The Year of the Tiger says tiger four: Sun Wukong's tiger skin skirt, the real source is actually the Tibetan warrior legacy
Son Goku is a well-known figure. Every Spring Festival, the old version of "Journey to the West" is always the favorite of children. From "Sun Wukong Making a Big Fuss in the Heavenly Palace" in the last century to "Journey to the West" filmed by CCTV, the image of Sun Wukong has influenced countless people.
Why does Sun Wukong wear a tiger skin skirt around his waist? You may not think that this is actually the legacy of the Tubo warriors of the Tang Dynasty.
Today, listen to Lao Wang, behind Sun Wukong's tiger skin skirt, the mysterious worship of tiger customs of The Tubo warriors of the Tang Dynasty.
In the story of fighting tigers in "Journey to the West", hunters in Hezhou, Gansu Province, rescued Tang Sanzang
On the way that Sun Wukong escorted the Tang monk Xitian to learn the scriptures, he experienced 9981 difficulties and walked through countless rivers and mountains, not only descending demons and exorcising demons along the way, but also subduing many beasts.
At the beginning, when Tang Monk left Chang'an, there was no Wukong and others to accompany him, only two followers, which did not encounter a fierce tiger: but it is said that Tang Sanzang looked at the first three days of September in the thirteenth year of Zhenguan, and the King of Mengtang and many officials sent them out of Chang'an Pass. On the first or second day, I did not stop, passing through Famen Temple and arriving at Gongzhou City. Under the welcome of the officials of Gongzhou, rested overnight, left the city early the next morning, traveled for two or three days, and then went to Hezhouwei.
Here we reach the border of the mountains and rivers of Datang.
The next day, when the chickens were chirping, Tang Sanzang ate the iftar meal and left the border. Suddenly, the three men fell into the pit and even their horses fell into the pit. Sanzang was flustered, it turned out that there were fifty or sixty demons, and they had dragged Sanzang and the followers up... Unexpectedly, two of Tang Sanzang's followers were eaten, and an elder was almost scared to death. This was the first suffering of chang'an. It turned out that in this demon cave, there lived a bison spirit, a bear spirit, and a general Yin, which was a tiger spirit. In the end, thanks to the rescue of Tai Platinum Venus, he was able to survive. So Tang Sanzang continued to travel west...
Ahead came a large ridge, which was called Double Fork Ridge. The environment is naturally very beautiful: babbling water, fragrant wildflowers, dense bushes of rocks. Shouting deer and apes, teams of roe deer and chamois. There are many noisy birds, quiet and quiet... However, Tang Sanzang was determined and unmoved by the scenery in the mountain, and continued along the mountain road. Suddenly, two tigers roared in front of them, and several long snakes coiled behind them. There are poisonous insects on the left, monsters on the right, and Sanzang is helpless, so he has to put down his body and mind and obey the fate of heaven.
Fortunately, he met Liu Boqin, a hunter in the mountains, nicknamed Zhenshan Taibao. He went into the mountains to hunt, and happened to meet Tang Sanzang, which saved Sanzang. This hunter is really a master hunter. Sure enough, after they had walked a few steps, they crossed a hillside and heard the whistling of the wind again. Bergchin said, "Elder Hugh left and sat here." Where the wind rings, it's a bobcat coming, waiting for me to take care of your house. ”
This Zhenshan Taibao fought the tiger alone, and the scene was really fierce: "Taibao and the tiger were under that hillside, and the people and tigers were fighting each other, and it was really a good fight." But see: Angry, fierce winds. Furious, Taibao rushed to the crown with more strength; the wind rolled and the spotted biao spewed red dust. That one opened its teeth and claws, and this one turned around and turned back. Three forks in the sky, a thousand flowers tail disturbing the fog and clouds. This one when the chest is stabbed, the other one splits the face to swallow. Flashing regeneration humanity, bumping into Yan Jun. Only to hear the spotted roar, Tai Bao's voice. Ban Biao roared, shaking the mountains and rivers to frighten the birds and beasts; Tai Bao roared, drinking open the stars of the Heavenly Palace. That one golden eye was angry, and this one was bold and angry. Cute town Mountain Liu Taibao, the king of the beasts of the land. People and tigers are greedy for victory and defeat, and some children have slowly lost three souls. ”
This paragraph is very well written, people and tigers fight for an hour, only to see that the tiger's claws are slow and loose, and they are stabbed by the Taibao fork flat chest, and the steel fork tip penetrates the heart and liver. Liu Taibao beat the tiger to death. According to the calculation of the itinerary written by Wu Cheng'en, Tang Sanzang left HezhouWei on the fourth day, and after walking for dozens of miles, he encountered a trap, fell into the trap, was captured by three goblins led by General Tiger Jingyin, and his entourage was eaten, and only escaped under the rescue of Taibai Venus.
