In Taiwan there is a god of matchmaking, Yue Lao, known in Japan as Gekka Roujin, the Old Man Under the Moon. The story of the red thread of fate, often heard in Japan, comes from this god.
The red thread, plus the marriage register
Gekka Roujin is an old god who appears in a story from the Tang dynasty. He has a long beard, holds a staff in his right hand, plus a red thread called the hongxian and a marriage register in his left.
It is said that when he ties the ankles of two people with the red thread, following the pairs written in his register, those two will one day be joined. What I find fascinating is that an invisible bond is given the form of a single thread.
Taipei Xiahai City God Temple
A famous place where Gekka Roujin is enshrined is the Taipei Xiahai City God Temple in Dihua Street, Taipei. The temple was built in 1856, and Gekka Roujin has been enshrined there since 1971.
It is a small temple of only about 150 square meters, yet its density of statues is said to be the highest in Taiwan, and visitors come from China, Hong Kong plus Japan.
Giving shape to what cannot be seen
Bonds cannot be seen. That is why people long ago gave them the image of a red thread. Once something has a form, you can talk about it, pray to it, plus remember it.
I think that when I paint, I am doing the same thing. The connections between people, relationships that are cherished. Giving what cannot be seen color plus form, so that it can hang on a wall.
Mermaid nao's order art also receives requests to turn a bond with family or a partner into one painting. Perhaps it is, in some way, the same work as the red thread of Gekka Roujin.
[References]
Taiwan Religion Panorama (Japanese): Taipei Xiahai City God Temple
JTB overseas guide (Japanese): The history plus etiquette of Xiahai City God Temple, a hugely popular matchmaking spot in Taipei
co-Trip (Japanese): Praying for love at Taiwan matchmaking specialist Gekka Roujin
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