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Japan: 'Reizei Tamehide'. Hanging scroll painting by Tosa Mitsuyoshi (1539-1613), late 16th century.<br/><br/> The Reizei family is a branch of the clan Fujiwara, with a long poetic tradition. Tosa Mitsuyoshi (1539-1613) was a Japanese painter living during the Azuchi-momoyama period of the early Edo era.
Japan / China: 'Wu-Chinese Beauty'. Hanging scroll painting by Nagasawa Rosetsu (1754-1799), 18th century.<br/><br/> Nagasawa Rosetsu (1754-1799) was a Japanese painter of the Maruyama School, from a family of low-ranking samurai. He studied under famed artist Maruyama Okyo in Kyoto, until they had a falling out. He incorporated aspects of Western realism into his work.
Japan: 'Two Women and a Puppy'. Hanging scroll painting by Nagasawa Rosetsu (1754-1799), c. 1780.<br/><br/> Nagasawa Rosetsu (1754-1799) was a Japanese painter of the Maruyama School, from a family of low-ranking samurai. He studied under famed artist Maruyama Okyo in Kyoto, until they had a falling out. He incorporated aspects of Western realism into his work.
'Pair of Pheasants'. Hanging scroll painting by Maryuama Okyo (1733-1795), late 18th century.<br/><br/> Maruyama Okyo (June 12, 1733 - August 31, 1795), born Maruyama Masataka, was a Japanese artist active during the Edo period. He founded the Maruyama school of painting, which mixed Western naturalism with Eastern decorative design.
Japan: 'Peonies and a Red-billed Blue Magpie'. Hanging scroll painting by Kakutei (1722-1786), 1769.<br/><br/> Kakutei (1722 - 23 January 1786) was a Japainese painter from Nagasaki, who was part of the Nanpin school of painting, which was influenced by Chinese art and culture. He became an ordained Obaku monk, and moved to Kyoto and Osaka, where he thrived artistically.
Japan: 'Peony and Bamboo by a Rock'. Hanging scroll painting by Ike Gyokuran (1727-1784), 1768.<br/><br/> Ike Gyokuran (1727-1784), birth name Machi and art-name Gyokuran, was a Japanese Bunjinga/Nanga (literati) painter, poet and calligrapher. She was known as Tokuyama Gyokuran before her marriage to fellow artist Ike no Taiga. He taught her the Bunjinga/Nanga painting style, while she taught him poetry in the Japanese waka style.
Mo Shilong (1537-1587) was a Chinese artist living during the Ming Dynasty period. Mo Shilong was skilled in calligraphy and painting, though his career was cut short by his early death.
Mo Shilong (1537-1587) was a Chinese artist living during the Ming Dynasty period. Mo Shilong was skilled in calligraphy and painting, though his career was cut short by his early death.
Ren Yi (1840-1896), also known as Ren Bonian, was a Chinese painter born in Zhejiang during the Qing Dynasty era. He moved to Shanghai in 1855 after the death of his father, which exposed him to Western thinking within a more urban environment. He became a member of the Shanghai School, fusing popular and traditional styles. He is sometimes referred to as one of the 'Four Rens'.
Chen Hongshou (1598-1652), courtesy name Zhanghou and pseudonym Laolian, was a Chinese painter from Zhuji who lived during the late Ming Dynasty era. Chen trained under the famed artist Lan Ying, and developed a plump and profound brushwork style that lent itself to illustrations and tapestry portraits.
China: 'Orchid and Rock'. Hanging scroll painting attributed to Ma Shouzhen (1548-1604), 1572. Ma Shouzhen (1548-1604), pen names Xianglan and Yuejiao, was a Chinese artist and courtesan born in Nanjing during the latter years of the Ming Dynasty period. She was a matriarch in courtesan society, only allowing educated men or young student lords within her residence. She became a renowned composer, painter and poet, developing a brush style of delicate, monochromatic ink.
