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was an ''onmyōji'', a leading specialist of ''onmyōdō'' during the middle of the Heian Period in Japan.〔Miller, Laura. "Extreme Makeover for a Heian-era Wizard." ''Mechademia 3: Limits of the Human.'' Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2008. 33.〕 In addition to his prominence in history, he is a legendary figure in Japanese folklore and has been portrayed in a number of stories and films. Seimei worked as ''onmyōji'' for emperors and the Heian government, making calendars and advising on the spiritually correct way to deal with issues. He prayed for the well-being of emperors and the government as well as advising on various issues. He was also an astrologer and predicted astrological events. He enjoyed an extremely long life, free from any major illness, which contributed to the popular belief that he had mystical powers. The Seimei Shrine, located in Kyoto, is a popular shrine dedicated to him. The Abeno train station and district, in Osaka, are sometimes said to be named after him, as it is one of the locations where legends place his birth. ==Life and legends== Seimei's life is well recorded, and there is little question about it. Immediately after his death, however, legends arose much like those surrounding Merlin. Many legends of Seimei were originally written in the ''Konjaku Monogatarishu'', and by the Edo period there were many stories in circulation that focused on his heroic acts. Abe no Seimei was a descendant of the poet Abe no Nakamaro〔Anderson, William. ''Descriptive and Historical Catalogue of a Collection of Japanese and Chinese Paintings in the British Museum.'' London: Longman's & Co., 1886. 391.〕 and a disciple of Kamo no Tadayuki and Kamo no Yasunori, 10th-century diviners of the Heian court. He became Kamo no Yasunori's successor in astrology and divination, while Yasunori's son took on the lesser responsibility of devising the calendar.〔Mikami, Yoshio. "The Development of Mathematics in China and Japan." ''Abhandlungen zur Geschichte der mathematischen Wissenschaften mit Einschluss ihrer Anwendungen.'' Volume XXX. 1913. 179.〕〔Goff, Janet. ''Conjuring Kuzunoha from the World of Abe no Seimei''. ''A Kabuki Reader: History and Performance'', ed. Samuel L. Leiter. New York: M. E. Sharpe, 2001. 271. (ISBN 0-7656-0704-2)〕 Seimei's duties included analyzing strange events, conducting exorcisms, warding against evil spirits, and performing various rites of geomancy. He was said to be especially skilled in divining the sex of fetuses and finding lost objects.〔 According to the ''Konjaku Monogatarishu'', he correctly predicted the abdication of Emperor Kazan based on his observation of celestial phenomena. Seimei's reputation grew sufficiently that, from the late 10th century, the ''Onmyōryō'', the government ministry of onmyōdō, was controlled by the Abe clan. The Kamo clan likewise became the hereditary keepers of the calendar.〔Itō, Satoshi. ''Shinto — a Short History.'' New York: RourledgeCurzon, 2003. 98. (ISBN 0-415-31179-9)〕 The mystical symbol of the equidistant five-pointed star, referred to in the West as a pentagram, is known in Japan as the Seiman or the Seal of Abe no Seimei.〔Miller. ''Extreme Makeover.'' 44〕 According to legend, Abe no Seimei was not entirely human. His father, Abe no Yasuna, was human, but his mother, Kuzunoha, was a ''kitsune'' (a "fox spirit").〔Goff. ''Conjuring Kuzunoha.'' 269–270.〕 At a very early age, no later than five, he was allegedly able to command weak ''oni'' to do his bidding. His mother entrusted Seimei to Kamo no Tadayuki so that he would live a proper human life and not become evil himself. The Heian period, especially the time when Seimei lived, was a time of peace. Many of his legends revolve around a series of magical battles with a rival, Ashiya Doman（蘆屋道満）, who often tried to embarrass Seimei so that he could usurp his position. One noted story involved Doman and the young Seimei in a divination duel to reveal the contents of a particular box. Doman had another person put fifteen mandarin oranges into the box and "divined" that there were fifteen oranges in it. Seimei saw through the ruse, transformed the oranges into rats, and stated that fifteen rats were in the box. When the rats were revealed, Doman was shocked and defeated. Seimei is involved in numerous other tales as well. He appears as a minor character in the ''Heike Monogatari'' and is said to be responsible for divining the location of the Shuten-dōji, a powerful oni purportedly slain by Minamoto no Yorimitsu.〔Tanaka, Stefan. ''New Times in Modern Japan.'' New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 2004. 57–58. (ISBN 0-691-11774-8)〕 He is sometimes said to be the onmyōji who discovered Tamamo no Mae's true nature, although the time of the Tamamo no Mae story does not coincide with Seimei's lifetime; other sources credit the act to a descendant, Abe no Yasuchika.〔Gilbertson, E. "Japanese Archery and Archers." ''Transactions and Proceedings of the Japan Society of London.'' Volume 4. London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner and Co. Ltd., 1900. 118.〕〔Schwarz, Karl M. ''Netsuke Subjects.'' Vienna: Novographics, 1992. 72.〕〔Kusano, Eisaburō. ''Stories Behind Noh and Kabuki Plays.'' Tokyo: Tokyo News Service, 1962. 80.〕 File:Seimei-jinja torii.jpg|Torii of the Seimei shrine in Kyoto. File:Japanese_Crest_Abe_no_Seimei_Hann.svg|Seimei's pentagram mon represents the Wu Xing. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Abe no Seimei」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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