Hakutaku
[hah'-koo-tah'-koo],
白澤 noun.
A mythological, spiritual animal of Chinese origin (pi-hsieh) related to
the kirin, having the head of a shishi, one or two horns, a
bushy tail, a foreleg with a lion's claw (rather than a kirin's hoof),
and celestial flames surrounding but not consuming its body. The
hakutaku, an advisor to emperors, can speak. Ryoko Yojin-shu believed it had the ability to ward
off evil during a journey (Precautions for Travelers, 1810). In the
Kumozui Taisei, it is said that the hakutaku devours all evil.
