White Tiger (China)

White Tiger
Bái Hǔ sculpture on the eaves tile
Chinese name
Chinese	白虎
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Bái Hǔ Yue: Cantonese Jyutping baak6 fu2 Yale Romanization baak6 fu2 Southern Min Hokkien POJ pe̍h-hó͘
Vietnamese name
Vietnamese alphabet	Bạch Hổ
Chữ Hán	白虎
Korean name
Hangul	백호
Hanja	白虎
Transcriptions Revised Romanization Baek-ho
Japanese name
Kanji	白虎
Hiragana	びゃっこ
Transcriptions Revised Hepburn Byakko Kunrei-shiki Byakko

The White Tiger is one of the Four Symbols of the Chinese constellations. It is sometimes called the White Tiger of the West (西方白虎, Xī Fāng Bái Hǔ), and is known as Bai Hu in Chinese, Byakko in Japanese, Baekho in Korean and Bạch Hổ in Vietnamese. It represents the west and the autumn season.

Seven mansions of White Tiger

As the other three symbols, there are seven astrological mansions, or positions, of the moon within White Tiger. The names and determinative stars are:^[1][2]

Origin

In Chinese culture, the tiger is the king of the beasts and has been presented with a 王 on his forehead for centuries. According to legend, the tiger's tail would turn white when it reached the age of 500 years. In this way, the white tiger became a kind of mythological creature. It was said that the white tiger would only appear when the emperor ruled with absolute virtue, or if there was peace throughout the world. Because the color white of the Wu Xing theory also represents the west, the white tiger became a mythological guardian of the west.

In fiction

• In the novel Tales of the Tang dynasty (Chinese: 隋唐演義), the reincarnation of the White Tiger's star is said to be General Luo Cheng (羅成 / 罗成), who served the Wagang Army (瓦岗军) and later Li Shimin, and the reincarnation of the Azure Dragon's star is said to be the rebellious General Dan Xiongxin (單雄信 / 单雄信, his surname 單 can be pronounced as Dān, Chán, or Shàn), who served Wang Shichong. They two are sworn brothers of Qin Shubao and Cheng Yaojin. Their souls after death are said to possess the body of the new heroes of the Tang and Goguryeo dynasties, Xue Rengui (薛仁貴 / 薛仁贵) and Yeon Gaesomun (渊盖苏文)

Hattara Sonja with the White Tiger.

• In Gosei Sentai Dairanger, Kibaranger (who was later repurposed as the White Ranger in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers) has a Byakko motif. His costume has a white tiger theme, his sword is called Byakkoshinken (白虎真剣, a combination of the Japanese word for the White Tiger and shinken), and his mecha (Won Tiger) is a white tiger.

• In Digimon, Baihumon is based on the white tiger.

• In Puzzle & Dragons, the White Tiger is incarnated as a little girl named Haku. She is part of the Chinese Pantheon, which features the other Four Symbols; Vermillion Bird, Black Turtle, and Azure Dragon

• In Yu Yu Hakusho, Byakko is portrayed as a member of the Underworld group, The Four Beasts.

See also

• Byakkotai
• Four Holy Beasts of Vietnam

References