Mazu

A representative Chinese deity of navigation. Originally a local deity of the coast of Putian, Fujian, she was a local deity, but in 1087, during the second year of the Yuanyou era in the Song dynasty, Quanzhou was opened as a trading port and a trade management agency was established. This led to a sudden boom in the faith of boatmen, who quickly spread throughout the Fujian and Zhejiang regions. In the Yuan dynasty, she was often seen in the wake of shipwrecks of rice transport ships from Jiangnan to Yanjing, and the imperial court bestowed upon her the title of "Heavenly Princess," making her the patron deity of navigation nationwide, and she came to be worshiped on each ship. During the Ming Dynasty, her faith spread to the mainland for a time, but from 1405 she was often worshipped in the fleet of the Western (South Sea) expedition led by Zheng He and others, as well as on the ships of the Ryukyu Investiture Envoys. Furthermore, with the advancement of foreign traders, her faith spread to Ryukyu, Japan (Satsuma, Nagasaki, Mito, etc.), Taiwan, and various parts of the South Seas. Furthermore, during the Qing Dynasty, after overcoming the rebellion of the Zheng (Chong Gong) clan, she was given the title of "Heavenly Queen". For this reason, shrines are often named after the titles of the Song Dynasty, such as Heavenly Fei and Heavenly Queen, or the civilian title "Mazu". In modern times, in accordance with the wishes of believers, and aided by her status as a goddess, she gradually became a household deity for praying for birth, childcare, illness, etc.

[Li Xianzhang]

“Study of Mazu Faith” by Li Xianzhang (1978, Taishan Bunmonosha)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

中国の代表的航海神。初めは福建莆田(ほでん)海辺の郷土神であったが、宋(そう)代の元祐(げんゆう)2年（1087）に泉州が貿易港として開放され市舶司(しはくし)（貿易管理機関）を設置するようになったことから、にわかに舟師（船子）の信仰が盛んになり、たちまち福建・浙江(せっこう)一帯に広まった。元(げん)代に入ると、江南から燕京(えんきょう)への米穀輸送船の遭難にしばしば顕霊(けんれい)して朝廷から「天妃(てんぴ)」の号を封ぜられて全国的に航海守護神化され、船ごとに祀(まつ)られるようになった。明(みん)代になると、一時信仰が内地に広がっていったが、1405年から鄭和(ていわ)らの西洋（南海）遠征大船団、ならびに琉球冊封(りゅうきゅうさくほう)使船の往来にしばしば顕霊して祀られ、さらには海外貿易者の進出に伴い、琉球、日本（薩摩(さつま)、長崎、水戸など）、また台湾および南洋各地にも信仰が伝わった。さらに清(しん)代には、鄭（成功ら）氏の変を克服したのち「天后(てんこう)」に封ぜられた。それで祠廟(しびょう)は宋代の封号や天妃・天后、または民間の称号「媽祖」を冠して名づけられることが多い。近代に入ると、信仰者の願望に従い、女神であることも手伝って、しだいに誕生、育児、疾病などを祈る家庭神に変化した。

［李　献　璋］

『李献璋著『媽祖信仰の研究』（1978・泰山文物社）』

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