Genjou Sanzou (Saiyuki)
Title: Having Nothing
Author: K (pellaz)
Spoilers: Not so many spoilers for the actual plotline, but spoilers for Sanzou's, Gojyou's, and Gokuu's pasts, a small spoiler for Gokuu and Sanzou's Burial arc, and some for the Reload arc detailing a bit of Sanzou's past.
Saiyuki, the popular manga/anime by Minekura Kazuya, is one of my favorite series, but I always squirm a little when people ask me to give a basic plot outline. "Well," I say. "It's about four guys heading west and saving the world and beating up a bunch of demons along the way." Inevitably they look at me like I've just told them I'm hopelessly addicted to The Real World: Philadelphia. What I like about Saiyuki is not something easily summed up - it is more about the characters than the plot, it's about violence and vengeance and atonement; the patterns people set themselves into, and who or what can set them free.
Saiyuki is about four guys heading west, from China to India. Their nominal leader is Genjou Sanzou, who really prefers not to lead anyone at all or to have any responsibility over anyone; Son Gokuu, sometimes called his pet, sometimes called his brat, more often than not just called "that damn monkey"; Chou Hakkai, the chauffer and healer; and Sha Gojyou, resident sexaholic. Genjou Sanzou (Toua Genjou Sanzou the Thirty-First if you're into titles, which the monk himself is not) is the head monk at the Chinese monastery of Chang'an who receives a mission directly from three gods, the Sanbutsushin, to go West and to stop a recent outbreak of youkai dissent. For some reason, maybe because the gods know how to throw a party, they also want him to take his friends along. And so these four men head towards the West - all of them interesting people, but the most fascinating to me is Genjou Sanzou.
WHO
Sanzou is the leader of the group, which seems odd on the surface, since he is the only human in the group and thus the physical weak link. However, if you scratch a little beneath the surface, Sanzou definitely deserves this position of respect: traditional Buddhist he's not, but for all his faults he's extremely competent, self-assured, and intelligent - especially when he's pointing out other people's faults. Sanzou also ranks very high in the monastic system, but it's an honor he could definitely go without. A basic tenent of Buddhism is 'not wanting,' but there's plenty of things Sanzou wants: booze, smokes, meat, a good place to sleep, and - oh yes - for his companions to shut the hell up. Sanzou is all about shaking people's perceptions up; he hates blind faith and worldviews and adherence to dogma. Cold and rude, he stands out anywhere he goes, whether he's among a group of meditating monks or in a village buying cigarettes. So who, exactly, is Genjou Sanzou?
Genjou Sanzou did not start out as honored as he is now. Abandoned at birth, he was cast into the river and left to fend for himself. His basket floated downstream to the monastery of Kinzan, where the thirtieth Sanzou, Koumyou, was serving. Against the advice of his fellow monks, Koumyou decided to fish the baby out of the river and take him into the monastery to be cared for, and named the baby 'Kouryuu.'
Even as a child, Kouryuu was unpopular and distrusted; he was cold, withdrawn, and rude. Most of all, the other monks resented him for the preferential treatment he received from his old benefactor, Koumyou Sanzou; Koumyou generally did not teach on the Buddhist teachings, but the monks thought that he was giving special lessons to Kouryuu. (Usually by showing him paper airplanes, which was Koumyou's idea of a good time.) When Kouryuu was twelve, he was called into Koumyou Sanzou's chambers late at night; only a few hours later Koumyou was dead and the sutra cared for by the Sanzous was gone, stolen by the youkai who had murdered him. Kouryuu made even more of a mess by announcing that he was the next Sanzou, and, although this was viewed suspciously by the monks (he was, after all, the last person to be with Koumyou), they couldn't deny the mark of a Sanzou he'd been given - the red chakra on his forehead. He was pronounced Toua Genjou Sanzou the Thirty-First, successor to Koumyou Sanzou. Kouryuu, now Sanzou, had gone from lowly servant to highly-respected monk. He left Kinzan Monastery almost immediately and began a period of traveling. He ended up at a monastery in Chang'An, from whose head, Jikaku, he picked up his habits of boozing, smoking, shooting, and a general irreverance for monastic solemnity; when Jikaku was killed, Sanzou took over his position as head of the monastery.
So at a young age - sixteen or so - Sanzou settled in as a senior monk of a large monastery and made a name for himself as eccentric, untraditional, and cold; like Koumyou before him, he refused to lecture on the teachings of the Buddha. A defining characteristic of Sanzou, however, is that he really doesn't give a shit about what people expect from him. After picking up a disciple of sorts (some say disciple, some say pet, some say monkey), Gokuu, Sanzou settled in to work at the monastery, doing jobs for the Three Aspects (or unloading the work onto someone else as it pleased him) and just generally upsetting the order of the monastic world.
