As a surprise on the opening night of Gamescom on August 20, Game Science announced a new game in the "Black Myth" series, "Black Myth: Zhong Kui". Japanese media gamespark mentioned in the article that Zhong Kui has a profound influence in Japan, so "Black Myth: Zhong Kui" is expected to be very popular in Japan.

Gamespark mentioned two stories about Zhong Kui’s origin and Zhong Kui’s marriage to his sister, and introduced the evil-repelling weapon (a mallet that exorcises ghosts) whose name is derived from “Zhong Kui (Zhong Kui)”. Then they mentioned that Zhong Kui came to Japan with Japan's "envoys to the Tang Dynasty" during the Tang Dynasty and spread it in Japan. Gamespark stated that "Compared with the theme of the previous game "Journey to the West", Zhong Kui is a more well-known god in Japan."

Hashimoto Yabon Statue of Zhong Kui

In Japan, Zhongkui is regarded as the incarnation of Susano no Ming (Susano no Ming), and as a god who can ward off plagues and eliminate disasters, his belief continues in various places. He holds the "Mao Lun" that wards off evil spirits in his hand, which is believed to be the result of mixing with another legend "Su Minfu". Zhongkui is also popular as a subject for paintings and May dolls, and has been adopted into the repertoire of traditional arts such as Kagura and Noh. In addition, during the smallpox epidemic period, famous painters such as the Kano school also created his paintings as paintings to ward off evil spirits.

Japanese National Treasure Exorcism Painting Zhong Kui

In the Tohoku and Hokuriku regions of Japan, Zhong Kui, as one of the Taoist gods, makes "Zhong Kui samples" (Zhong Kui statues) every year. In Kyoto and Nara, there is a custom of decorating Zhongkui pottery figurines, which can often be seen on the roofs of machiya (traditional townhouses) when walking on the streets. However, unexpectedly, there are no shrines or sacrificial activities dedicated to Zhong Kui in Kyoto. Therefore, in 2013, led by the Kyoto University of Art and Design, it was decided to build a Zhong Kui Shrine in Wakamiya Hachimangu Shrine in Higashiyama District.

Zhongkui Festival, Kyoto Wakamiya Hachimangu Shrine, Zhongkui Shrine

From this point of view, it can be said that Zhong Kui's belief spread far and wide in Japan.