Abe no Seimei
Encyclopedia
was an onmyōji, a leading specialist of onmyōdō
during the middle of the Heian Period
in Japan. In addition to his prominence in history, he is a legendary figure in Japanese folklore
and has been portrayed in a number of stories and films.
Seimei worked as 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 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 mystical
powers.
The Seimei Shrine
, located in Kyoto
, is a popular shrine dedicated to him. The Abeno train station and district
, in Osaka, are sometimes said to be named after him, as it is one of the locations where legends place his birth.
Seimei's 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 Monogatarishu
, and by the Edo period
there were many stories in circulation that focused on his heroic acts.
Abe no Seimei was a descendant of the poet Abe no Nakamaro and a disciple of Kamo no Tadayuki and Kamo no Yasunori
, 10th-century diviners of the Heian court. He became Kamo no Yasunori's successor in astrology and divination, while Yasunori's son took on the lesser responsibility of devising the calendar. Seimei's duties included analyzing strange events, conducting exorcisms, warding against evil spirits, and performing various rites of geomancy. He was said to be especially skilled in divining the sex of fetuses and finding lost objects. According to the Konjaku Monogatarishu, he correctly predicted the abdication of Emperor Kazan
based on his observation of celestial phenomena.
Seimei's reputation grew sufficiently that, from the late 10th century, the Onmyōryō, the government ministry of onmyōdō, was controlled by the Abe clan. The Kamo clan likewise became the hereditary keepers of the calendar.
The mystical symbol of the equidistant five-pointed star, referred to in the West as a pentagram
, is known in Japan as the Doman Seiman or the Seal of Abe no Seimei.
According to legend, Abe no Seimei was not entirely human
. His father, Abe no Yasuna, was human, but his mother, Kuzunoha
, was a kitsune
(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 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 legends revolve around a series of magical battles with a rival, Ashiya Doman, who often tried to embarrass Seimei so that he could usurp his position. One noted story involved Doman and the young Seimei in a divination
duel to reveal the contents of a particular box. Doman had another person put fifteen mandarin orange
s into the box and "divined" that there were fifteen oranges in it. Seimei saw through the ruse, transformed the oranges into rat
s, and stated that fifteen rats were in the box. When the rats were revealed, Doman was shocked and defeated.
Seimei is involved in numerous other tales as well. He appears as a minor character in the Heike Monogatari and is said to be responsible for divining the location of the Shuten-dōji
, a powerful oni purportedly slain by Minamoto no Yorimitsu
. He is sometimes said to be the onmyōji who discovered Tamamo no Mae
's true nature, although the time of the Tamamo no Mae story does not coincide with Seimei's lifetime; other sources credit the act to a descendant, Abe no Yasuchika.
, the Seimei shrine, erected at the location of his home. The original shrine was destroyed in war during the fifteenth century, but it was rebuilt in the same location and still stands today.
The asteroid
5541 Seimei
, discovered in 1976, is named for him.
, an onmyōdo primer.
Since 1989, Abe no Seimei has been depicted as a bishōnen
.
He Appears in the Drifters
series leading a group of Magicians called Octobrist.He appears as a handsome young man and wheres a hat.
The 1985 historical fantasy
novel Teito Monogatari
by Hiroshi Aramata
does not feature Abe no Seimei specifically, but greatly features the Tsuchimikado Clan (which owes its roots to Abe no Seimei) in a primary role in the story. The protagonist of the novel, the heretical onmyoji Yasunori Kato
(whose name is a reference to Kamo no Yasunori
, Seimei's legendary teacher) claims descent from Seimei's clan. The best selling novel is widely credited as having reignited an interest in Seimei, oni, and onmyoji in Japanese popular culture
.
In 1988, Baku Yumemakura
started a novel series named Onmyoji with Seimei portrayed as a handsome young man who lived in a Heian-period world populated with mysterious beings. This was turned into a manga by Reiko Okano
and became popular with teenage girls. In 2002, an NHK television series was made, based on the novels. A version of Abe has also been rendered by acclaimed Taiwanese manga artist Ethan, who has stated that he is a huge fan of the novel.
The movie Onmyoji
, starring Mansai Nomura
as Seimei, was released in 2001
(2004 in the U.S.
) by Pioneer (now Geneon
). In 2003, a sequel
, Onmyoji II, was produced. As with any other work featuring both Seimei and Minamoto no Hiromasa
, these movies were based on Yumemakura's novels. However, despite Yumemakura having been involved with both, the manga adaptation and the movie adaptation are quite different in style and plot.
The horror/survival video game Kuon featured Seimei as a female exorcist who becomes a playable character near the end of the game.