RELATIONSHIPS
Sanzou is not the type of person you'd typically want for a friend. Sanzou's been on his own since he was young, and he's become very self-sufficient, very practical, and a bit unconcerned about the norms of human interaction. As Sanzou's rallying cry is 'non-attachment,' he doesn't even believe in friends - but when he does befriend someone, he won't tone down his behavior for them. Sanzou isn't the type of person, normally, to extend a helping to people; if he sees that somebody's house of cards is about to come crashing down, he could usually care less - or so he pretends. Sanzou, though, for all that he tries to purport himself as cold and uncaring, has, not exactly a mushy side, but one can occasionally see that he cares a bit more than he says he does. He will tell you your mistakes if he thinks you'll benefit from them, although he won't tell them to you kindly. If you're an idiot, he'll say so. If you've got a habit that's destructive to yourself, he'll arrow it. Sanzou causes a lot of discomfort this way, but - perhaps because of that, perhaps not - he doesn't do it very often.
One of the four main characters, Gojyou, was heavily abused as a child and grew up hating himself because he was half-youkai, half-human. The mark of a hybrid of that sort is red hair, red eyes. Gojyou has grown up hating all things red, especially his hair, tying the color to blood. Even his best friend, Hakkai, associates the color of his hair and eyes with blood - and never picks up on the guilt and shame issues that are tied into that color for Gojyou. Sanzou sniffs it out instantly, only a few minutes after he meets Gojyou: "Blood," he tells Gojyou matter-of-factly, "is not the only thing that's red."
For the most part, Sanzou doesn't let his companions get too close to him, but he's charming and fascinating enough that they stick with him anyway. For all he might verbally abuse them, Sanzou's actions make up for his words; in a tough situation, he's usually the one ready to make the hard choice that is best for him and his friends. People know a leader instinctively, and Sanzou is one whether he likes it or not.
LOVE ME, LOVE MY MONKEY
Sanzou is more friendly with Hakkai and Gojyou than he'd ever admit, but it's with the fourth member of the entourage that he has the deepest connection. Son Gokuu, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, is neither youkai nor human; rather, he was born straight from the Earth. He resided briefly in Heaven but stirred up some trouble (probably an understatement) and was sent back down to Earth as punishment, chained in a cage on the peak of Gogyou Mountain. He stayed there, bereft of memory or any companion to talk to, for five hundred years - until along came a sixteen-year-old monk, who irritably told him to shut up, that he kept talking in his head. Genjou Sanzou was the first human being Gokuu had seen for five hundred years - naturally, Gokuu imprinted on him like a baby bird does its mother. Sanzou stretched out his hand; the bars on Gokuu's cage fell away, their hands touched, and Gokuu was free. He's been Sanzou's constant companion ever since, for the last seven or so years.
It's usually a huge mystery to most people why Gokuu - sunny, bright, cheerful - is so attached to the likes of Sanzou. When Gokuu lived in Heaven, he was cared for by a young bureaucrat god named Konzen Douji, nephew to the Buddha of Compassion, Kanzeon Bosatsu - and former incarnation of Genjou Sanzou. Gokuu was fiercely fond of Konzen, for he was one of the few people in Heaven who would have anything to do at all with the 'heretic child,' as Gokuu was known. Konzen and Sanzou are much alike - both quick-tempered and, on the surface, cold-hearted, but Gokuu pierced through Konzen's shell, and the two became very attached. Unfortunately, unrest was brewing in Heaven, and Konzen became involved in it. Although we don't know the exact details, we can assume that he was killed, and Gokuu was locked up.
Gokuu's memories were wiped away by the gods, but it's clear that he does have deep, visceral memories of Konzen, which he's transferred over to Sanzou. This isn't to say, though, that Gokuu loves Sanzou because he is Konzen, or that Sanzou cares for Gokuu because he was Konzen. Sanzou and Konzen are, on the surface, quite similar, but Sanzou is more self-confident, more calm, and a bit more nihilistic; he believes, having lost his beloved master at a young age, that he is the only person he can depend on in this world, and that anyone who depends on him will only be disappointed. Yet Sanzou clearly struggles to reconcile this deep-seated independence with his feelings for Gokuu. Gokuu is every bit as competent and self-confident as Sanzou - he is, after all, the Great Sage, and easily the strongest member of the four. He can take care of himself, and does, but he also needs Sanzou. Not to take care of him, not to show him how to live - because Gokuu can kick anyone's ass, and he knows how he wants to live his life - but he seems to need him just as one needs one's arm, or air to breathe.
