Sanzo Background
CHARACTER NAME: Genjyo Sanzo
FANDOM: Saiyuki
CANON SYNOPSIS: Genjyo Sanzo was born Kouryuu, an orphan rescued when he was found in the Yangtze River. The man who rescued him, Priest Koumyou Sanzo, became a father figure to him and took him back to raise him in a Buddhist temple called Kinzan. When Kouryuu was 13, youkai (demons) attacked Kinzan and assassinated Koumyou, but not before the priest was able to pass on his title and one of the important Tenchi Kaigen sutras, the Founding Scriptures of Heaven and Earth entrusted to Buddhist priests called "Sanzo." The other sutra, the Seiten, was stolen by the youkai and has been missing ever since.
His new name became Genjyo and he took the remaining Maten Sutra with him to look for the Seiten, seeking to get back what was "rightfully his." For 4 years, Sanzo looked without success until he arrived in the city of Chang'An. There, he met with the 3 Buddhist Aspects, the Sanbutsushin, who gave him orders to stay on as head priest of Keiun Temple in Chang'An while they searched for the missing sutra.
Shortly after arriving in Chang'An, Sanzo began to hear a voice calling him. It disturbed him, as Koumyou had told him stories of hearing Kouryuu's voice when he was found in the river. Sanzo traveled to a mountaintop outside of the city where a supposed monster was locked away by the gods. Sanzo vowed that if the source of the voice was there, he would smack the owner of the voice as hard as he could.
At the top of the mountain, there was indeed someone locked in a cage, but it looked to be a young teenage boy. Sanzo said that when he saw the boy for the first time, he lost all urge to hit him. He freed the teen, who said that his name was Goku, and took him back to Chang'An. He found out from the Sanbutsushin that Goku was actually the famous Monkey King of Legend, and had been imprisoned on the mountain for 500 years for wreaking havoc in heaven.
Goku lived at the temple with Sanzo for several years until the priest was given new orders. There was an escaped serial killer on the loose named Cho Gonou, and he needed to be brought to justice.
Sanzo tracked Gonou down to the house of a half-youkai named Sha Gojyo, and proceeded to get into a physical fight with him to get to Gonou. This resulted in Gonou running off to return to the fortress of the youkai Hyakugan Maou, where his fiance had been killed and he had killed all the youkai in revenge. Sanzo chanted at the remains of the fortress and Gonou agreed to return to the temple with him, eventually changing his name to Hakkai and voluntarily serving Sanzo.
Three years passed after this event and Sanzo and his three unlikely companions were summoned once again for a mission: this time, to go to India in the West and stop the revival experiments of the man-eating youkai king Gyuumaoh. There was also evidence that suggested the sutra of Sanzo's late master was being used in the revival plans.
So now, Sanzo and his party are traveling West, but the journey is not without its obstacles...
FANDOM: Saiyuki
CANON SYNOPSIS: Genjyo Sanzo was born Kouryuu, an orphan rescued when he was found in the Yangtze River. The man who rescued him, Priest Koumyou Sanzo, became a father figure to him and took him back to raise him in a Buddhist temple called Kinzan. When Kouryuu was 13, youkai (demons) attacked Kinzan and assassinated Koumyou, but not before the priest was able to pass on his title and one of the important Tenchi Kaigen sutras, the Founding Scriptures of Heaven and Earth entrusted to Buddhist priests called "Sanzo." The other sutra, the Seiten, was stolen by the youkai and has been missing ever since.
His new name became Genjyo and he took the remaining Maten Sutra with him to look for the Seiten, seeking to get back what was "rightfully his." For 4 years, Sanzo looked without success until he arrived in the city of Chang'An. There, he met with the 3 Buddhist Aspects, the Sanbutsushin, who gave him orders to stay on as head priest of Keiun Temple in Chang'An while they searched for the missing sutra.
Shortly after arriving in Chang'An, Sanzo began to hear a voice calling him. It disturbed him, as Koumyou had told him stories of hearing Kouryuu's voice when he was found in the river. Sanzo traveled to a mountaintop outside of the city where a supposed monster was locked away by the gods. Sanzo vowed that if the source of the voice was there, he would smack the owner of the voice as hard as he could.
At the top of the mountain, there was indeed someone locked in a cage, but it looked to be a young teenage boy. Sanzo said that when he saw the boy for the first time, he lost all urge to hit him. He freed the teen, who said that his name was Goku, and took him back to Chang'An. He found out from the Sanbutsushin that Goku was actually the famous Monkey King of Legend, and had been imprisoned on the mountain for 500 years for wreaking havoc in heaven.
Goku lived at the temple with Sanzo for several years until the priest was given new orders. There was an escaped serial killer on the loose named Cho Gonou, and he needed to be brought to justice.
Sanzo tracked Gonou down to the house of a half-youkai named Sha Gojyo, and proceeded to get into a physical fight with him to get to Gonou. This resulted in Gonou running off to return to the fortress of the youkai Hyakugan Maou, where his fiance had been killed and he had killed all the youkai in revenge. Sanzo chanted at the remains of the fortress and Gonou agreed to return to the temple with him, eventually changing his name to Hakkai and voluntarily serving Sanzo.
Three years passed after this event and Sanzo and his three unlikely companions were summoned once again for a mission: this time, to go to India in the West and stop the revival experiments of the man-eating youkai king Gyuumaoh. There was also evidence that suggested the sutra of Sanzo's late master was being used in the revival plans.
So now, Sanzo and his party are traveling West, but the journey is not without its obstacles...