BAI ZE

Bai Ze in chinese means ‘white marsh’. It is an ancient beast originates from Japan, according to Chinese Mythology. Bai Ze or Hakutaku (as he is known in Japan) appears as a bovine creature with nine eyes and six horns, placed in sets of three and two on both his flanks and his man-like face.

It was believed that the Emperor of China once encountered this creature and used it’s knowledge to guide him to defeat the hauntings and attacks of supernatural creatures of the world. There was a book that was believed to be written by the emperor himself called Bai Ze tu. The book still exist and is believed to be kept safely in some Musuems in China.

In Japan, this beast is often thought to be related to a legendary creature called Kutabe. It is used by Japanese in the past to ward off spirits in the form of talisman. It is also being worshipped by some and was called Hakutaku which is infact a guardian spirit of herbal medicine.

A wise and holy animal, known for his capacity for human speech, the Bai Ze made his most famous appearance to Huang Di, the Yellow Emperor of China, who found him on top of a mountain near the Eastern Sea. To this man the beast dictated the characteristics and abilities of all the 11,520 types of demons, monsters, shapeshifters, and peculiar spirits in the world. Huang Di published his drawings and writings based on this encounter in a fascinating tome, the "Bai Ze Guide", but alas the book is thought to no longer exist.

In Japan Hakutaku is said to ward off calamity and disease, and his image is used as a charm and deified at temples.