Ziwei Emperor of Dazu Grottoes

Ziwei Emperor is a classic sculpture of Dazu Nanshan Grottoes. The sculpture wears a coronal tassel and Taoist uniform, and holds a jade bar for ritual services with two hands sitting on dragon chair. He looks majestic and seems to be the emperor.

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Ziwei Emperor is the second god of Taoism, also called Ziwei Arctic Emperor. According to Taoism, he is the incarnation of Senior's Yuanshi and he is the master of all elements.

Like many Taoist gods, the Ziwei Emperor and his attending deities were conceived of as celestial counterparts to the emperor and his court on earth. One of the most powerful gods in the Taoist pantheon, the Ziwei Emperor was viewed since at least the Han Dynasty as a god controlling one of the most influential constellations in the northern sky. The emperor of the Ziwei court is still widely worshipped in Taoist temples today, and often depicted in painting and sculpture.

In the fourteenth century, the Ziwei Emperor was still counted as one of the most important Taoist gods of the Complete Realiztion pantheon, as depicted in the Yuan Dynasty murals at the Eternal Joy Temple in Shanxi province.