Sanzou is just as cold and abusive to Gokuu as he is to anyone else, but there's something beneath the surface that springs up occasionally. Sanzou has huge personal space issues: he Does Not Like being touched, nor does he like touching or being affectionate with anyone else. But some of the most moving scenes in Saiyuki are the ones where Sanzou, normally Mr. Ice Queen, unthaws for Gokuu. Sanzou does not make promises; he does not reassure people. He doesn't want to have to break those promises and end up failing, as he did all those years ago when Koumyou Sanzou was killed. But he does touch Gokuu. He does make promises to Gokuu. Here, as always, Sanzou is a character of contradictions. He wants Gokuu to stand on his own two feet; he wants Gokuu to be able to live without him. But it is always one step forward, two steps backward for Sanzou.
Gokuu: Because - be... I thought I was left alone, again. I thought....
Sanzou: I won't abandon you. How can I leave an idiot like you by yourself? [1]
IF YOU MEET YOUR FATHER, KILL YOUR FATHER
Sanzou manages to project an air of confidence no matter what he's doing - it is one of his few actively positive traits. Left on his own at a young age, Sanzou's become very good at taking care of himself, and he's had to develop self-assurance to survive. Most of what Sanzou was taught as a child, he has had to discard in order to survive. Buddhists are not supposed to kill - but Sanzou was first forced to murder a youkai when he was only fifteen or sixteen. It was kill or be killed; Buddhist tradition told him one thing, his own instinct told him another, and Sanzou has stayed true to his desire to survive ever since.
Because the only guidance he's had is the teachings of his religion, and Sanzou shunned Buddhism when Koumyou Sanzou died, Sanzou's worldview is necessarily a little confused. Self-absorbed and hedonistic, he nevertheless has made one Buddhist koan the foundation of his life: If you meet the Buddha on the road, kill him.
Sanzou became familiar with death, and the pain that comes from losing a loved one, at a very young age. He's obviously taken the lesson to heart that if he cares for no one, he won't have to grieve anymore; and that if no one cares for him, he'll cause no one pain. This koan - 'kill the Buddha' - gives the message of non-attachment, to people, circumstance, or teachings, but Sanzou has become so attached to the idea of pushing everyone away that he's lost the meaning of the message. Every time he pushes someone away - Hakkai, Gojyou, or Gokuu - he becomes a bit more attached to the set routines of his life.
CRAZY HOLY MAN
Gojyou can call Sanzou a corrupted priest all he wants, but Sanzou's unpriestly behavior can actually be construed as very Buddhist, in a way. Quite a few Buddhist strains have a few examples of monks who cast aside all societal and religious norms, eating meat, smoking, drinking, having sex with women. They deliberately goad their disciples in order to bring them to an epiphany. Sanzou often does this, being disrespectful towards or breaking some central tenents of Buddhism. In full view of his fellow monks or religious folk he meets on the road, he drinks, smokes, gambles, swears, and just generally thumbs his nose at Buddhism.
What, after all, is Buddhism? It's not clear that Sanzou himself knows. Early on in their trip, the four guys come upon a monastery, where they are given boarding because of Sanzou's high status. Left to themselves, they break out the mahjjong table and start boozing it up for the night, but their party is interrupted by the young acolyte assigned to tend to their needs, who is outraged at their bad behavior. He points to a series of signs hanging on the wall: No drinking! No smoking! No meat! No women! Later that night, a group of youkai attack the monastery and kill a good deal of monks before being taken out by Sanzou and his companions. Again the acolyte is furious that they have violated Buddhism's most sacred tenant: No killing. Sanzou tells him off: no dogma should rule a person's life, to the extent that they're willing to die for it.
According to some, Buddhism is not about strict adherence to any set dogma; it is a very personal religion. It makes one key assumption (all life is suffering), but most of the 'rules' that come from that assumption (right living, etc.) can be seen as very subjective. I think Saiyuki most captures the spirit of Buddhism with the character of Koumyou Sanzou, who even dead has a great impact on Sanzou's life. His was a very peaceful personality; he didn't care to lecture on the teachings but was never rude about it, instead preferring to spend his time looking at the sky or making paper airplanes. He never actively tried to influence Kouryuu; instead, he just *was.* Sanzou is like him in some ways; in other ways not. Like Koumyou, he dislikes giving teachings or adhering to traditional Buddhist practices - but in some ways he actively distances himself from what Koumyou was. Sanzou is neither gentle nor kind. He is certainly not peaceful.
Sanzou knows what Buddhism is not; it is not dogma. But he hasn't yet seemed to figure out what Buddhism is to him. He seems reluctant to, because his image of Buddhism - his image of Koumyou Sanzou - is peace and love, and Sanzou doesn't care enough for either life or himself to embrace that kind of Buddhism.
