Kirin is a mythological sacred creature known in East Asian cultures. It appears when the king governs in perfect virtues called Jin 仁.
It’s a sign of peace and tranquillity.
It looks like a deer and has a head like a dragon, one-three horns, cloven hoofs like a cow and scales on its body.
Old books say “Ki” is a male, “Rin” female, but it depends on the book.
Lady Jogen（Lady Shangyuan 上元夫人）
As a noble female immortal, Lady Jogen holds the second highest position in the heavenly realm after Seioubo（西王母）.
Lady Jogen rides on Kirin.
The birth of Sage Confucius（麟吐玉書）
It is said that right before Confucius was born a Kirin appeared in front of Confucius’s mother and an auspicious scroll came out from its mouth. The scroll said that child of water spirit would become a person who had a virtue of king. The mother put a string on its neck. It left after two nights.
The capture of Kirin（西狩獲麟）
One day when Sage Confucius was 72, a Kirin was captured. People were afraid of the weird creature and killed it. Confucius noticed it had the string around its neck and found he wouldn’t be long before he died. He sighed deeply “what have I been doing? I got stuck”. He stopped writing “Spring and Autumn” that was one of five Confucian books.
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