Seimei Abe

Seimei Abe is a renowned onmyouji of the Heian period. Using his various divinations and predictions, he became a valuable fortuneteller for the imperial court and is often seen as one of the pioneers in the craft. He is immortalized in fiction as an occult sorcerer who accurately pinpoints the whereabouts of malevolent supernatural beings.

Harukanaru Toki no Naka de
Although he seldom appears in the series, Seimei is regarded as the most proficient onmyouji within Kyou of his time. His best friend is an ancient tengu at Mount Kita. Using a combination of his incantations and the tengu's powers, he created his disciple, Yasuaki. The humanoid creation lacks any yang circulation, thereby not allowing him to experience emotions. Seimei then placed a magical charm on his student's face. He instructed Yasuaki that the charm would break if he became human (or a "complete existence").

Entrusting his creation with all of his spells, Seimei then retired to his mansion in solitude. An elaborate illusion he cast deters unwanted visitors from entering his domain. He often doesn't leave his manor and lets Yasuaki or his various shikigami perform various tasks in his stead.

He is a character who often makes small appearances during Yasuaki's personal routes. Using a cheerful shikigami of Yasuaki, he may kindly greet or guide Akane to his runaway student. Akane visits Seimei personally in Maihitoyo in order to restore a dysfunctional Yasuaki. After he tests her sincerity for his student, he willingly explains the methods for reviving him.

His student and the priestess visit his manor again in the series's dream game. Seimei mischievously gifts his disciple a spell to reveal Yasuaki's true heart to others. When Yasuaki uses it, the doppelganger that emerges spouts flowery affection for Akane. A confused Yasuaki deems the spell to be defective and seeks to consult Seimei about it.

Seimei sires a son during his life and eventually passes away due to natural causes. His son becomes the leader of the Abe sect and copies his father's methods to create Yasutsugu. Seimei's son also placed a charm on his treasured disciple's head with instructions that it would break if Yasutsugu becomes human.

Nobunaga's Ambition
Seimei is one of many secret characters in the Playstation 2 version of Nobunaga's Ambition: Iron Triangle. He can be unlocked as a Created Officer after completely clearing the game's Challenge Modes and, like other Created Officers, he will only appear if the player allows him to be enabled. Though he tops the Intelligence stat at its optimum level, his dwarfish stats for war makes him a liability in battle. Keep him stationed with political affairs to make the best of his talents.

Personality
A wise elderly figure of mystery, Seimei enjoys his leisurely life away from society. He is dearly affectionate to Yasuaki and considers his creation to be like a beloved child in his family. Seimei believes his student can become human with time and patience, anticipating the day when his student discovers emotions for himself. He constantly reminds Yasuaki that he is incomplete as pragmatic encouragement. When his student stalls, he may playfully tease him to renew his efforts.

Voice Actors

 * Dai Matsumoto - Harukanaru Toki no Naka de Hachiyoushou (TV series)

Quotes

 * "Good day to you, Lady Priestess."
 * "It seems even the Priestess of the Dragon God can be lost in my maze."
 * "He is an incomplete existence filled only with yin. He is not human."
 * "Yasuaki... You have at last found someone who is attached to you."

Historical Information
Abe no Seimei was considered a member of the aristocratic Abe clan (阿倍氏 or 安倍氏), a clan which has legendary ties to the Japanese imperial throne. His exact origins are not entirely clear, although later generations would hold varying opinions regarding his parents.

The famous interpretation of his birth stems from the theatrical tale, Kuzunoha, in which his mother is the titular character and a white fox spirit. She eloped with a minister named Abe no Yasuna. The Abe family tree instead states that his father was Abe no Masuki and his mother was Kamo no Yasunori's daughter. However, even this account has dubious accuracy since it is deemed to have been influenced by the Kuzunoha story. Masuki's elder brother, Abe no Haruki, has also been argued as Seimei's father. His onmyouji mentor, Kamo no Tadayuki, is another proposed father candidate due to Seimei's uncanny expertise and familiarity with the craft.

He is also said to have been Abe no Miushi's descendant, a historical figure who has a character based on him in Taketori Monogatari. Abe no Nakamaro is thought to be another ancestor. Due to one letter noting his rank to be a sugune (third class noble) and not the commonly perceived ason (first class noble), his linage is postulated to be an entirely different level of nobility.