SAMSARA
Without a little nudging from the gods - specifically, from Kanzeon Bosatsu - the four main characters of Saiyuki might never have met, and might never have gone on this journey. Kanzeon says often that the point of the journey is not the destination. So what *is* the point?
While Kanzeon poked at and made fun of her stuffy nephew, Konzen, se did seem genuinely fond of and concerned for him. In Heaven Konzen was a bureaucrat; his job was to stamp papers and read documents all day. He was incredibly, painfully bored. It might be too harsh to say that Kanzeon engineered the series of events that led to Konzen's death and reincarnation on Earth; but it might be giving Kanzeon too little credit, to think that se didn't have *some* part in it, if only allowing it to go on under hir nose. One can imagine what might have happened to Konzen if Kanzeon hadn't brought him Gokuu and given him that small nudge: absolutely nothing.
Like Konzen, Sanzou isn't destined to be some fat old monk rotting away at Chang'An. He is just as bored with tradition and establishment. Sanzou started to hear Gokuu's voice in his head when he was young, fifteen or sixteen, newly settled in at Chang'An; prior to that, he hadn't had any connection to Gokuu at all. One can only imagine that, again, Kanzeon Bosatsu saw it fit to give hir nephew a little nudge and put a little spice into his life.
The order for Sanzou and his companions to travel West came from the mouths of the Sanbutsushin - but it came from above them, even, from Kanzeon Bosatsu, Goddess of Mercy. It's true that se wants them to restore order to Tougenkyou and put down the youkai rebellion; but again, as se so often says, the point of the journey isn't always the destination.
Sanzou has had a hard life; but he's also had an irreverent one, a non-traditional one, full of contradictions. He spouts out non-attachment, but he's clearly attached to many things, not the least of which is Gokuu, his companion in not one but two lives. He is a high-ranking Buddhist but smokes, drinks, swears, kills. He's a human, but he travels with youkai and can hand pretty much anyone their ass on a silver platter. He's cold if he's having a good day, enraged and violent if it's been a bad day, but he also has a keen sense that lets him know when to lay off people. He's headed to the West to put down a rebellion; but he's taking his time and doesn't seem too concerned with how quickly they arrive. It's not *getting there* that's the point, of course.
In short, his aunt might say, he's *fun.*
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[1] From the Burial arc, Sapphire Fusion's translation.
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WEBSITES
Gensomaden Saiyuki; general information and images, as well as a large fanfic archive.
Scarred; a beautiful general website. Very nice layout and concise information.
Muichimotsu - Having Nothing; Another very nice site, packed full of info, pictures, translations and miscellaneous goodies.
Sapphire Fusion; wonderful site with tons of scans and translations. The image on the front sends me into crying jags, though.
Smokes and Sake; insightful dual shrine to Sanzou and Hakkai.
FIC RECS
The Honeymoon by Hth. The definitive Sanzou/Gokuu fic. It's 393, but it also gets to the heart of the relationship between Sanzou and Gokuu without the author ever needing to really *say* anything. Hth's Sanzou is gloriously snappy and arrogant and conflicted as always, and Gokuu is Gokuu, pushy and affectionate. Wonderful fic for understanding Sanzou.
Sutras for the Dead by incandescens. I'll let a line from the fic speak for itself: I light a cigarette and watch the tiny curl of smoke rising upwards as the cigarette itself falls slowly to ash. Is it a metaphor? A symbol? A parable? No, dumbass, it's a cigarette. Perfect Sanzou.
Mountains Once More by absenceofmind. Hinted at 393; Sanzou sends Gokuu away. This fic really gets across Sanzou's talent for bullshitting himself and others, and also how paper-thin his excuses and tempers are. Sanzou sends Gokuu away, but he wants him to come back - and then again, he doesn't.
Rant, by viridian5. Sanzou and his magnificent temper tantrums.
High Stakes, by xparrot. A nice look at Sanzou's reaction to... well, just read it. It's probably not what you're thinking.
The Sanzou Who Walked By Himself, by the incomparable flemmings. I've heard many a fan describe this as one of the best Saiyuki fics out there, and I'll throw my voice into the pot, too. An absolutely excellent and charming fic done in the style of Rudyard Kipling. On her website you can find the rest of her excellent stuff - her Sanzou is indescribable. My favorites are the 'Master Sanzou' ones, but they're all wonderful.
Genjou Sanzou and the Chamber of Pot 1 and 2, by sf. Come on, don't give me that look. It's funny.
If anyone wants to be interactive and post recs or c&c, please feel free. One of the best things about a series is getting to talk about it with other people, after all. :) Thank you for reading.
