Jade Emperor - Gyokko

Japanese: 玉皇 - ぎょっこう

The Jade Emperor (Shang) is the supreme deity of Taoism in China since the Song dynasty. During the Northern Song dynasty, the True Zen sect bestowed upon him the honorific "Great Heavenly Emperor of the Great Shang Opening Heaven and the Imperial Records of the True Body of Taoism" in 1014 (Dazhong Xiangfu 7), and Emperor Huizong had statues of him erected in Taoist temples throughout the country, leading to his national reverence. Since then, he has taken on a position that replaced the Yuanshi Tianzun of the Tang dynasty, and he has been widely loved by the people as the supreme deity governing all the deities of Taoism, with his birthday celebrations on the ninth day of the New Year being very lively. In Taiwan, he is affectionately known as Tian Gong, and is still worshipped by the people today. [Sunayama Minoru]

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

中国，宋以後の道教の最高神，玉皇大(上)帝のこと。北宋時代，真宗が1014年(大中祥符7)に〈太上開天執符御歴含真体道玉皇大天帝〉の尊称を奉り，また徽宗が天下の道観にその像を立てさせるなど，国家的規模で尊崇された。以後，唐代の元始天尊に替わる地位を占め，道教の諸神を統べる最高神として民衆にも広く親しまれ，正月九日の生誕祭は活況を呈した。台湾では，天公と愛称され，現在も民衆の信仰を集める。【砂山稔】

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

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