Page 134 - Ming_China_Courts_and_Contacts_1400_1450 Craig lunas

Plate 14.3 Catalogue of Auspicious Responses of the Supreme Emperor of the Dark Heaven of the Great Ming (Da Ming xuantian shangdi
ruiying tulu 大明玄天上帝瑞應圖錄), dated 1444–5. Printed ink on paper, each page: height 35cm, width 11.3cm. Bibliothèque National de
France, Paris, Chinois 9546

Chaotian Palace again, auspicious clouds covered the altar, province that venerated Zhenwu. After construction was
while hundreds of luan-phoenixes and cranes circled the air. largely completed in 1416, the emperor bestowed an elevated
title on the mountain, naming it the ‘Great Marchmount,
癸亥有神人見神樂觀，甲子卿雲見朝天宫，乙丑甘露降於宫樹。
丙寅車駕復幸朝天宫，卿雲覆映壇上，鸞鶴數百翔舞旋繞。 9 Supreme Harmony Mountain’ (Dayue Taiheshan
大嶽太和山), and personally composed an inscription for it
Of particular importance during the Yongle reign was the that was carved on to a commemorative stele. 13
worship of the Daoist deity Zhenwu 真武, the Supreme According to the Ming Veritable Records, miraculous signs
Emperor of the Dark Heaven (Xuantian shangdi 玄天上帝) (see began to appear at Mount Wudang during 1413, the second
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discussion by Maggie Chui Ki Wan in Chapter 15 of this year after construction of the temple complex began.
volume). During the civil war, Zhu Di and his military Auspicious five-coloured clouds gathered, and Zhenwu
counsellor, Daoyan, propagated the story of the manifestation reportedly revealed himself many times at the mountain
of Zhenwu in order to motivate troops and win the obedience peak, at Zixiaogong 紫霄宮 (Palace of Purple Cloud) and
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of the people. When the revolt started, a deity in armour with Yuxugong 玉虛宮 (Palace of Jade Void). Imperial edicts and
untied hair is said to have appeared in the sky, which Daoyan Zhenwu’s divine manifestations were recorded with detailed
identified as Zhenwu and his teacher. Zhu Di then explanatory texts and illustrations in the Catalogue of Auspicious
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‘dishevelled his hair and unsheathed his sword in response’ Responses of the Supreme Emperor of the Dark Heaven of the Great
(Pifa bajian xiang ying 披髮拔劍相應). The Yongle emperor Ming (Da Ming xuantian shangdi ruiying tulu 大明玄天上帝瑞應圖
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credited the deity for his victory, which he expressed in an 錄), a version of which is compiled in the Daoist Canon (Pl.
imperial edict dated to the third month of 1412: 14.3a–b). A handscroll painting of this subject matter is in
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17
By the time of my reign, Zhenwu had spread numinous the Baiyun guan 白雲觀 (White Cloud Monastery), Beijing.
transformations, assisted the state, protected the people, and In total, 17 scenes are depicted in the version in the Daoist
greatly manifested responses. From the beginning of my Canon. Six of these have specific titles summarising
campaign ‘to clear away disasters, in accordance with Heaven’s supernatural phenomena: ‘Imperial Edict Illuminates’
will’, [Zhenwu’s] power and efficacy have been so notable, the (Huangbang ronghui 黃榜榮輝), ‘Dark Cloud Responds’ (Heiyun
resonance so numerous, that it is impossible to fully speak of ganying 黑雲感應), ‘Jianlin (trees) Responds to Auspiciousness’
them.
(Qianlin yingxiang 騫林應祥), ‘Betal-plum Tree Manifests
至我朝，真武闡揚靈化，陰佑國家，福庇生民，十分顯應。我自 Auspiciousness’ (Langmei chengrui 榔梅呈瑞), ‘Deity Leaves
奉天靖難之初，顯著威靈，感應至多，言說不盡。 12 Behind Giant Tree Trunk’ (Shenliu jumu 神留巨木) and ‘Giant
Bell Appears from the Water’ (Shuiyong hongzhong 水湧洪鐘).
After he ascended the throne, the Yongle emperor The remaining 11 untitled scenes portray Zhenwu appearing
continued to venerate Daoism, especially Zhenwu. He at the mountain. Such representations of the deity helped to
commissioned the Musical Stanzas on Mysterious Teachings establish and spread an official image of Zhenwu during the
Composed under the Imperial Aegis of the Great Ming (Da Ming yuzhi Ming dynasty. Subsequently, after the capital was transferred
xuanjiao yuezhang 大明御製玄教樂章), containing ritual to Beijing in 1421, Zhenwu, who was also the deity of the
music composed in tribute to the Dark Emperor Zhenwu. north, would become recognised as the divine protector of
He ordered the construction and expansion of a major the emperor and the Ming empire.
temple complex at Mount Wudang 武當山 in Hubei 湖北

124 | Ming China: Courts and Contacts 1400–1450