Yin Jiao ( zh, c=殷郊 or zh, c=殷交) is a

Taoist Taoism or Daoism (, ) is a diverse philosophical and religious tradition indigenous to China, emphasizing harmony with the Tao ( zh, p=dào, w=tao4). With a range of meaning in Chinese philosophy, translations of Tao include 'way', 'road', ...

deity of the star Taisui or of Jupiter, also named Taisui Xingjun ( zh, t=太歳星君, s=太岁星君), Taisaishin (), Yin Yuanshuai and Yin Tianjun. In ''

Investiture of the Gods ''The Investiture of the Gods'', also known by its Chinese titles () and is a 16th-century Chinese novel and one of the major Written vernacular Chinese, vernacular Chinese works in the gods and demons (''shenmo'') genre written during the Min ...

'', he is the first son of the cruel

King Zhou of Shang King Zhou (; ) was the pejorative posthumous name given to Di Xin of Shang () or Shou, King of Shang (), the last king of the Shang dynasty of ancient China. He is also called Zhou Xin (). In Chinese, his name Zhòu ( 紂) also refers to a horse ...

and the crown prince of the dynasty. Although King Zhou is a historical figure, Yin Jiao and are fictional characters. After being defeated by forces of Jiang Ziya, he is later enshrined by him as the god of Tai Sui. In a

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty, officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming was the last imperial dynasty of ...

work ', however, he sides with King Wu and kills the killer of his mother,

Daji Daji ( zh, c=妲己, p=Dájǐ, w=Ta2-chi3) was the favourite consort of King Zhou of Shang, the last king of the Shang dynasty in ancient China. In legends and fictions, she is portrayed as a malevolent fox spirit who kills and impersonates the ...

. As Yin Jiao, he is often pictured as a six-armed and three-headed man with many skulls on his neck and a golden bell in his hand, Bell of Fallen Souls, whose sound makes the enemies' souls fall off.

''Investiture of the Gods''

In ''Investiture of the Gods'', Yin Jiao is the crown prince of

Shang dynasty The Shang dynasty (), also known as the Yin dynasty (), was a Chinese royal dynasty that ruled in the Yellow River valley during the second millennium BC, traditionally succeeding the Xia dynasty and followed by the Western Zhou d ...

. For killing Jiang Huan to avenge the death of their mother, , he and his brother were sentenced to execution, and were only saved when the passing immortal sages Guang Chengzi and Chijingzi saw what was happening and summoned a tornado to sow confusion while they stole the princes, taking them as their students. Guang Chengzi took Yin Jao while Chijingzi took Yin Hong. After several decades of studying, when Yin Hong was strong enough, Guang Chengzi gave him the Fantian Yin along with some other weapons and asked Yin Jiao to help

Jiang Ziya Jiang Ziya ( century BC – 11th century BC), also known by several other names, also known by his posthumous name as the Duke Tai of Qi, was the founding monarch of the Qi state. He was a military general and strategist who as ...

and

King Wu of Zhou King Wu of Zhou (; died ), personal name Ji Fa, was the founding king of the Chinese Zhou dynasty. The chronology of his reign is disputed but is generally thought to have begun around 1046 BCE and ended with his death three years later. Ki ...

. However, on the way to the camp of King Wu's army, Yin Jiao met the evil Shen Gongbao, who persuaded him to help King Zhou to fight against King Wu, and protect the country of Shang. Having no social experience, Yin Jiao accepted Shen Gongbao's suggestion and fought against King Wu's army, contrary to his teacher Guang Chengzi's will. Ultimately he is defeated by Guang Chengzi and Jiang Ziya, and killed by . Jiang Ziya later enshrines him as the god of Tai Sui and part of 60 Gods.

As a deity

In Taoism, Yin Jiao is the leader of the sixty other Taisui Xingjun. Yin Jiao doesn't govern any year in the 60-year cycle, and every year is governed by one of 60 subordinate Taisui. Yin Jiao in particular is referred to in this context as Taisui Tongling Yin Yuanshuai (Commander of Taisui General Yin). In Japan and Japanese folklore however, "Taisui Xingjun" is considered a singular god. Yin Jiao is a malevolent, disaster-bringing god, and Chinese astronomers were said to have paid particular attention to the direction of Tai Sui each year in order to avoid the disasters caused by him. He is syncretized with

Feng Feng may refer to: *List of surnames written Feng, several Chinese surnames as transliterated from Mandarin **Féng (surname) ( 冯 féng 2nd tone "gallop"), very common Chinese surname **Fèng (surname) ( 鳳 fèng 4th tone "phoenix"), relatively ...

