Walking through port towns in Taiwan or elsewhere in Asia, you often come across shrines dedicated to Mazu, a goddess of the sea. I spent much of my life near the sea, and I feel drawn to her.
From one woman to a guardian of the sea
Mazu is said to be based on a real woman who lived in Fujian, China, around the tenth century. Her name was Lin Moniang. As local sailors prayed to her for safe voyages, she became a guardian deity of the sea.
In time she was given ranks by the imperial court, and came to be called Tianfei, Consort of Heaven, or Tianshang Shengmu, Holy Mother in Heaven. In the Ming dynasty, the great fleet of Zheng He is also said to have sailed with Mazu on board.
A faith that spread across the sea
Belief in Mazu spread as people moved. There are shrines to Mazu in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Southeast Asia, plus Japan, in places such as Okinawa, Nagasaki, plus the Chinatown of Yokohama. Ishigaki Island has a Mazu shrine too.
Today she is worshipped not only for safe voyages but for blessings in all of daily life, and she is said to have more than 300 million followers around the world.
Prayer taking shape
What I find fascinating about Mazu is that she was first a single human being, and the prayers of many people built up over time until she took the shape of a goddess.
I think art has something a little similar. Wishes plus prayers fade away if left as they are, but given form, as a painting or a shrine, they can last for hundreds of years. Giving something form has that kind of power.
I think of Mermaid nao's order art, too, as work that gives your wishes a form that will not fade.
[References]
Sasakawa Peace Foundation, Ocean Policy Research Institute, Ocean Newsletter (Japanese): Mazu, goddess of the sea
Ishigaki Island Mazu Temple Development Association (Japanese): The origins of the Mazu faith
JFE 21st Century Foundation research grant report (Japanese): A historical-anthropological study of the reception of the Mazu faith in Japan plus belief in ship spirits
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