Even Seimei's given name is not clarified as there are no surviving historical texts that lists its actual pronunciation. "Seimei" is a literal archaic reading of the Chinese characters used to create it and the popularly accepted name in fiction. Other readings of his name that could have possibly been used during the time period are "Haruaki" or "Haruakira".

Life and Death
His childhood activities and homeland are not known. What is known was that he was taught onmyoudō by Kamo no Tadayuki and his eldest son, Yasunori. He was primarily taught the Tenmondō teachings, commonly known today as archaic astronomy. His particular path of divination focused on the positive and negative effects that celestial bodies had on a person's future.

Seimei started his duties for the imperial court when he was 27 years old. He was a part of the housekeeping department for the royal family and imperial court, ensuring that rooms and clothing were kept tidy. At the time, unlucky occurrences and misfortunes were thought to be the cause for disasters; various practitioners of divinations were gradually being accepted into the court as an essential ward of protection. When the office of astrological law was beginning to rise to importance in 960, Seimei was ordered to perform a divination for Emperor Murakami. The single reading was enough for observers to recognize his proficiency for onmyoudō fortunetelling. Within the same year, he was quickly promoted to lead the astrological law office. The reputation for the Abe clan escalated, and he eventually taught the Tenmondō teachings to be the Abe clan's preferred focus.

According to several diaries from nobles of the time period, a 59-year-old Seimei was ordered by the Crowned Prince Morosada (later anointed as Emperor Kanzan) to seal a tengu. The sealing ceremony was held at the holy mountain, Nachizan. Trusted by the prince for his actions, Seimei continued his fortunes for the royal family. He eventually gained the trust of several high rank figures within the court.

With his connections, he used Tenmondō to change the house of assurances and audits and helped to restore the importance of accountants. Seimei cycled through various political positions himself and was ultimately recognized as a noble within the upper fourth rank. According to the temple's records, he also taught onmyoudō at Abe Monju-in. His sons, Yoshimasa and Yoshihiro, were taught their father's teachings and continued his legacy as they rose to power together with the Kamo clan. The two houses became the dominate onyoudō families for the court.

It's not written how he died, but Seimei passed away when he was 85 years old. His remains were buried at a graveyard in Sagano within Ukyō-ku, Kyoto.

Japanese Folklore
After his death two shrines were created in Seimei's honor. Many of them claim that he rose to godhood, although what deity he became varies on the location. The shrine commissioned by Emperor Ichijō after Seimei's death was built at his residence near Ichijo-modori Bridge. Here his spirit is claimed to have became a Shinto deity of success, fertility and rice. Another shrine at Asakuchi, Okayama claims that his spirit in itself is a deity and is worshiped at one of his supposed birthplaces.

Most legends regarding Seimei have him use his sagely intellect and profound courage in his encounters against various supernatural spirits. He is often revered as a master of sorcery, astronomy, and science. His spells could exorcise or seal demons and curses, cause his body to instantly disappear, or reveal the form of supernatural spirits invisible to the naked human eye. If needed, he could also expertly counter spells to attack the original caster.

The Konjaku Monogatari is famous for creating his reputation as an onmyouji who had no equal. Seimei's extraordinary innate talents at dealing with the unknown impressed and intrigued the entire nobility. Within the narrative he was asked by nobles to kill a frog. Without using his hands to touch it, Seimei responded by casting spells to squash the frog completely flat. He outclassed any challengers with flawless skill. His mansion had no people within it as he preferred to use shikigami to act as his servants.

During his time Seimei has been argued to have tried to improve onmyoudō concepts of astrology by tying various Buddhism and Chinese philosophies into the craft. Among his supposed contributions to onmyoudō was the concept of combining the Twelve Generals (or Twelve Heavenly Generals) with the Five Elements. Another alleged contribution was his studies telling fortunes based on dreams people had, an ancient occult counterpart to Sigmund Freud's The Interpretation of Dreams. The pentagram was also said to have been his personal seal for dispelling spirits. It was drawn with overlapping stripes to honor the cycle of Five Elements.