(in 三教源流搜神大全 Yin Jiao is conceived as a mass of flesh), and in Japan he is one of the in

Onmyōdō is a technique that uses knowledge of astronomy and calendars to divine good fortune in terms of date, time, direction and general personal affairs, originating from the philosophy of the yin-yang and the five elements. The philosophy of yin an ...

and a . In the

Warring States period The Warring States period in history of China, Chinese history (221 BC) comprises the final two and a half centuries of the Zhou dynasty (256 BC), which were characterized by frequent warfare, bureaucratic and military reforms, and ...

, Tai Sui had become a god/gods in the popular astrology, but there is no record of worshiping the Taisui Xingjun in the documents before the

Han dynasty The Han dynasty was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China (202 BC9 AD, 25–220 AD) established by Liu Bang and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–206 BC ...

, with the earliest record found in Wang Chong's Lunheng. There are several legends related to it, usually about people disrespecting or ignoring Taisui Xingjun and suffering disaster. For example, in

Taiping Guangji The ''Taiping Guangji'' (), sometimes translated as the ''Extensive Records of the Taiping Era'' or ''Extensive Records of the Taiping Xinguo Period'', is a collection of stories compiled in the early Song dynasty. The work was completed in 978, ...

, there is a tale of a house that was destroyed and a clan being wiped out because the basement was built without believing in the danger of unearthing Tai Sui as the underground flesh (Feng). In contemporary

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

, "pacifying Taisui Xingjun" is one of three religious services protecting against misfortune (along with lighting a secure lamp and worshipping the Big Dipper). He is worshipped in his own temples, such as Shanxi Palace, Drumshou Palace, Longfeng Palace and Zhenxing Palace. He is also worshipped as a

dharmapala A ''dharmapāla'' is a type of wrathful god in Buddhism. The name means "''dharma'' protector" in Sanskrit, and the ''dharmapālas'' are also known as the Defenders of the Justice (Dharma), or the Guardians of the Law. There are two kinds of ...

protector of the Jade Emperor God in his temples. In

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

, Yin Jiao is worshipped in a few temples: Tin Hau Temple in Stanley, Hung Shing Temple in Cheung Chau and Dongpingzhou Tianhou Palace.

In popular culture

* Yin Jiao appears in many contemporary adaptations of Investiture of the Gods, e.g. in the 2019 TV series, played by Sun Bohao (孫博豪) and Shao Wenhao (邵文皓) in young age and 2014 TV series, played by Lai Ziyang (來子暘). * In ''

Touhou Hisoutensoku is a versus fighting game in the ''Touhou Project'' game series. The game, by Twilight Frontier and Team Shanghai Alice, can be played as a standalone game or as an expansion pack for the previous fighting game '' Scarlet Weather Rhapsody''. In ...

,'' a giant creature appears in Gensokyo, with Hong Meilin recognizing it as Taisui Xingjun. * In ''

Fate/Grand Order is a free-to-play Japanese gacha game, gacha mobile game, developed by Lasengle (formerly Delightworks) using Unity (game engine), Unity, and published by Aniplex, a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment Japan. The game is based on Type-Moon' ...

'', Taisui Xingjun is an Alter Ego class Servant, a powerful summoned

familiar In European folklore of the medieval and early modern periods, familiars (strictly familiar spirits, as "familiar" also meant just "close friend" or companion, and may be seen in the scientific name for dog, ''Canis familiaris'') were believed ...

. As in some Chinese folklore traditions, he is syncretized with

. * In '' Dark Gathering'', Taisui Xingjun is a major antagonist, and has marked Ai Kamiyo as his next bride. * Yin Jiao is portrayed by Chen Muchi in '' Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms'' (2023) and '' Creation of the Gods II: Demon Force'' (2025).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yin, Jiao Investiture of the Gods characters