Tesshu Tokusai (-1366) was a Japanese artist living during the Nanbokucho Period. Tokusai was a Zen monk and an accomplished poet as well as a painter, and took extended trips to the Chinese mainland in the 1330s where he would become highly influenced by the ink paintings of Yuan Dynasty Chinese painters. He took these influences back to Japan and introduced them to other Zen monks.
Wang Jian (1598-1677), style name Xuanzhao and pseudonyms Xiangbi and Ranxiang Anzhu, was a Chinese painter born in Taicang. He lived during the end of the Ming Dynasty and the first decades of the Qing Dynasty. His style of painting was influenced by that of notorious painter Dong Yuan, and he would become famous enough himself to be considered one of the Four Wangs and Six Masters of the early Qing period.
'Ink Bamboo'. Hanging scroll painting by Gion Nankai (1676-1751), early 18th century.<br/><br/> Gion Nankai (1676 - 26 October 1751), birth name Gion Yu, was a Japanese author, confucianist and painter of the nanga (literati) style. He taught Confucianism and wrote poetry and prose. He was influenced by Chinese Yuan and Ming dynasty painters, such as Tang Yin and Zhao Mengfu. His other art names included Horai, Kanraitei, Kikyo, Shoun, Tekkan Dojin and Tekkanjin.
Akasagarbha Bodhisattva (Sanskrit: Chinese: Xukongzang Pusa; Japanese pronunciation: Kokuzo Bosatsu) is a bodhisattva who is associated with the great element (<i>mahabhuta</i>) of space (<i>akasa</i>).<br/><br/> Akasagarbha is considered one of the eight great bodhisattvas. His name can be translated as 'boundless space treasury' as his wisdom is said to be boundless as space itself.
Liang Kai was a Chinese painter of the Southern Song Dynasty. He was also known as 'Madman Liang'. He was born in Shandong and worked in Lin An (later Hangzhou). He is known to have studied with the master Jia Shigu.<br/><br/> The painting is marked with the <i>zakkeshitsu-in</i> seal found on Chinese paintings imported to Japan by the Ashikaga (also called Muromachi) Shogunate.
Guanyin is an East Asian bodhisattva associated with compassion as venerated by Mahayana Buddhists.<br/><br/> It is generally accepted among East Asian adherents that Guanyin originated as the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara. Commonly known in English as the Mercy Goddess or Goddess of Mercy but often depicted as both male and female to show this figure's limitless transcendence beyond gender.<br/><br/> Sahasrabhuja, the Thousand-Armed Avalokitesvara, is a popular manifestation that 'sees and helps all'.
Mahamayuri (Chinese: Kongque Mingwang, Japanese: Kujaku Myoo), is one of the Wisdom Kings in the Buddhist Pantheon. Mahamayuri is a peaceful personification, in contrast to the wrathful attitudes of male personifications of the Wisdom Kings. Mahamayuri had the power to protect devotees from poisoning, either physical or spiritual.<br/><br/> In Vajrayana Buddhism, a Wisdom King (Sanskrit Vidyaraja, Chinese: Mingwang; Japanese pronunciation: Myoo) is the third type of deity after Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.
Akasagarbha Bodhisattva (Sanskrit: Chinese: Xukongzang Pusa; Japanese pronunciation: Kokuzo Bosatsu) is a bodhisattva who is associated with the great element (<i>mahabhuta</i>) of space (<i>akasa</i>).<br/><br/> Akasagarbha is considered one of the eight great bodhisattvas. His name can be translated as 'boundless space treasury' as his wisdom is said to be boundless as space itself.
