White Tiger

The White Tiger (白虎, Byakko; literally "White Tiger") is an ancient deity that rules over the west skies. It is known throughout both mythology and history as a vicious yet wise creature that stands as the king of beasts; often being said that received its name, "white hits", after the White Tiger himself. He is known as the progenitor of the. The existence of the White Tiger is as symbolic as it is absolute, for it is said that it had come onto this world in order to restore the rule of yin and yang to a land dominated by a long-held power; namely, the. In a manner of speaking, the White Tiger challenges that which it perceives to be a power that essentially holds the world hostage, when its people should be allowed freedom to do as they please. Because of this stance, the White Tiger views the as its natural enemy, which has led to the long-standing rivalry between them that has spanned innumerable generations. It is because of the White Tiger's existence that the world is allowed to exist in a state of balance with those that seek sovereignty over it, for as long as it exists, it shall continue to challenge the authority of others. Legend states that the White Tiger incarnates throughout the generations as an individual that will lead the world in opposition to the ruling power, thus establishing what the White Tiger considers to be a true balance.

Behind the Scenes
In Chinese mythology, the rivalry between the Tiger and the Dragon is a well-known parallel drawn to the importance regarding the balance of yin and yang. The Dragon itself represents the east and serves as the ruling power for it is said that the emperors of China were acclaimed to be descendants of the divine Dragons. In contrast, the Tiger represents the west and challenges what it perceives to be a ruling power. It is for this reason that the challenge it poses to the Dragons is considered to be significant. With this adversity, the hold that the emperors have on the world loosens, as the tiger helps to restore a balance to a world held hostage by a single group — the emperors themselves. History proves this with a long history of emperors that held all the power in the kingdom, therefore ensuring that the Dragons remained supreme and all-powerful. The tiger's goal, therefore, is to take away part of the dragon's power and force the order of the world back into a perfect balance of yin and yang energies. It is for this reason that the tiger is deemed such a significant danger to those long-standing powers. In order to reflect upon this ideology, the martial arts were meant to serve as a way to challenge the emperor rule in a non-threatening way. Martial arts masters often depict the Dragon and Tiger in combat using opposite techniques.