Back in Japanese history, one can find many stories about mysterious people such as wizards or wizards in the West.
Among these, the best known are the onymoji, or “the study of yin and yang,” which are highly respected and respected. One of the most famous is Abe no Seimei, or Seimei Abe, a powerful mage turned legendary figure.
The talented magician
The life of Abe no Seimei contains many interesting stories, a mixture of truth and fiction. He is a real character, born in 921 AD, descendant of the great poet Abe no Nakamaro. Mage Abe no Seimei.
Her father is also an onmyoji and her mother is kitsune, a reference to a shape-changing fox spirit in Japanese folklore. This is why he began to display magical powers from an early age. Legend has it that, even as a child, Seimei displayed powerful supernatural abilities, such as seeing spirits and talking to animals.
He can easily see his mother’s true form, when she disguised and controlled demons, as well as other spirits at the age of five. He is able to force souls to obey orders, to turn them into servants, called shikigami.
He later studied astrology and honed his myodo skills, soon becoming the Emperor’s official Onmyouji and astrologer, a real post at that time, in place of his mentor Kamo no Yasunori.
This position often involved performing rituals, predicting the future, dispelling evil spirits, bringing good luck, and guiding the court to prosperity.
During her days at court, Seimei was famous as a powerful mage, able to search for lost or stolen items, determine the sex of the fetus, exorcise, and predict future events with amazing accuracy. He is also gifted in geomorphology
Competitions between magicians
Although he was respected, he also had many enemies.
One of Abe no Seimei’s main adversaries is the mage Chitoku Hōshi. The history of their competition is legendary in Japan. Once, Chitoku used magic disguised as a tourist, visiting the house of Abe no Seimei, along with his two shikigami, in an effort to verify if he was really as strong as everyone said he was. Abe no Seimei immediately saw through the magical camouflage, knowing their true nature.
However, he didn’t care about it, but also felt amused and curious about where it was heading. Unaware that she had been discovered, Chitoku begged Abe no Seimei to teach him how to use magic. The royal mage accepts, telling him to come back the next day to start the course but leave his minions behind. Just after
Chitoku disappeared, Seimei used magic to banish the two shikigami. The next day, Chitoku arrived and was surprised to find that his two “shikigami” had disappeared. He realized he had underestimated Abe no Seimei and bowed to beg forgiveness.
Another rival of Seime is the old mage, Ashiya Dōman, who sees Seimei as cheeky. Legend has it that the two often have magical battles between them. During a competition, Dōman challenged Seimei to see-through, clearly indicating the contents of a closed box in front of everyone on the court.
Dōman secretly put 15 oranges in the box, but Seimei used his power to turn the oranges into mice. When he told Dōman that there were 15 rats in the box, the rival mage laughed and opened the box to reveal what he thought were oranges, but it was actually a group of moving rats. .
Another time, the two performed magic in front of a large number of spectators. Dōman turns sand into sparrows but is turned into sand by Seimei with a wave of his hand. Seimei then drew a picture of a dragon in the sky and created a rain cloud that wet the area. Dōman was unable to dispel Seimei’s powerful magic, so he had to accept Seimei as the victor.
Defeated again and again, Dōman still does not give up his conspiracy against Seimei. He used a spell to seduce Seimei’s wife and seduced her to show her her husband’s secret spell books. This betrayal led to a tragic end for Abe no Seimei.
Losing his revealed secrets and shocked at his wife’s betrayal, he turned his neck to Dōman and punched him. Dōman killed him instantly. However, according to legend, a Chinese witch known as Saint Hokudō, who was once one of Seimei’s advisers, found Seime’s remains and allowed him to come to life. The two plan to get revenge on Dōman, who would later marry Seimei’s wife, deepening the hatred.
Hokudō went to Seimei’s old house to inquire about the Imperial Mage. When he heard that the wizard had been dead for a while, he pretended to be surprised and said he had just met Seimei the day before. Dōman says if this is true, he will be cut off on purpose. Seimei appeared in shock at Dōman and his ex-wife. As a result, both had to pay the atonement.
After that, Seimei lived a prosperous and long life, believed to be immune to disease, died forever in 1005. After his death, Emperor Ichijou built a temple to worship him in Kyoto., Currently is a popular attraction to visit.
Abe no Seimei has also appeared in many literary works, films, theatrical performances and even in comics, becoming a legendary figure in Japanese folklore.