Fuxi, alongside his wife/sister Nuwa, was an important deity in Chinese mythology and folk religion. Like his sister, he is often depicted with serpentine qualities, sometimes with the upper body of a man and the lower body of a snake or just a human head on a snake's body. He is counted as the first of the Three Sovereigns at the beginning of the Chinese dynastic period.<br/><br/> After Pangu created the universe and the world, he birthed a powerful being known as Hua Hsu, who in turn birthed the twins Fuxi and Nuwa. They were said to be the 'original humans', and together they forged humanity out of clay. They subsequently became two of the Three Emperors in the early patriarchal society in China (c. 2,600 BCE). Fuxi also invented hunting, fishing and cooking, teaching these skills to humanity, as well as creating the Cangjie system of writing and marriage rituals.<br/><br/> Fuxi is still considered to this day as one of the most important primogenitors of Chinese civilisation and culture, and is considered the originator of the 'I Ching'. Fuxi was said to have died after living for 197 years in a place called Chen (modern Huaiyang), where there is now a monument to him which has become a popular tourist attraction.
Nuwa, sometimes also known as Nugua, is an ancient Chinese goddess who is most famous for the creation of mankind and repairing the pillar of heaven. She is often depicted as either a woman with a serpentine lower body or even just a woman's head on a serpent's body, earning her the name 'Snake Goddess'. Nuwa and her brother/husband Fuxi forged humanity out of clay, breathing life into them.<br/><br/> After a fight between the fire god Zhurong and the sea monster Gong Gong caused the latter to smash into Buzhou Mountain, one of the pillars holding up the sky, calamity ensued. Great floods and much suffering affected the people, and Nuwa is said to have cut the legs off the giant turtle Ao, using them in place of the fallen pillar to end the disaster. However, she was not able to fully correct the tilted sky and earth, thus explaining why Chinese rivers generally flow to the southeast while the sun, moon and stars move towards the northwest.<br/><br/> Nuwa also plays an important role in the Ming Dynasty novel 'Fengshen Yanyi, after King Zhou of Shang Dynasty insulted the goddess by lusting after her and writing an obscene poem on the wall of her temple. In vengeance, she sent three spirits to bewitch King Zhou, eventually causing the downfall of the Shang Dynasty.
Lei Gong, sometimes known as Lei Shen, is a god of thunder in traditional Chinese religion and religious Taoism. Generally depicted as a fearsome bird-man with a blue face and a beak, bat wings and claws, wearing only a loincloth. Lei Gong is often shown wielding a drum and mallet to produce thunder, as well as a chisel with which to punish evildoers.<br/><br/> In Taoism, Lei Gong is not only the god of thunder but also a divine instrument of punishment and retribution, ordered by heaven to punish earthly mortals who have been found guilty of secret crimes or evil spirits who abuse their Taoist knowledge to do harm upon human beings. To aid in his task, he has a retinue of assistants and helpers, including his wife Dian Mu (Tian Mu or Lei Zi), the goddess of lightning, who uses flashing mirrors to send bolts of lightning streaking across the sky.<br/><br/> Lei Gong began his life as a mortal man by the name of Feng Lung, who accidentally found and ate one of the immortal peaches from heaven, which immediately transformed him into his godly form. Temples dedicated solely to Lei Gong are rare, though he is sometimes honoured by people who hope he will exact revenge upon their personal enemies. Lei Gong is also said to be extremely prudish, and will not enter a house where copulation is taking place, or even if there are pictures of this act displayed in the house.
Amitabha is a celestial buddha described in the scriptures of the Mahayana school of Buddhism. Amitabha is the principal Buddha in the Pure Land sect, a branch of Buddhism practiced mainly in East Asia, while in Vajrayana Amitabha is known for his longevity attribute, magnetising red fire element, the aggregate of discernment, pure perception and the deep awareness of emptiness of phenomena.<br/><br/> According to these scriptures, Amitabha possesses infinite merits resulting from good deeds over countless past lives as a bodhisattva named Dharmakara. 'Amitabha' is translated as 'Infinite Light', hence Amitabha is also called 'The Buddha of Immeasurable Life and Light'.
