| Summary: | 碩士 === 樹德科技大學 === 應用設計研究所 === 94 === Nowadays, within the new millennium, most people are still far from the position in which they can depend on religion. To give people a home ground is the goal of every religion.
According to research, the history of religion could have begun with people worshipping animal icons. In the Shang Dynasty people respected ghosts, gods and worshipped wild animals in the hope of gaining the benefits of their blessings. Voodoo activities made animals the means of communication between people and gods/spirits. Animals are the best sacrificial offerings for worship. Because of this, we know people and animals are tied together in close relationship to one another.
Now, in the animal environment of Taiwan we don’t have –tigers- yet, most temple worship is to the “Grandfather Tiger.” So we know the “Master Tiger” in cult religion is the most popular animal god. But the research in Taiwan seldom talks about it.
So, I chose this topic to contribute to future research and to allow “Master Tiger” culture to be shown as a different way thinking.
There are five main parts in this article they are summarized below:
1. Introduction: To tell today’s society why I want to do this research and use media reports about it to discuss animal gods. At the same time, I have made this research structure on the relation between the “Baau Sheng Da Dih, Tudi Gong, His Chin Wang Yeh and Master Tiger.”
2. Document discussion: Use the origins of worshipping icons and fairytales to bring in the topic of this research; from old research to understand the progressive steps of worshipping the “Tiger,” then to keep going on into discussion of how it influenced the way that people worship Master Tiger today.
3. The relationships between the Main Gods and the Animal Gods: Discussion based on every kind of legend between the Main Gods and the tiger, emphasis on the sources of “Baau Sheng Da Dih, Tudi Gong, His Chin Wang Yeh
4. Present day research: Use of the “Administration God” to worship Master Tiger is the main research target. The topics of “Baau Sheng Da Dih, Tudi Gong, His Chin Wang Yeh” in Tainan and Gaushung area. Getting to know Tiger Master’s role and legendary traditions from collecting and putting together analysis (old research); take photos of Master Tiger’s appearance then analyze his posture, face and color; and interview sculptors of Master Tiger. Besides this the way they put Master Tiger also influences Master Tiger’s position (in importance). Then I can prove how different main gods will change Master Tiger’s look and figure because of the differences between temples and religions.
After research, we found Master Tiger’s sculpture position, face and color is Master Tiger’s most important characteristic and most of Master Tiger’s look is of a tiger and mimics a real tiger’s look and action. They have black and yellow stripes. The difference is in expression, position and color and years.
As to the face, some use cat features or human face features to be the model. But because it is from the sculptor’s imagination not of a real tiger, the body is small and short.
5. Conclusion: Master Tiger’s look is half real, using imagination to show a tiger’s emotion; for example: long teeth from the mouth, curved body. Any color difference is because of the place where people are worshipping Master Tiger. So, they have “Sky Tiger” and “Earth Tiger.” It doesn’t matter what kind of material is used or the differences in Tiger Master’s look, religion makes Master Tiger just how they want to make it meaningful.
This is the power of religion. This kind of thing is there to make us feel that we have a home ground for our spirit to depend on. That’s why people believe and worship of Master Tiger is much more useful in the protection of people than a real tiger.
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