Elder Faming

Elder Faming (法明長老, onyomi: Hōmei Chōrō) is a secondary character in Saiyuki: Journey West‎.

Role in Game
Homei is the head monk of Gold Temple who found and raised Sanzo. With nothing to identify the child's origins aside from a violet blanket, he fondly named the infant Chin Genjo. When a sixteen-year old Genjo reports having a dream of Lady Kannon giving him/her a divine staff, Homei's disciples mock the claims and ignore him/her. Homei believes the dream when he inspects the staff personally. Granting the monk new robes and two escorts, Homei renames Genjo as Sanzo before seeing his disciple off.

After Heaven is restored, Lady Kannon and Sanzo appear before a surprised Homei. His temple is given the Holy Book of Dharma as a reward for their pilgrim's efforts.

Personality
Benign and wise, Homei genuinely cares for Sanzo. He is aware of the bullying the child experiences and seeks to cheer him/her up with sage advice.

Journey to the West
Faming was the abbot of Jinshan Temple who found his path towards true enlightenment. Introduced during the start of Xuanzang's backstory, he found the newborn son in a basket drifting along a river. On top of the baby's chest was a letter written by the boy's mother in blood, detailing the boy's family history. Tucking the letter away, he decided to raise the newborn child and named him River Current (Jiangliu).

When Jiangliu was seventeen years old, Faming allowed the young man to become a monk and granted him the Buddhist name, Xuanzang. After suffering harsh treatment for not knowing his past, a crying Xuanzang came to Faming. Deciding it was time, Faming handed the letter written by Xuanzang's mother to the youth. He helped Xuanzang reunite with his family at Jingzhou, even offering the temple for hospitality.