To capitalize on the success of the Onmyoji films, Fuji Television
produced a miniseries in 2004, called Onmyoji: Abe no Seimei. This series has no ties to either of the above two productions.
Seimei can 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. He also turns up in the anime called Gintama
as an onmyoji as well as in the anime Shonen Onmyouji which is about his grandson. He is also a central character in the anime called Otogi Zoshi.
Abe no Seimei had been shown in a manga called Nurarihyon no Mago
by Hiroshi Shiibashi
, as an evil Nue
, dark lord of the Ayakashi, born from an evil fox who agreed to give birth to Seimei again, and had been trying to give birth to Seimei for thousand of years without success until the battle between Hagoromo-Gitsune and Rikuo, grandson of Nurarihyon. Nurarihyon no Mago
had been adapted into an anime series starting on July 2010.
He appears in Kouta Hirano's Drifters
. He is the leader of the Octobrist group and appears much younger.
Onmyodo
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 Period
Heian period
The 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 Kyōto. It is the period in Japanese history when Buddhism, Taoism and other Chinese influences were at their height...
in Japan. In addition to his prominence in history, he is a legendary figure in Japanese folklore
Japanese folklore
The 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 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 astrologer
Astrology
Astrology consists of a number of belief systems which hold that there is a relationship between astronomical phenomena and events in the human world...
and predicted astrological events. He enjoyed an extremely long life, free from any major illness, which contributed to the popular belief that he had mystical
Magic (paranormal)
Magic is the claimed art of manipulating aspects of reality either by supernatural means or through knowledge of occult laws unknown to science. It is in contrast to science, in that science does not accept anything not subject to either direct or indirect observation, and subject to logical...
powers.
The Seimei Shrine
Seimei Shrine
is a Shinto shrine that is located in Kyoto, Japan. It is dedicated to the onmyōji, Abe no Seimei.-History:The 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 Kyoto
Kyoto
is 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.-History:...
, is a popular shrine dedicated to him. The Abeno train station and district
Abeno-ku, Osaka
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 Municipal...
, in Osaka, are sometimes said to be named after him, as it is one of the locations where legends place his birth.
Life and legends
Konjaku Monogatarishu
is 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 period
Edo period
The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....
there were many stories in circulation that focused on his heroic acts.
Abe no Seimei was a descendant of the poet Abe no Nakamaro and a disciple of Kamo no Tadayuki and Kamo no Yasunori
Kamo no Yasunori
Kamo no Yasunori was an onmyōji, a practitioner of onmyōdō, during the Heian period in Japan. He was considered the premier onmyōji of his time.Yasunori was the son of the onmyōji Kamo no Tadayuki...
, 10th-century diviners of the Heian court. He became Kamo no Yasunori's successor in astrology and divination, while Yasunori's son took on the lesser responsibility of devising the calendar. Seimei's duties included analyzing strange events, conducting exorcisms, warding against evil spirits, and performing various rites of geomancy. He was said to be especially skilled in divining the sex of fetuses and finding lost objects. According to the Konjaku Monogatarishu, he correctly predicted the abdication of Emperor Kazan
Emperor Kazan
was the 65th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession.Kazan's reign spanned the years from 984 through 986.-Traditional narrative:...
based on his observation of celestial phenomena.
Seimei's reputation grew sufficiently that, from the late 10th century, the Onmyōryō, the government ministry of onmyōdō, was controlled by the Abe clan. The Kamo clan likewise became the hereditary keepers of the calendar.
The mystical symbol of the equidistant five-pointed star, referred to in the West as a pentagram
Pentagram
A pentagram is the shape of a five-pointed star drawn with five straight strokes...
, is known in Japan as the Doman Seiman or the Seal of Abe no Seimei.
According to legend, Abe no Seimei was not entirely human
Liminal being
Liminality has been defined as 'a semi-autonomous zone of social reality'. Liminal beings are associated with that intermediate status: 'Turner argues that the liminal personae are "necessarily ambiguous, since this condition and these persons elude or slip through the network of classifications...
. His father, Abe no Yasuna, was human, but his mother, Kuzunoha
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 kitsune
Kitsune
is the Japanese word for fox. Foxes are a common subject of Japanese folklore; in English, kitsune 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...
(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 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 legends revolve around a series of magical battles with a rival, Ashiya Doman, who often tried to embarrass Seimei so that he could usurp his position. One noted story involved Doman and the young Seimei in a divination
Divination
Divination is the attempt to gain insight into a question or situation by way of an occultic standardized process or ritual...
duel to reveal the contents of a particular box. Doman had another person put fifteen mandarin orange
Mandarin orange
The orange, also known as the ' or mandarine , is a small citrus tree with fruit resembling other oranges. Mandarin oranges are usually eaten plain or in fruit salads...
s into the box and "divined" that there were fifteen oranges in it. Seimei saw through the ruse, transformed the oranges into rat
Rat
Rats 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.
