My JTTW-Related Religious Objects
I’ve posted a few of, but not all of, these items before. I live in Asia where it's common to find pre-used religious items online. The most surprising place to me is Facebook Marketplace. I've been able to gather a decent collection at a price much lower than if I still lived in the US. The first several items were purchased from a seller in Singapore.
This is a wooden block used for making talismans. It's dedicated to the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, the Monkey King's holy title. My article translates its meaning.
https://journeytothewestresearch.com/2021/01/24/my-qitian-dasheng-monkey-king-talisman-block/
This wooden block is a chop seal, a symbol of religious authority as it shows the housing temple has the official sanction of the Great Sage. It says "Great Sage Patriarch", another name of the Monkey King.
These are "ping-pong" stems used to detect the presence of the Monkey King at a home or temple altar. It is placed stem-side down into a glass bottle full of water. The bulb is believed to make a characteristic "pinging" noise when the Great Sage arrives. I have an article on it.
https://journeytothewestresearch.com/2020/08/10/the-great-sage-detecting-ping-pong-bottle/
A lovely statue of the Great Sage.
A ritual headband worn by Monkey King spirit-mediums in Singapore. They are believed to channel the spirit of the Monkey god.
Guanyin and her disciples Dragon Girl and the Boy of Goodly Wealth. The latter is the religious version of Red Boy, son of the Bull Demon King and Princess Iron Fan.
These "Five Treasures of the Spirit-Medium" were purchased at a religious shop in Taiwan. They are used by Great Sage spirit-mediums in self-mortification rituals to draw holy blood in order to make paper talismans for warding evil. You can read more about them here:
https://journeytothewestresearch.com/2021/05/09/the-worship-of-sun-wukong-the-monkey-king-an-overview/
These statues were purchased on Carousel and Facebook Marketplace in Taiwan. The first three are the Great Sage.
This one is the "Third Prince", another name for Nezha, son of Heavenly King Li Jing.
These three were also purchased on Facebook Marketplace in Taiwan. The Zhu Bajie statue revolves around his worship as the god of sex workers, hence the lady on his lap. I have an article about it.
https://journeytothewestresearch.com/2018/03/19/zhu-bajie-patron-saint-of-prostitutes/
The last statue was also purchased on Facebook Marketplace in Taiwan. It is quite large at 48 cm. It comprises the "Five Camps Generals", protectors of the five cardinal Chinese directions. They serve under the Great Sage when stationed in his temple. This version of the five generals includes Nezha (top), Erlang (bottom left), and Lei Gong (middle right).
My collection is not special for anyone interested in (or a believer of) Chinese folk religion. But I like to think that I have one of the most unique collections for a fan of JTTW.