Author: K (pellaz)
Spoilers: Not so many spoilers for the actual plotline, but spoilers for Sanzou's, Gojyou's, and Gokuu's pasts, a small spoiler for Gokuu and Sanzou's Burial arc, and some for the Reload arc detailing a bit of Sanzou's past.
Saiyuki, the popular manga/anime by Minekura Kazuya, is one of my favorite series, but I always squirm a little when people ask me to give a basic plot outline. "Well," I say. "It's about four guys heading west and saving the world and beating up a bunch of demons along the way." Inevitably they look at me like I've just told them I'm hopelessly addicted to The Real World: Philadelphia. What I like about Saiyuki is not something easily summed up - it is more about the characters than the plot, it's about violence and vengeance and atonement; the patterns people set themselves into, and who or what can set them free.
Saiyuki is about four guys heading west, from China to India. Their nominal leader is Genjou Sanzou, who really prefers not to lead anyone at all or to have any responsibility over anyone; Son Gokuu, sometimes called his pet, sometimes called his brat, more often than not just called "that damn monkey"; Chou Hakkai, the chauffer and healer; and Sha Gojyou, resident sexaholic. Genjou Sanzou (Toua Genjou Sanzou the Thirty-First if you're into titles, which the monk himself is not) is the head monk at the Chinese monastery of Chang'an who receives a mission directly from three gods, the Sanbutsushin, to go West and to stop a recent outbreak of youkai dissent. For some reason, maybe because the gods know how to throw a party, they also want him to take his friends along. And so these four men head towards the West - all of them interesting people, but the most fascinating to me is Genjou Sanzou.
WHO
Sanzou is the leader of the group, which seems odd on the surface, since he is the only human in the group and thus the physical weak link. However, if you scratch a little beneath the surface, Sanzou definitely deserves this position of respect: traditional Buddhist he's not, but for all his faults he's extremely competent, self-assured, and intelligent - especially when he's pointing out other people's faults. Sanzou also ranks very high in the monastic system, but it's an honor he could definitely go without. A basic tenent of Buddhism is 'not wanting,' but there's plenty of things Sanzou wants: booze, smokes, meat, a good place to sleep, and - oh yes - for his companions to shut the hell up. Sanzou is all about shaking people's perceptions up; he hates blind faith and worldviews and adherence to dogma. Cold and rude, he stands out anywhere he goes, whether he's among a group of meditating monks or in a village buying cigarettes. So who, exactly, is Genjou Sanzou?
Genjou Sanzou did not start out as honored as he is now. Abandoned at birth, he was cast into the river and left to fend for himself. His basket floated downstream to the monastery of Kinzan, where the thirtieth Sanzou, Koumyou, was serving. Against the advice of his fellow monks, Koumyou decided to fish the baby out of the river and take him into the monastery to be cared for, and named the baby 'Kouryuu.'
Even as a child, Kouryuu was unpopular and distrusted; he was cold, withdrawn, and rude. Most of all, the other monks resented him for the preferential treatment he received from his old benefactor, Koumyou Sanzou; Koumyou generally did not teach on the Buddhist teachings, but the monks thought that he was giving special lessons to Kouryuu. (Usually by showing him paper airplanes, which was Koumyou's idea of a good time.) When Kouryuu was twelve, he was called into Koumyou Sanzou's chambers late at night; only a few hours later Koumyou was dead and the sutra cared for by the Sanzous was gone, stolen by the youkai who had murdered him. Kouryuu made even more of a mess by announcing that he was the next Sanzou, and, although this was viewed suspciously by the monks (he was, after all, the last person to be with Koumyou), they couldn't deny the mark of a Sanzou he'd been given - the red chakra on his forehead. He was pronounced Toua Genjou Sanzou the Thirty-First, successor to Koumyou Sanzou. Kouryuu, now Sanzou, had gone from lowly servant to highly-respected monk. He left Kinzan Monastery almost immediately and began a period of traveling. He ended up at a monastery in Chang'An, from whose head, Jikaku, he picked up his habits of boozing, smoking, shooting, and a general irreverance for monastic solemnity; when Jikaku was killed, Sanzou took over his position as head of the monastery.
So at a young age - sixteen or so - Sanzou settled in as a senior monk of a large monastery and made a name for himself as eccentric, untraditional, and cold; like Koumyou before him, he refused to lecture on the teachings of the Buddha. A defining characteristic of Sanzou, however, is that he really doesn't give a shit about what people expect from him. After picking up a disciple of sorts (some say disciple, some say pet, some say monkey), Gokuu, Sanzou settled in to work at the monastery, doing jobs for the Three Aspects (or unloading the work onto someone else as it pleased him) and just generally upsetting the order of the monastic world.