After escaping, Tang Sanzang continued to climb the mountain road. After walking for half a day, I met Liu Boqin, the Taibao of Zhenshan. From the itinerary, it is obvious that this Liu Boqin is a Native of Gansu, and at that time, there were also fierce tigers around Hezhou in Gansu. Tang Monk's first difficult journey to the west was actually saved by hunters in Hezhou, Gansu.
2. Sun Wukong got out of trouble, killed a tiger, and had a tiger skin skirt
After that, Tang San hid under the escort of the hunter Liu Boqin and continued to move forward to the Two Realms Mountain. The eastern half of the two mountains belong to the Tang Dynasty, and the western half is the tartar boundary. Liu Boqin could not cross the boundary and was about to say goodbye to Tang Sanzang, when at the foot of the mountain, he shouted like thunder: "My master is coming!" My Master is coming too! ”
Liu Boqin's servants said, "This must be the old ape in the stone box at the foot of the mountain." "It turned out that when Wang Mang usurped the Han Dynasty, the heavens descended on this mountain, and there was a divine monkey pressed down, who was not afraid of cold and heat, did not eat food, and had his own earth god in custody, teaching him to eat iron pills and thirst for copper juice. From the past to the present, freezing and starving do not die.
He was the Qi Heavenly Grand Sage who had made trouble in the Heavenly Palace five hundred years ago, and he was crushed here by the Buddha.
Therefore, after Qi Tian Dasheng and Tang Sanzang had spoken a few words, Sanzang went up the mountain accompanied by Liu Boqin. Sure enough, I saw a golden light, a thousand rays of qi, a large stone in all directions, and a leather covered on the stone, but it was six golden characters of "oh, well, ah, ah, mi, and 吽". Sanzang knelt down close to the stone, looked at the golden characters, prayed a few prayers, and prayed to the West...
Soon, the landslide cracked, the mountain collapsed, and qi Tian Dasheng regained his freedom. Tang Sanzang asked him his name, and he said: I originally had a Dharma name, called Sun Wukong. So, Master Sanzang gave him a mixed name. So, the two masters and apprentices marched forward and crossed the two mountains. Suddenly, a fierce tiger roared and cut its tail. Sanzo was shocked at the horse. Goku took out a golden hoop stick and killed the tiger, stripping it of its skin. He divided the tiger skin into two pieces, one temporarily made a tiger skin skirt.
Later, when he found someone, the walker borrowed needle and thread. Goku then wore Tang San's Tibetan white straight jacket and re-rectified the tiger skin skirt. Later, Guanyin sent tight hoops and cotton cloth straights.
Since then, in "Journey to the West", Sun Wukong is mostly dressed up like this, wearing a tight hoop spell and wearing a tiger skin skirt...
Now, let's look at the details written by Wu Cheng'en. To the east of the Two Realms Mountain is the Tang Realm, and to the west is the Tatar Realm. Here out of the river state wei is not far, not a day and a half of formation, to the ancients travel is a hundred miles. It can be said that it is still in gansu.
Hezhou is the land of the Dayu River. Dayu Zhishui "leads the river to accumulate stones, to the Dragon Gate, and into the Canghai Sea." "In the first year of Tang Wude (618), Ping Li Rail re-established Hezhou, with jurisdiction over Fanghan County, and the seat of Tang Wuhan. In the first year of Tianbao (742), He prefecture was changed to Anxiang County, with jurisdiction over Fenghan County. It can be seen that during the Tang Dynasty, the name of Hezhou was still there at this time. In the fourth year of Ming Hongwu (1371), the county was abolished and placed in Hezhou Wei, which belonged to the command of Xi'an Xingdu.
The content of the novel is fictional and staggered, and the officials do not have to investigate in detail. But when we read the novel carefully, we can still find the shadow of history in the description. First of all, Tang Sanzang's itinerary. In fact, Master Xuanzang of the Tang Dynasty did not go from Hezhou, but from present-day Lintao, through Lanzhou, over Wusheling and along the Hexi Corridor and westward.
According to the description in the novel, Tang Sanzang crossed the Hezhou Wei and marched forward, probably reaching the Tuguhun and Tubo territories of the Sui and Tang dynasties. Not Tatar. Tatar this is a name that was popular on a large scale in the Ming Dynasty.