Kshitigarbha, sometimes spelt Ksitigarbha, is a bodhisattva mainly worshipped in East Asian and Theravada Buddhism, and is often depicted as a monk with a halo around his shaved head. His name may translate to 'Earth Treasury' or 'Earth Matrix', and is renowned for his vow to instruct all beings in the six worlds between the death of Gautama Buddha and the ascendance of Maitreya, as well as his oath to not achieve Buddhahood until all hells are emptied.<br/><br/> Thus, Kshitigarbha is often associated with hell and as the bodhisattva of hell-beings. He is also the guardian of children and patron deity for deceased children and aborted fetuses in Japanese culture, where he is known by the name Jizo or Ojizo-sama. In Thailand and Laos, a <i>bhikkhu</i> named Phra Malai is often associated with Kshitigarbha due to their similar qualities, where he descends to Hell to teach and comfort the suffering hell-beings.
Guanyin, short for Guanshiyin, is a bodhisattva in Mahayana Buddhism often associated with compassion and mercy. While she is often portrayed as a woman, she is beyond gender and can be depicted as both male and female.<br/><br/> Guanyin is often referred to as the 'most widely beloved Buddhist Divinity', due to her miraculous powers and her loving compassion. She is not only worshipped in Buddhism, but also in Taoism and Chinese folk religion, with various stories and legends about her. Guanyin plays a very important role in the classic Chinese novel 'Journey to the West.'<br/><br/> She is known by various names in different nations, with the Japanese calling her Kannon/Kwannon, or more formally Kanzeon, while in Thailand she is called Kuan Im. She is extremely popular, with temples dedicated to her found throughout South and East Asia, especially in China and Chinese folk religion.
Samantabhadra (Sanskrit, 'Universal Worthy') is a bodhisattva in Mahayana Buddhism associated with practice and meditation. Together with Gautama Buddha and his fellow bodhisattva Manjusri, he forms the Shakyamuni trinity in Buddhism. He is the patron of the Lotus Sutra and, according to the Avatamsaka Sutra, made the ten great vows which are the basis of a bodhisattva.<br/><br/> In Japan, this bodhisattva is often venerated by the Tendai and in Shingon Buddhism, and as the protector of the Lotus Sutra by Nichiren Buddhism. In the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism, Samantabhadra is also the name of the Adi-Buddha – in indivisible Yab-Yum with his consort, Samantabhadri.
Ni Tian (1855-1919), born as Baotian and with the courtesy name Mogeng and sobriquets Biyuehezhu and Modaoren, was a Chinese painter during the latter decades of the Qing Dynasty. He successfully imitated fellow painter Ren Yi's distinctive style, ensuring that Ren Yi's 'works' could still be purchased by Shanghai patrons.
The Eight Immortals are a group of legendary <i>xian</i> (immortals) in Chinese mythology, folk religion and Taoism. The Eight Immortals are believed to have been born in either the Tang or Song Dynasty, though they were first described in the Yuan Dynasty, most likely named after the Eight Immortals Scholars of the Han.<br/><br/> The names of the Immortals were: He Xiangu; Cao Guojiu; Li Tieguai; Lan Caihe; Lu Dongbin; Han Xiangzi; Zhang Guolao; and Zhongli Quan. They were each said to have in their possession a tool with which they could transfer their power to and either bestow life or destroy evil, known as the 'Covert Eight Immortals'. They were believed to have lived on a group of five islands, including Penglai Mountain-Island, in the Bohai Sea.<br/><br/> The Eight Immortals are considered signs of longevity and prosperity, and are very popular in art and literature. They are a commonly seen element in secular Chinese culture and revered by Taoists, with many shrines dedicated to them scattered throughout China, Taiwan and Singapore.
'Beauty'. Hanging scroll painting by Soga Shohaku (1730-1781), c. 1760-1769.<br/><br/> Soga Shohaku (1730 - 30 January 1781), born Miura Sakonjiro, was a Japanese painter from either Ise or Kyoto. Soga was a student of Takada Keiho, an artist of the Kano School, which was influenced by Chinese culture and techniques, though he preferred the brush style of the Muromachi period, which had already gone out of fashion 150 years before his birth.