RELATIONSHIPS
Sanzou is not the type of person you'd typically want for a friend. Sanzou's been on his own since he was young, and he's become very self-sufficient, very practical, and a bit unconcerned about the norms of human interaction. As Sanzou's rallying cry is 'non-attachment,' he doesn't even believe in friends - but when he does befriend someone, he won't tone down his behavior for them. Sanzou isn't the type of person, normally, to extend a helping to people; if he sees that somebody's house of cards is about to come crashing down, he could usually care less - or so he pretends. Sanzou, though, for all that he tries to purport himself as cold and uncaring, has, not exactly a mushy side, but one can occasionally see that he cares a bit more than he says he does. He will tell you your mistakes if he thinks you'll benefit from them, although he won't tell them to you kindly. If you're an idiot, he'll say so. If you've got a habit that's destructive to yourself, he'll arrow it. Sanzou causes a lot of discomfort this way, but - perhaps because of that, perhaps not - he doesn't do it very often.
One of the four main characters, Gojyou, was heavily abused as a child and grew up hating himself because he was half-youkai, half-human. The mark of a hybrid of that sort is red hair, red eyes. Gojyou has grown up hating all things red, especially his hair, tying the color to blood. Even his best friend, Hakkai, associates the color of his hair and eyes with blood - and never picks up on the guilt and shame issues that are tied into that color for Gojyou. Sanzou sniffs it out instantly, only a few minutes after he meets Gojyou: "Blood," he tells Gojyou matter-of-factly, "is not the only thing that's red."
For the most part, Sanzou doesn't let his companions get too close to him, but he's charming and fascinating enough that they stick with him anyway. For all he might verbally abuse them, Sanzou's actions make up for his words; in a tough situation, he's usually the one ready to make the hard choice that is best for him and his friends. People know a leader instinctively, and Sanzou is one whether he likes it or not.
LOVE ME, LOVE MY MONKEY
Sanzou is more friendly with Hakkai and Gojyou than he'd ever admit, but it's with the fourth member of the entourage that he has the deepest connection. Son Gokuu, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, is neither youkai nor human; rather, he was born straight from the Earth. He resided briefly in Heaven but stirred up some trouble (probably an understatement) and was sent back down to Earth as punishment, chained in a cage on the peak of Gogyou Mountain. He stayed there, bereft of memory or any companion to talk to, for five hundred years - until along came a sixteen-year-old monk, who irritably told him to shut up, that he kept talking in his head. Genjou Sanzou was the first human being Gokuu had seen for five hundred years - naturally, Gokuu imprinted on him like a baby bird does its mother. Sanzou stretched out his hand; the bars on Gokuu's cage fell away, their hands touched, and Gokuu was free. He's been Sanzou's constant companion ever since, for the last seven or so years.
It's usually a huge mystery to most people why Gokuu - sunny, bright, cheerful - is so attached to the likes of Sanzou. When Gokuu lived in Heaven, he was cared for by a young bureaucrat god named Konzen Douji, nephew to the Buddha of Compassion, Kanzeon Bosatsu - and former incarnation of Genjou Sanzou. Gokuu was fiercely fond of Konzen, for he was one of the few people in Heaven who would have anything to do at all with the 'heretic child,' as Gokuu was known. Konzen and Sanzou are much alike - both quick-tempered and, on the surface, cold-hearted, but Gokuu pierced through Konzen's shell, and the two became very attached. Unfortunately, unrest was brewing in Heaven, and Konzen became involved in it. Although we don't know the exact details, we can assume that he was killed, and Gokuu was locked up.
Gokuu's memories were wiped away by the gods, but it's clear that he does have deep, visceral memories of Konzen, which he's transferred over to Sanzou. This isn't to say, though, that Gokuu loves Sanzou because he is Konzen, or that Sanzou cares for Gokuu because he was Konzen. Sanzou and Konzen are, on the surface, quite similar, but Sanzou is more self-confident, more calm, and a bit more nihilistic; he believes, having lost his beloved master at a young age, that he is the only person he can depend on in this world, and that anyone who depends on him will only be disappointed. Yet Sanzou clearly struggles to reconcile this deep-seated independence with his feelings for Gokuu. Gokuu is every bit as competent and self-confident as Sanzou - he is, after all, the Great Sage, and easily the strongest member of the four. He can take care of himself, and does, but he also needs Sanzou. Not to take care of him, not to show him how to live - because Gokuu can kick anyone's ass, and he knows how he wants to live his life - but he seems to need him just as one needs one's arm, or air to breathe.
