Who is あべのせいめい?
Sunday, August 19, 2007 by Eva.Usermaatre
Recently I was watching a Japanese cartoon about あべのせいめい(Abe no Seimei ).I have heard his name thounsands of times, but I knew him a little. I am really curious about this figure in the real history. So I search Internet, trying to know him more, not the man in cartoon but in real life. I found many websites in Japanese, but unfortunately I can understand no Japanese. So I truned to English. Luckly I found something. Here is the info I discovered in Wiki.
Abe no Seimei (安倍 晴明 ) (921?-1005?) 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 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 astrologist 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 (晴明神社), located in Kyoto, is a popular shrine dedicated to him. The Abenobashi (Abe-no-bashi "Abe's Bridge") bridge and district, also in Kyoto, are named after him.
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 Monogatarishu, and by the Edo period there were many stories in circulation which focused on his heroic acts.
According to legend, Abe no Seimei was not entirely human. He was the issue of a human father, Abe no Yasuna, and his mother, Kuzunoha, was a kitsune (a fox spirit). At a very early age, no later than five, he was 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 divination duel to reveal the contents of a particular box. Doman had another person put fifteen mandarin oranges into the box and "divined" that there were fifteen oranges in the box. Seimei, however, saw through the ruse, transformed the oranges into rats, 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 shrine, the Seimei shrine, erected at the location of his home, where it stands today.
Here is the Chinese version about Abe no Seimei click me
Abe no Seimei (安倍 晴明 ) (921?-1005?) 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 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 astrologist 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 (晴明神社), located in Kyoto, is a popular shrine dedicated to him. The Abenobashi (Abe-no-bashi "Abe's Bridge") bridge and district, also in Kyoto, are named after him.
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 Monogatarishu, and by the Edo period there were many stories in circulation which focused on his heroic acts.
According to legend, Abe no Seimei was not entirely human. He was the issue of a human father, Abe no Yasuna, and his mother, Kuzunoha, was a kitsune (a fox spirit). At a very early age, no later than five, he was 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 divination duel to reveal the contents of a particular box. Doman had another person put fifteen mandarin oranges into the box and "divined" that there were fifteen oranges in the box. Seimei, however, saw through the ruse, transformed the oranges into rats, 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 shrine, the Seimei shrine, erected at the location of his home, where it stands today.
Here is the Chinese version about Abe no Seimei click me