Japan: 'Pine Tree and Calligraphy'. Album leaf mounted as hanging scroll painting by Ike no Taiga (1723-1776), with calligraphy by Minagawa Kien (1734-1807), late 18th century.<br/><br/> Ike no Taiga (1723-1776) was a Japanese calligrapher and painter from Kyoto. He had a great passion for classical Chinese culture and painting styles, perfecting the Nanga ('Southern')/Bunjinga ('literati') school of painting that was heavily influenced by traditional Chinese artists. He was married to fellow artist Ike Gyorukan.
Zhu Ling (active c. 1820-1850) was a Chinese painter living in the latter years of the Qing Dynasty period. He was active during the mid-decades of the 19th century, though there are no records on his birth and death dates.
'The Snow-Covered Mountain Child'. Hanging scroll painting by Soga Shohaku (1730-1781), 1764.<br/><br/> Soga Shohaku (1730 - 30 January 1781), born Miura Sakonjiro, was a Japanese painter from either Ise or Kyoto. Soga was a student of Takada Keiho, an artist of the Kano School, which was influenced by Chinese culture and techniques, though he preferred the brush style of the Muromachi period, which had already gone out of fashion 150 years before his birth.
Minamoto no Yoritomo (May 9, 1147 – February 9, 1199) was the founder and the first shogun of the Kamakura Shogunate of Japan. He ruled from 1192 until 1199.
Guanyin, short for Guanshiyin, is a bodhisattva in Mahayana Buddhism often associated with compassion and mercy. While she is often portrayed as a woman, she is beyond gender and can be depicted as both male and female.<br/><br/> Guanyin is often referred to as the 'most widely beloved Buddhist Divinity', due to her miraculous powers and her loving compassion. She is not only worshipped in Buddhism, but also in Taoism and Chinese folk religion, with various stories and legends about her. Guanyin plays a very important role in the classic Chinese novel 'Journey to the West.'<br/><br/> She is known by various names in different nations, with the Japanese calling her Kannon/Kwannon, or more formally Kanzeon, while in Thailand she is called Kuan Im. She is extremely popular, with temples dedicated to her found throughout South and East Asia, especially in China and Chinese folk religion.
A hanging scroll (Chinese: 立軸; pinyin: lìzhóu; also called 軸 or 掛軸) is one of the many traditional ways to display and exhibit Chinese painting and calligraphy. Displaying the art in such a way was befitting for public appreciation and appraisal of the aesthetics of the scroll in its entirety by the audience. The traditional craft involved in creating such a work is considered an art in itself. Mountings can be divided into a few sections, such as handscrolls, hanging scrolls, album leaves, and screens amongst others.
Zhang Lu (simplified Chinese: 张路; traditional Chinese: 張路; pinyin: Zhāng Lù; Wade–Giles: Chang Lu)(Chang Lu, traditional: 張路, simplified: 张路); ca. 1464-1538), was a Chinese landscape painter during the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644).<br/><br/> Zhang was born in Xiangfu (祥符 - present day Kaifeng in the Henan province). His style name was 'Tian Chi' (天馳) and his pseudonym was 'Ping Shan' (平山). He was a student of Wu Wei. Zhang followed the Zhe school of painting. He painted landscapes and human figures in a free and uninhibited style.<br/><br/> A hanging scroll (Chinese: 立軸; pinyin: lìzhóu; also called 軸 or 掛軸) is one of the many traditional ways to display and exhibit Chinese painting and calligraphy. Displaying the art in such a way was befitting for public appreciation and appraisal of the aesthetics of the scroll in its entirety by the audience. The traditional craft involved in creating such a work is considered an art in itself. Mountings can be divided into a few sections, such as handscrolls, hanging scrolls, album leaves, and screens amongst others.
