Ru Shou 蓐收.jpg

Ru Shou is a powerful deity with many titles. He is known as the God of Gold (金神 jīn shén), the God of Autumn (秋神 qiū shén), and the God of Punishment (天之刑神 tiān zhī xíng shén. He is also known as Hong Guang (红光 hóng guāng) - literally "red light" - and is charge of the setting sun. 

Ru Shou is described as a human with a snake on his left ear, tiger claws and white fur on his body. He rides across the sky on two dragons and is always depicted wielding a Yue (钺 yuè).

Ru Shou lives on You Mountain (泑山 yōu shān), which has an abundance of beautiful jade on the south face and red orpiment on the north face. From this mountain, one can see the exact location the sun sets. 

Premonition

A man called Guo Gong (虢公 guó gōng) lived in an ancestral temple, and one day, he had a dream. In that dream he saw a man in the corner of his room, with tiger claws and white fur, holding a Yue. He tried to run when the divine man said to him "Do not go! The Great Emperor (天帝 tiān dì) has a message for you. Be warned, the armies of Jin (晋国 jìn guó) are planning an attack on your country." Guo Gong dropped to the floor and began to kowtow1, then, he awoke. 

1 To kowtow is to show the deepest of respect through prostration by kneeling and bowing so low that your head touches the ground. In extreme circumstances, the practioner may forcefully headbutt the floor to show remorse and beg forgiveness.

Ru Shou 蓐收 (rù shōu)
Status: God/Deity
Gender: Male
Pronunciation: (audio file coming soon)
Best known for: Riding two dragons

Do you have any questions or feedback regarding this content? Get in touch and let me know, I'll get back to you as soon as I can.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE 

All images shown on this website are watermarked for a reason, they are original art work created by the artist shown at the bottom of each image, and are the property of www.chinabeastsandlegends.com. All rights reserved. Should you wish to use these images, commerically or otherwise, please contact me.

 

In addition, all content shown on this website was painstakingly researched and though much of this information is already in the public domain, all of it has been translated and/or interperated by myself and has taken countless hours to create. If you wish to re-use any content, please contact me first and request persmission. Please do not steal.

Home > Collection > Ru Shou

When he explained his dream to a man named Shi Xiao (史嚣 shǐ xiāo), Shi Xiao knew exactly what had happened. "You were visited by the God of Death. Heaven's bidding is carried out by the Gods. The God of Punishment in the sky has visited you. Prepare your defences!"

But Guo Gong wasn't having any of it. He had Shi Xiao locked up for speaking ill of his country and spreading vicious rumours. Guo Gong did nothing to prepare. 

Six years later, Jin attacked and his country fell.