraded Getter Reactor. His magical abilities falter in face of the activated Douji-Kirimaru. Near the end of the series, the four kami (Possibly the
Four Heavenly KingsIn the Buddhist faith, the Four Heavenly Kings are four guardian gods, each of whom watches over one cardinal direction of the world. They are collectively named as follows:...
) inform Ryoma, Hayato, and Benkei that Abe no Seimei was an oni they had dispatched to destroy the Getter itself.
He appears as a woman simply named Seimei, a heroine of
Otogi 2, an
XboxThe Xbox is a video game console produced by Microsoft. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console market, and competed with Sony's PlayStation 2, Sega's Dreamcast, and Nintendo's GameCube...
video game.
In the
Playstation 2The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony. The PS2 console is the sequel to the original PlayStation console. The successor to the PlayStation, and the predecessor to the PlayStation 3, the PlayStation 2 forms part of the PlayStation series of video game...
game
Kuon, Ashiya Doman and Abe no Seimei are featured as rivals, the latter as a female.
In the anime
Harukanaru Toki no Naka deis an otome adventure game developed by Ruby Party and published by Koei. It is a part of Ruby Party's Neoromance label.Because of Harukanaru Toki no Naka des success, the game has give rise to a franchise including several sequels, numerous drama and music CDs, a manga series, two OAVs, a movie,...
, Seimei appears as Abe no Yasuaki's creator and master. Again, he is portrayed as a powerful onmyoji.
Abe no Seimei appears in the manga Onikiri Jyuzo. He plays a big part in the whole story.
In the story
Teito Monogatariis a massive Japanese literary fantasy/historical fiction epic written by Hiroshi Aramata.-History:...
, the evil onmyoji, Kato Yasunori, claims to be a descendant of Seimei. Since it is believed that Abe no Seimei never passed on his characteristics to following generations, Kato is more credibly the descendant of the most powerful onmyoji in history. According to plot of
Tokyo: The Last Megalopolisis a tokusatsu historical fantasy film produced in 1987 by Exe and distributed in 1988 by Toho Studios. It is the first live-action adaptation of the Teito Monogatari series by Hiroshi Aramata...
, Kato is supposed to really be the culmination of the dead, resentful souls of the onmyoji, striking out against the foreign invaders of Japan during the 1920s. Since Kato possesses so much power in the magic of onmyodo, it could even be inferred that he is actually an incarnation of Seimei's dark side.
In the anime
Spirit Warrior: Festival of the Ogres Revival, he appears as a ghost.
Hao AsakuraAsakura Hao is the main antagonist in the Anime and Manga in Shaman King. He was born Asaha Douji during the feudal era Japan. During his third life he becomes the twin brother of his descendant Asakura Yoh. His name means: Leaf King. He is the most powerful shaman in the entirety of the series...
in
Shaman Kingis a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hiroyuki Takei. Shaman King follows the adventures of Yoh Asakura as he attempts to hone his shaman skills to become the Shaman King in the Shaman tournament....
(a manga and anime series) seems to be inspired by Abe no Seimei.
Abe no Masahiro of the novel, drama, and anime Shounen Onmyouji is Abe no Seimei's grandson. Abe no Seimei appears in the series as a combination of mentor and obstacles to the main character, whose goal is to surpass his grandfather. Here he appears as an elderly onmyoji who observes his grandson's progress as an onmyoji constantly. While he praises his grandson whenever he achieves a good result, he's also quick to point out mistakes made along the way, enraging his grandson, who is always in his grandfather's shadow.
The card Sealmaster Meisei from the
Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card GameThe is a Japanese collectible card game developed and published by Konami. It is based on the fictional game of Duel Monsters created by comic artist Kazuki Takahashi, which is the main plot device during the majority of his popular comic Yu-Gi-Oh! and the Nihon Ad Systems animated series...
is inspired by him.
In the anime
Narutois an ongoing Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto. The plot tells the story of Naruto Uzumaki, an adolescent ninja who constantly searches for recognition and aspires to become a Hokage, the ninja in his village that is acknowledged as the leader and the strongest of...
, a boy named Ranmaru displays similar divining, mystic and inhuman abilities seemingly based on Seimei.
The video game
Okamiis an action-adventure video game developed by Clover Studio and published by Capcom. It was released for Sony's PlayStation 2 video game console in 2006 in Japan and North America, and 2007 in Europe and Australia...
has a character named Abe, whose full name in the Japanese was Abe no Seimei. His companion in the game is named Kamo, a reference to Seimei's teacher.