Sanzou is just as cold and abusive to Gokuu as he is to anyone else, but there's something beneath the surface that springs up occasionally. Sanzou has huge personal space issues: he Does Not Like being touched, nor does he like touching or being affectionate with anyone else. But some of the most moving scenes in Saiyuki are the ones where Sanzou, normally Mr. Ice Queen, unthaws for Gokuu. Sanzou does not make promises; he does not reassure people. He doesn't want to have to break those promises and end up failing, as he did all those years ago when Koumyou Sanzou was killed. But he does touch Gokuu. He does make promises to Gokuu. Here, as always, Sanzou is a character of contradictions. He wants Gokuu to stand on his own two feet; he wants Gokuu to be able to live without him. But it is always one step forward, two steps backward for Sanzou.
Gokuu: Because - be... I thought I was left alone, again. I thought....
Sanzou: I won't abandon you. How can I leave an idiot like you by yourself? [1]
IF YOU MEET YOUR FATHER, KILL YOUR FATHER
Sanzou manages to project an air of confidence no matter what he's doing - it is one of his few actively positive traits. Left on his own at a young age, Sanzou's become very good at taking care of himself, and he's had to develop self-assurance to survive. Most of what Sanzou was taught as a child, he has had to discard in order to survive. Buddhists are not supposed to kill - but Sanzou was first forced to murder a youkai when he was only fifteen or sixteen. It was kill or be killed; Buddhist tradition told him one thing, his own instinct told him another, and Sanzou has stayed true to his desire to survive ever since.
Because the only guidance he's had is the teachings of his religion, and Sanzou shunned Buddhism when Koumyou Sanzou died, Sanzou's worldview is necessarily a little confused. Self-absorbed and hedonistic, he nevertheless has made one Buddhist koan the foundation of his life: If you meet the Buddha on the road, kill him.
Sanzou became familiar with death, and the pain that comes from losing a loved one, at a very young age. He's obviously taken the lesson to heart that if he cares for no one, he won't have to grieve anymore; and that if no one cares for him, he'll cause no one pain. This koan - 'kill the Buddha' - gives the message of non-attachment, to people, circumstance, or teachings, but Sanzou has become so attached to the idea of pushing everyone away that he's lost the meaning of the message. Every time he pushes someone away - Hakkai, Gojyou, or Gokuu - he becomes a bit more attached to the set routines of his life.
CRAZY HOLY MAN
Gojyou can call Sanzou a corrupted priest all he wants, but Sanzou's unpriestly behavior can actually be construed as very Buddhist, in a way. Quite a few Buddhist strains have a few examples of monks who cast aside all societal and religious norms, eating meat, smoking, drinking, having sex with women. They deliberately goad their disciples in order to bring them to an epiphany. Sanzou often does this, being disrespectful towards or breaking some central tenents of Buddhism. In full view of his fellow monks or religious folk he meets on the road, he drinks, smokes, gambles, swears, and just generally thumbs his nose at Buddhism.
What, after all, is Buddhism? It's not clear that Sanzou himself knows. Early on in their trip, the four guys come upon a monastery, where they are given boarding because of Sanzou's high status. Left to themselves, they break out the mahjjong table and start boozing it up for the night, but their party is interrupted by the young acolyte assigned to tend to their needs, who is outraged at their bad behavior. He points to a series of signs hanging on the wall: No drinking! No smoking! No meat! No women! Later that night, a group of youkai attack the monastery and kill a good deal of monks before being taken out by Sanzou and his companions. Again the acolyte is furious that they have violated Buddhism's most sacred tenant: No killing. Sanzou tells him off: no dogma should rule a person's life, to the extent that they're willing to die for it.
According to some, Buddhism is not about strict adherence to any set dogma; it is a very personal religion. It makes one key assumption (all life is suffering), but most of the 'rules' that come from that assumption (right living, etc.) can be seen as very subjective. I think Saiyuki most captures the spirit of Buddhism with the character of Koumyou Sanzou, who even dead has a great impact on Sanzou's life. His was a very peaceful personality; he didn't care to lecture on the teachings but was never rude about it, instead preferring to spend his time looking at the sky or making paper airplanes. He never actively tried to influence Kouryuu; instead, he just *was.* Sanzou is like him in some ways; in other ways not. Like Koumyou, he dislikes giving teachings or adhering to traditional Buddhist practices - but in some ways he actively distances himself from what Koumyou was. Sanzou is neither gentle nor kind. He is certainly not peaceful.
Sanzou knows what Buddhism is not; it is not dogma. But he hasn't yet seemed to figure out what Buddhism is to him. He seems reluctant to, because his image of Buddhism - his image of Koumyou Sanzou - is peace and love, and Sanzou doesn't care enough for either life or himself to embrace that kind of Buddhism.