Joseon (July 1392 – October 1897) (also Chosŏn, Choson, Chosun), was a Korean state founded by Taejo Yi Seong-gye that lasted for approximately five centuries. It was founded in the aftermath of the overthrow of the Goryeo Kingdom at what is today the city of Kaesong. Early on, Korea was retitled and the capital was relocated to modern-day Seoul and the kingdom's northernmost borders were expanded to the natural boundaries at the Amnok and Duman rivers (through the subjugation of the Jurchens). Joseon was the last royal and later imperial dynasty of Korean history. It was the longest ruling Confucian dynasty.<br/><br/> During its reign, Joseon consolidated its absolute rule over Korea, encouraged the entrenchment of Korean Confucian ideals and doctrines in Korean society, imported and adapted Chinese culture, and saw the height of classical Korean culture, trade, science, literature, and technology. However, the dynasty was severely weakened during the late 16th and early 17th centuries, when invasions by the neighboring Japan and Qing nearly overran the peninsula, leading to an increasingly harsh isolationist policy for which the country became known as the Hermit Kingdom. After invasions from Manchuria, Joseon experienced a nearly 200-year period of peace.<br/><br/> However, whatever power the kingdom recovered during its isolation further waned as the 18th century came to a close, and faced with internal strife, power struggles, international pressure and rebellions at home, the Joseon Dynasty declined rapidly in the late 19th century.<br/><br/> Vulture Peak Mountain is, by tradition, the site where Gautama Buddha taught the Heart Sutra as is noted in the first several lines of the sutra: 'Thus have I heard: At one time, the Bhgavan dwelt in Rajagriah at Vulture Peak Mountain together with a great sangha of fully ordained monks and a great sangha of bodhisattvas'. In addition, the Saddharmapundarika Sutra (also known as the Lotus Sutra) and the Suramgamasamadhi sutra, as well as many other Prajnaparamita Sutras were first taught there as well.
Kanō Masanobu (c.1434–1530, Kyoto) was the chief painter of the Ashikaga shogunate and is generally considered the founder of the Kanō school of painting. The Kanō school was a style of painting that maintained dominance over 400 years from Masanobu's time up through the Meiji Restoration (1868). 'Zhou Maoshu Appreciating Lotuses', a designated National Treasure of Japan, is a 15th century painting mounted as a hanging scroll by Kanō Masanobu that depicts the 11th century Confucian scholar Zhou Maoshu in a boat floating on a lake with lotuses.
China: Empress Zhangxian Mingsu (969-1033), consort of Emperor Zhenzong, 3rd ruler of the Song Dynasty (r.997-1022). Hanging scroll painting, Song Dynasty (960-1279). Lady Liu, formally Zhangxian Mingsu, was the consort of Emperor Zhenzong of the Song Dynasty. Initially an entertainer and dancer, she caught the eye of the young Zhenzong, who back then was known as Prince Zhao Yuanxiu, and made her his consort when he became emperor. She eventually became empress and served as de facto co-ruler and regent when the emperor was sick from 1020 until 1022. She also served as regent for her adopted son, Emperor Renzong, who was still a minor at the time of his ascension.
Eleven-faced Goddess of Mercy (絹本著色十一面観音像, kenpon choshoku jūichimen kannonzō). Hanging scroll. Color on silk. Located in the Nara National Museum, Nara, Japan.
China: Empress Zhangxian Mingsu (969-1033), consort of Emperor Zhenzong, 3rd ruler of the Song Dynasty (r.997-1022). Hanging scroll painting, Song Dynasty (960-1279). Lady Liu, formally Zhangxian Mingsu, was the consort of Emperor Zhenzong of the Song Dynasty. Initially an entertainer and dancer, she caught the eye of the young Zhenzong, who back then was known as Prince Zhao Yuanxiu, and made her his consort when he became emperor. She eventually became empress and served as de facto co-ruler and regent when the emperor was sick from 1020 until 1022. She also served as regent for her adopted son, Emperor Renzong, who was still a minor at the time of his ascension.
