<Articles>Further Argument for the Theory of Taotie Symbolizing the Di 帝 Image

HAYASHI Minao

doi:10.14989/shirin_76_710

This paper strengthens my previously-published hypothesis that the taotie 饕餮 (demon mask) on Shang-Zhou ritual・vessels was the image of di 帝 the highest god in the hevean. The paper tekes into consideration all the newly available lines of evidence, including the iconography of Taiyi 太一 who was the heavenly highest god residing in Ursa minor, the "spatula " on the forehead of taotie mask, components of the pictograph meaning di, and the meaning of lozenge sign on taotie mask. 1) A relationship between Taiyi and taotie can be suspected by the following observations. A western Han image of a god depicted on silk with inscription "Taiyi" (Fig.1) can be traced back to the Warring States images with horns of a similar type (e. g. Fig. 2). The author identifies these godly images (i. e. Taiyi's image) with the human-faced image of a god decorated on the square ding (tripod) found in Ningxiang (Fig.10). The major space of the ding where this supposed image of Taiyi is decorated is usually occupied by taotie, thereby suggesting that taotie can be represented as di. In this sense, it is also important to note that the legendary Dishun 帝舜 (heavenly god Shun) has double pupils and it can be identified with taotie masks with double pupils on large broze bells of the Western Zhou period (e. g. Fig.13～15) found in good numbers in central China. 2) The representation of the spatula on the forehead of the Shang-Zhou taotie (Fig. 38), which. probably originated from the decoration of the god face of the Liangzhu 良渚 culture, symbolized qi 気 [essence] in the shape of a bundle of a quill of that variety of birds. This interpretation is based on the observation that the imaginary birds of jade from the Liangzhu culture (Fig. 20) have quill incised in the same way as the decoration attached to the forehead of the god face of the same culture, and this suggestts to the author that the latter consisted of quill of that imaginary bird. 3) The pictograph meaning di (Fig. 35, 36) also has some relationship with the taotie masks. Based on the explanation given in the Shuowen jiezi 説文解字 the pictograph is composed of the lower half zu 束 as a phonetic element (determins the sound of the character) and the upper half (Fig. 37-3) as the implication element (determins the meaning). The implication element is proved to be a simplified shape of the spatula on the forehead of taotie (Fig. 40). 4) Lozenge sign on taotie masks may be interpreted to symboiize that light can illuminates all over the world because of the similarity in pronunciation in ancient China between the characters jia 甲 and ye 曄 and because the latter had the meaning brightness. The lozenge signs are sometimes simplified to the shape of a cross which can be read jia 甲 when used in inscription of Shang-Zhou period. Consequently, the author suggests that the cross lozenge on taotie masks also had the meaning of ye (brightness).

<Articles>Further Argument for the Theory of Taotie Symbolizing the Di 帝 Image

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