Wu Cheng'en was a native of the Ming Dynasty. He described that he inevitably brought up the habits of the Ming people. The background of the era of "Journey to the West" is the early years of Tang Zhenguan. Therefore, in the description of "Journey to the West", the two era backgrounds are often interspersed and intertwined. However, Sun Wukong's waist tie tiger skin battle dress is a bit big.
3. Sun Wukong tiger skin battle dress, the legacy of the Tubo warriors in the Hehuang region during the Tang and Song dynasties
In "Journey to the West", before and after crossing the Two Realms Mountain, Wu Cheng'en first described Liu Boqin, and then described Sun Wukong. In fact, this double fork ridge and two realms of mountains are divided into two realms of demons, other human natures, and demon hearts. Therefore, the hunter Liu Boqin could only escort Tang Sanzang to the Two Realms Mountain, and beyond the mountain was the Demon Realm, and he had to go out to escort him.
So, where did Goku's tiger skin skirt come from? It turned out that this was the legacy of the Tubo warriors of the Tang Dynasty. In the Han and Tang Dynasties, there were many fierce tigers in the land of Hehuang. The first difficulty Tang Sanzang encountered in his westward journey was the Tiger Disaster. Therefore, here the folk custom of practicing martial arts and fighting tigers to eliminate harm prevails. It can be said that wearing a tiger skin battle skirt around the waist was a custom of the Tubo people in the Tang Dynasty.
The Tubo warriors of the Tang Dynasty often used a tiger skin skirt tied around their waists to show their bravery, indicating that I had killed a tiger. Later, this custom gradually evolved into the Tubo people's system of rewarding merits and deeds - the "big worm skin system".
In the Old Book of Tang and the Biography of Tubo, it is said: "But Hou Qi's former army has passed, and if he sees the Five Square Banner and the Tiger and Leopard Clothing, then the army is also in it." It can be seen that those who wear tiger and leopard clothes are often the backbone of the Tubo army, who not only wear tiger skins before they die, but also paint white tigers in tombs after death to show their bravery. This custom was not only in the Tang Dynasty, but also under Cao Cao at the end of the Han Dynasty, the most elite was the tiger and leopard riding.
It can be seen that the use of tigers and leopards to express bravery is a common expression of people. By the Song Dynasty, this custom was still very popular among the Tubo people. The "Biography of Song Shi Tubo" and the "Continuation of Zizhi Tongjian Long Edition" also have records of these customs. At that time, among the Tubo tribes in the land of Hebei (that is, Huang, Yan, and Kuo), tiger and leopard skins were more respected, and tiger and leopard skins were used to decorate clothes. In the first year of the Great Song Dynasty (1004 AD), the Great Song Dynasty gave tiger skins to the leaders of the Fan clan in Xiliang Province. This is also the custom of the Tubo people, and those who receive tiger skins are respected and worshiped by all the tribesmen.
The Tubo warriors of the Tang Dynasty not only tied tiger skin battle skirts around their waists, but also had tiger skin-like decorations on the skirts of the shoulders, forearms and knees. This custom still exists in some places in the northwest. Nowadays, on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, many people still like to decorate their clothes with tiger and leopard skins.
Of course, it is now impossible to use real tiger and leopard skins, but artificial skins instead.
According to research, the Tubo people's "big insect skin system" is divided into six levels, using six different positions of tiger skins to express different military feats and bravery. Among the Tubo warriors of the Tang Dynasty, the lowest martial arts symbol was the tiger skin coat, followed by the tiger skin skirt. Sun Wukong's tiger skin battle dress, which is Wu Cheng'en hinting, Wukong has just come out of the Five Elements Mountain, and there are not many meritorious achievements, and he can only use a tiger skin skirt.
Of course, this also shows that Tang Sanzang's westward travel conditions are difficult. The real source of Sun Wukong's tiger skin battle dress is actually the legacy of the Tubo warriors in the Hehuang area of the Tang Dynasty. History is so interesting.
The Year of the Tiger is here! Wang Wenyuan and his family have given you a New Year's greeting! On the occasion of retiring the old and welcoming the new, I would like to thank all the teachers and friends for their long-term strong support, and look forward to your continued support! I wish you a happy family, all the best, the Year of the Tiger, the Tiger Step, the Tiger Roaring Mountains and Rivers, the Tiger Traveling Kyushu, the Tiger Leaping Terrace, the Tiger Eyes Like Electricity, the Tiger Tiger Being Mighty, and the Tiger Tiger Proud.