#karyobinga

ソードの女王 KARYŌBINGA Karyōbinga is a winged creature of the Buddhist pantheon, endowed with a voice of incredible beauty. She intones Buddhist scriptures even before emerging from her shell, signaling her strong connection to the knowledge of the Buddha. It is said that one only needs to hear the chanting of a Karyōbinga to attain enlightenment. The Queen of Swords is a symbol of mental clarity and intellectual power, maturity and receptivity. With this Queen, we are able to use our intellect and judgment without influence, while remaining open to receiving new information. Upright: fair judgments, independence, clear communication. The Queen of Swords speaks of truth: we know how to listen to the opinions and thoughts of others, but ultimately, we want to understand what is true and what is not. When this card appears, we are honest in our communications, determined and independent, mindful of our limits and respectful of others. Reversed: emotional distance, excessive emotionality, impressionability. The Queen of Swords reversed indicates that we leave too much room for emotions, and that they cloud our judgment. Sometimes, this card reversed can mean on the contrary that we are extremely emotionally distant and incapable of showing compassion or empathy.

(Please excuse my shit lighting today, we have thunderstorms rolling in.)

Even the Samurai armour of this era was much more colourful and elaborate as compared to later years in Sengoku Jidai and Edo Period. Hope to see such event in person one day!

The good spirited tailor of the bird court is based off the Buddhist kalavinka, also known as the Karyōbinga in Japanese. An aged woman with talons for hands and feet, she dresses colorfully to match her red and blue wings. She’s been dressing the court since helas rule at the very least, and probably much longer.

Yuuki, Takaomi, and Binga Christmas seals illustrated by Mugen Densetsu Takamagahara series mangaka, Tachikawa Megumi. These stickers were bundled with the December 1998 issue of Nakayoshi and scanned from my personal collection.

Karyōbinga 迦陵頻伽 (Karyobinga) Skt. = Kalavinka Celestial beings who play music, dance, and fly through the air. They appear in many forms, often with bird’s body and angelic head, and are sometimes associated with Amida Nyorai. They appear often in Buddhist paintings, ritual robes, murals, and temple decorations.

See more of Matthew Meyer’s yokai at Yokai.com or buy his books The Hour of Meeting Evil Spirits and The Night Parade of One Hundred Demons. And of course you can also support him by donating to his Patreon.

Katsushika Hokusai Mystical Bird (Karyōbinga)