SAMSARA
Without a little nudging from the gods - specifically, from Kanzeon Bosatsu - the four main characters of Saiyuki might never have met, and might never have gone on this journey. Kanzeon says often that the point of the journey is not the destination. So what *is* the point?
While Kanzeon poked at and made fun of her stuffy nephew, Konzen, se did seem genuinely fond of and concerned for him. In Heaven Konzen was a bureaucrat; his job was to stamp papers and read documents all day. He was incredibly, painfully bored. It might be too harsh to say that Kanzeon engineered the series of events that led to Konzen's death and reincarnation on Earth; but it might be giving Kanzeon too little credit, to think that se didn't have *some* part in it, if only allowing it to go on under hir nose. One can imagine what might have happened to Konzen if Kanzeon hadn't brought him Gokuu and given him that small nudge: absolutely nothing.
Like Konzen, Sanzou isn't destined to be some fat old monk rotting away at Chang'An. He is just as bored with tradition and establishment. Sanzou started to hear Gokuu's voice in his head when he was young, fifteen or sixteen, newly settled in at Chang'An; prior to that, he hadn't had any connection to Gokuu at all. One can only imagine that, again, Kanzeon Bosatsu saw it fit to give hir nephew a little nudge and put a little spice into his life.
The order for Sanzou and his companions to travel West came from the mouths of the Sanbutsushin - but it came from above them, even, from Kanzeon Bosatsu, Goddess of Mercy. It's true that se wants them to restore order to Tougenkyou and put down the youkai rebellion; but again, as se so often says, the point of the journey isn't always the destination.
Sanzou has had a hard life; but he's also had an irreverent one, a non-traditional one, full of contradictions. He spouts out non-attachment, but he's clearly attached to many things, not the least of which is Gokuu, his companion in not one but two lives. He is a high-ranking Buddhist but smokes, drinks, swears, kills. He's a human, but he travels with youkai and can hand pretty much anyone their ass on a silver platter. He's cold if he's having a good day, enraged and violent if it's been a bad day, but he also has a keen sense that lets him know when to lay off people. He's headed to the West to put down a rebellion; but he's taking his time and doesn't seem too concerned with how quickly they arrive. It's not *getting there* that's the point, of course.
In short, his aunt might say, he's *fun.*
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[1] From the Burial arc, Sapphire Fusion's translation.
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WEBSITES
Gensomaden Saiyuki; general information and images, as well as a large fanfic archive.
Scarred; a beautiful general website. Very nice layout and concise information.
Muichimotsu - Having Nothing; Another very nice site, packed full of info, pictures, translations and miscellaneous goodies.
Sapphire Fusion; wonderful site with tons of scans and translations. The image on the front sends me into crying jags, though.
Smokes and Sake; insightful dual shrine to Sanzou and Hakkai.
FIC RECS
The Honeymoon by Hth. The definitive Sanzou/Gokuu fic. It's 393, but it also gets to the heart of the relationship between Sanzou and Gokuu without the author ever needing to really *say* anything. Hth's Sanzou is gloriously snappy and arrogant and conflicted as always, and Gokuu is Gokuu, pushy and affectionate. Wonderful fic for understanding Sanzou.
Sutras for the Dead by incandescens. I'll let a line from the fic speak for itself: I light a cigarette and watch the tiny curl of smoke rising upwards as the cigarette itself falls slowly to ash. Is it a metaphor? A symbol? A parable? No, dumbass, it's a cigarette. Perfect Sanzou.
Mountains Once More by absenceofmind. Hinted at 393; Sanzou sends Gokuu away. This fic really gets across Sanzou's talent for bullshitting himself and others, and also how paper-thin his excuses and tempers are. Sanzou sends Gokuu away, but he wants him to come back - and then again, he doesn't.
Rant, by viridian5. Sanzou and his magnificent temper tantrums.
High Stakes, by xparrot. A nice look at Sanzou's reaction to... well, just read it. It's probably not what you're thinking.
The Sanzou Who Walked By Himself, by the incomparable flemmings. I've heard many a fan describe this as one of the best Saiyuki fics out there, and I'll throw my voice into the pot, too. An absolutely excellent and charming fic done in the style of Rudyard Kipling. On her website you can find the rest of her excellent stuff - her Sanzou is indescribable. My favorites are the 'Master Sanzou' ones, but they're all wonderful.
Genjou Sanzou and the Chamber of Pot 1 and 2, by sf. Come on, don't give me that look. It's funny.
If anyone wants to be interactive and post recs or c&c, please feel free. One of the best things about a series is getting to talk about it with other people, after all. :) Thank you for reading.