Seimei is involved in numerous other tales as well. He appears as a minor character in the Heike Monogatari and is said to be responsible for divining the location of the Shuten-dōji
Shuten-doji
is a gigantic ruler of the Oni, creatures of Japanese folklore.In popular culture:, a character in the anime Ronin Warriors* Shutendouji, a character in the anime Otogizoshi, a manga by Go Nagai...
, a powerful oni purportedly slain by Minamoto no Yorimitsu
Minamoto no Yorimitsu
, also known as Minamoto no Raikō, served the regents of the Fujiwara clan along with his brother Yorinobu, taking the violent measures the Fujiwara were themselves unable to take...
. He is sometimes said to be the onmyōji who discovered Tamamo no Mae
Tamamo no Mae
Tamamo-no-Mae is a legendary figure in Japanese mythology. In the Otogizōshi, a collection of Japanese prose written in the Muromachi period, Tamamo-no-Mae was a courtesan under the Japanese Emperor Konoe . She was said to be the most beautiful and intelligent woman in Japan...
's true nature, although the time of the Tamamo no Mae story does not coincide with Seimei's lifetime; other sources credit the act to a descendant, Abe no Yasuchika.
Legacy
After Seimei's death the emperor had a shrineJinja (Shinto)
A Shinto shrine is a structure whose main purpose is to house one or more Shinto kami....
, the Seimei shrine, erected at the location of his home. The original shrine was destroyed in war during the fifteenth century, but it was rebuilt in the same location and still stands today.
The asteroid
Asteroid
Asteroids are a class of small Solar System bodies in orbit around the Sun. They have also been called planetoids, especially the larger ones...
5541 Seimei
5541 Seimei
5541 Seimei is a main-belt asteroid discovered on October 22, 1976 by Kosai and Hurukawa at Kiso Observatory.- External links :*-References:...
, discovered in 1976, is named for him.
Senji Ryakketsu
Abe no Seimei is credited with the writing of the Senji RyakketsuSenji Ryakketsu
is 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. There are exceptions such as Nurarihyon no Mago where Seimei was also a great ayakashi and the Lord of Darkness.Since 1989, Abe no Seimei has been depicted as a bishōnen
Bishonen
is a Japanese term literally meaning "beautiful youth ". The equivalent English concept is a "pretty boy".The term describes an aesthetic that can be found in disparate areas in East Asia: a young man whose beauty transcends the boundary of gender or sexual orientation...
.
He Appears in the Drifters
Drifters (manga)
is a fantasy, alternate history Japanese manga written and illustrated by Kouta Hirano. The manga started serialization in Shōnen Gahosha's magazine, Young King Ours on April 30, 2009...
series leading a group of Magicians called Octobrist.He appears as a handsome young man and wheres a hat.
The 1985 historical fantasy
Historical fantasy
Historical fantasy is a sub-genre of fantasy and related to historical fiction, which makes use of specific elements of real world history. It is used as an umbrella term for the sword and sorcery genre and sometimes, if fantasy is involved, the sword-and-sandal genre too...
novel Teito Monogatari
Teito Monogatari
is a massive Japanese historical fantasy epic written by Hiroshi Aramata.-Overview:The story is a retelling of the history of Edo from an occultist perspective. The premise is based on the idea that the curse of Taira no Masakado greatly influenced the city's history from its inception to the...
by Hiroshi Aramata
Hiroshi Aramata
is a Japanese author, translator, and screenplay writer, as well as a specialist in natural history and cartography.His most popular novel was Teito Monogatari , which has sold over 3.5 million copies in Japan alone. He also wrote Alexander Senki, a novel which eventually evolved into the anime...
does not feature Abe no Seimei specifically, but greatly features the Tsuchimikado Clan (which owes its roots to Abe no Seimei) in a primary role in the story. The protagonist of the novel, the heretical onmyoji Yasunori Kato
Yasunori Kato
is a fictional character, the antagonist of the Japanese historical fantasy series Teito Monogatari, created by Hiroshi Aramata.Since his first cinematic appearance in 1988, Yasunori Kato has gone on to become a well known and well respected archetype in Japanese popular culture having inspired a...
(whose name is a reference to Kamo no Yasunori
Kamo no Yasunori
Kamo no Yasunori was an onmyōji, a practitioner of onmyōdō, during the Heian period in Japan. He was considered the premier onmyōji of his time.Yasunori was the son of the onmyōji Kamo no Tadayuki...