China: Empress Zhangxian Mingsu (969-1033), consort of Emperor Zhenzong, 3rd ruler of the Song Dynasty (r.997-1022). Hanging scroll painting, Song Dynasty (960-1279). Lady Liu, formally Zhangxian Mingsu, was the consort of Emperor Zhenzong of the Song Dynasty. Initially an entertainer and dancer, she caught the eye of the young Zhenzong, who back then was known as Prince Zhao Yuanxiu, and made her his consort when he became emperor. She eventually became empress and served as de facto co-ruler and regent when the emperor was sick from 1020 until 1022. She also served as regent for her adopted son, Emperor Renzong, who was still a minor at the time of his ascension.
Deng Shirú (Teng Shih-ju, traditional: 鄧石如, simplified: 邓石如); ca. 1739/1743-1805 was a Chinese calligrapher during the Qing Dynasty (1644–1912).<br/><br/> Deng was born in Huaining in the Anhui province. His style name was 'Wanbo' and his sobriquets were 'Wanbai shanren, Wan bai, Guhuan, Gu wanzi, Youji daoren, Fenshui yuzhang, and Longshan qiaozhang'. Deng studied at the Shen Chun Academy. He later learned the art of Seal cutting.
Li Tieguai, also known as Tieguai Li and born as Li Yuan, is a Chinese mythological character and one of the Eight Immortals. Though he is often portrayed as being ill-tempered and irascible, he is benevolent and kind to the poor, sick and the needy, curing and alleviating the pain of others with special medicine from his magical gourd. Li Tieguai was said to have been born during the Yuan Dynasty.<br/><br/> In Chinese folklore, Li Tieguai was said to have originally been Laozi's apprentice, which would have put his birth some time in the sixth century BCE rather than during the Yuan Dynasty. Either way, he is said to have devoted himself to religious contemplation for 40 years, overcoming various tests and tasks Laozi set for him eventually becoming an immortal.<br/><br/> Li Tieguai was said to have been a handsome man once, but during his path towards immortality, there was an incident when his spirit left his body and ascended to Heaven to meet other immortals. While away, his body was cremated, and when Li's spirit returned, he had to enter the corpse of an ugly and disheveled homeless beggar who had just recently starved to death. Li Tieguai is the second most popular of the Eight Immortals, and associated with medicine.
Known by many names, Jiang Ziya was a Chinese noble and sage who played a criitical role in the overthrow of the Shang Dynasty and the establishment of the Zhou Dynasty afterwards. The last ruler of the Shang Dynasty, King Zhou of Shang, was a tyrannical and depraved man corrupted by his possessed concubine Su Daji. After having dutifully served in the Shang court for twenty years, he found King Zhou's reign insufferable, and feigned madness to be excused from court life.<br/><br/> He was eventually found and recruited by King Wen of Zhou, reportedly at the age of seventy-two, after Jiang Ziya agreed to serve him. Given the title of Jiang Taigong Wang ('The Great Duke's Hope') and appointed as prime minister, he served King Wen's son, King Wu, after the former died. Once the people of Shang Dynasty had had enough of King Zhou's tyrannical rule and rose up against him, Jiang Ziya led an army to overthrow him, defeating the Shang army at the Battle of Muye in 1043 BCE. The Shang Dynasty fell, and the Zhou Dynasty rose in its place to rule over all of China.<br/><br/> He is also a prominent character in the Ming Dynasty classic novel 'Fengshen Yanyi', where he has mystical powers and is considered the archrival of Su Daji. After King Zhou's death, Su Daji was captured as she attempted to flee and executed on the order of Jiang Ziya himself. He is considered by some as the most famous Prime Minister in Chinese history, and one of the world's greatest strategists.