When Buddhism arrived in Japan in the mid-6th century AD, the Japanese eagerly imported both the Buddhist teachings and the Zodiac calendar - the calendar was officially adopted in 604 AD. In China, where Buddhism was introduced in the 1st & 2nd centuries AD, the 12 Zodiac animals became associated with Buddhism’s 12 Heavenly Generals as early as the Sui Dynasty (581-618). China’s Zodiac system grew more elaborate and complex over the centuries, but its importance in China ensured its acceptance elsewhere, and thus it greatly influenced and colored the subsequent development of Buddhist traditions throughout Asia. In China, the earliest depictions of the 12 Zodiac animals appear in tomb-ceiling paintings dated to 533 BC. Most scholars believe the Chinese Zodiac originated well before the Historical Buddha’s birth in India (who was born around 500 BC). However, Chinese astrology does in fact incorporate numerous concepts from the Hellenistic zodiac and from Indo-Iranian astrology, including the Nine Luminaries & the 28 Lunar Mansions. The Chinese zodiac, moreover, is not equated with constellations, as is the occidental zodiac. The former is based on a lunar year and five 12-year sub-cycles, while the latter revolves around a 12-month solar year. The Chinese Zodiac differs in many crucial respects from the Western Zodiac, and the two should not be confused. Although the Chinese Zodiac is based on a 60-year cycle, most folks only know about the 12-year cycle associated with 12 Zodiac animals. Its 60-year (sexagenary) cycle is still of crucial importance to modern art historians, for it helps them pinpoint the date of artwork made in earlier times. The Chinese Zodiac is the preeminent calendar of old-world Asia. Although replaced in modern times by the Gregorian (solar) calendar, the Zodiac is still used today (unofficially) as a popular method of divination in many Asian and Western nations. It was calibrated to track the waxing and waning phases of the moon, used as a method for counting years, months, days and hours in the Chinese imperial court and civil calendar, and utilized to forecast one’s future and determine one’s character. The Chinese Zodiac is part of an elaborate and laborious system based on Chinese astrology, cosmology, and divination. “10 Stems and 12 Branches.” It refers to theĬhinese Zodiac’s 10 stems, 12 animals, and Twelve Animals of the Chinese Zodiac System.
Jūnishi (Junishi) 十二支 = 12 Zodiac Animals Last Update: July 2014, Added photo also added note on constellations
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