, Seimei's legendary teacher) claims descent from Seimei's clan. The best selling novel is widely credited as having reignited an interest in Seimei, oni, and onmyoji in Japanese popular culture
Japanese popular culture
Japanese popular culture not only reflects the attitudes and concerns of the present but also provides a link to the past. Japanese cinema, cuisine, television programs, manga, and music all developed from older artistic and literary traditions, and many of their themes and styles of presentation...
.
In 1988, Baku Yumemakura
Baku Yumemakura
is 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 man who lived in a Heian-period world populated with mysterious beings. This was turned into a manga by Reiko Okano
Reiko Okano
is a Japanese manga artist. In 1989, she won the Shogakukan Manga Award for shōjo for Fancy Dance. She is married to director Makoto Tezuka.- References :...
and became popular with teenage girls. In 2002, an NHK television series was made, based on the novels. A version of Abe has also been rendered by acclaimed Taiwanese manga artist Ethan, who has stated that he is a huge fan of the novel.
The movie Onmyoji
Onmyoji (film)
is 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 befriended bungling court noble, Minamoto no Hiromasa, who enlists his aid to defend the Heian emperor...
, starring Mansai Nomura
Mansai Nomura
Mansai 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 2001
2001 in film
The year 2001 in film involved some significant events, including the first of the Harry Potter series and also the first of The Lord of the Rings trilogy...
(2004 in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
) by Pioneer (now Geneon
Geneon
is a Japanese music, anime and home entertainment production and distribution enterprise headquartered in Akasaka, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Geneon has been involved in the production and distribution of several anime in Japan...
). In 2003, a sequel
Sequel
A sequel is a narrative, documental, or other work of literature, film, theatre, or music that continues the story of or expands upon issues presented in some previous work...
, Onmyoji II, was produced. As with any other work featuring both Seimei and Minamoto no Hiromasa
Minamoto no Hiromasa
was a nobleman and gagaku musician in the Heian period. He was the eldest son of Prince Katsuakira and the grandson of Emperor Daigo. His mother was the daughter of Fujiwara no Tokihira....
, these movies were based on Yumemakura's novels. However, despite Yumemakura having been involved with both, the manga adaptation and the movie adaptation are quite different in style and plot.
The horror/survival video game Kuon featured Seimei as a female exorcist who becomes a playable character near the end of the game.
To capitalize on the success of the Onmyoji films, Fuji Television
Fuji Television
is a Japanese television station based in Daiba, Minato, Tokyo, Japan, also known as or CX, based on the station's callsign "JOCX-DTV". It is the flagship station of the Fuji News Network and the ....
produced a miniseries in 2004, called Onmyoji: Abe no Seimei. This series has no ties to either of the above two productions.
Seimei can 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. He also turns up in the anime called Gintama
Gintama
, also known as Gintama, is a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Hideaki Sorachi and serialized, beginning on December 8, 2003, in Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump...
as an onmyoji as well as in the anime Shonen Onmyouji which is about his grandson. He is also a central character in the anime called Otogi Zoshi.
Abe no Seimei had been shown in a manga called Nurarihyon no Mago
Nurarihyon no Mago
Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan, known in Japan as is a manga series written and illustrated by Hiroshi Shiibashi. The series was first published in Shueisha as a oneshot in 2007. The manga has been continuously serialized in the Japanese manga anthology Weekly Shōnen Jump since March 2008 and has...
by Hiroshi Shiibashi
Hiroshi Shiibashi
is a Japanese manga artist known for the manga Nurarihyon no Mago. He has worked as an assistant on Hirohiko Araki's series Steel Ball Run.-Career:...
, as an evil Nue
Nue
A nue is a legendary creature found in Japanese folklore. It is described as having the head of a monkey, the body of a raccoon dog, the legs of a tiger, and a snake as a tail. According to the legend, a nue can metamorphose into a black cloud and fly. Due to its appearance, it is sometimes...
, dark lord of the Ayakashi, born from an evil fox who agreed to give birth to Seimei again, and had been trying to give birth to Seimei for thousand of years without success until the battle between Hagoromo-Gitsune and Rikuo, grandson of Nurarihyon. Nurarihyon no Mago
Nurarihyon no Mago
Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan, known in Japan as is a manga series written and illustrated by Hiroshi Shiibashi. The series was first published in Shueisha as a oneshot in 2007. The manga has been continuously serialized in the Japanese manga anthology Weekly Shōnen Jump since March 2008 and has...
had been adapted into an anime series starting on July 2010.
He appears in Kouta Hirano's Drifters
Drifters (manga)
is a fantasy, alternate history Japanese manga written and illustrated by Kouta Hirano. The manga started serialization in Shōnen Gahosha's magazine, Young King Ours on April 30, 2009...
. He is the leader of the Octobrist group and appears much younger.