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Nüwa, a MythSource painting
Chinese

Nüwa

01Identity

Nüwa in Chinese tradition

Nüwa appears in Yei Theodora Ozaki’s 1903 English retelling under the name Empress Jokwa. In this tale, the Chinese ruler faces Kokai’s revolt and the floods that threaten her people. Her generals Hako and Eiko cannot overcome the rebel alone, so Jokwa calls on Shikuyu, the Fire King, to aid the struggle. Their victory changes the scale of the story: a mountain breaks and damages the pillar that supports the sky.

Jokwa repairs the fallen heavens with paste made from five-coloured stones, then uses the legs of a great tortoise to mend the pillar. The Sun and Moon remain hidden because they fear the damaged heavenly roads; she sends two ambassadors in magical chariots to reassure them. Their return brings light back. Ozaki’s version joins a fight against a rebel to Nüwa’s act of cosmic repair, while “Jokwa” remains the name this retelling gives her.

SourceJapanese fairy tales: Yei Theodora Ozaki, “The Stones of Five Colors and the Empress Jokwa,” Japanese Fairy Tales

Top questions

The quick answers

  • Who is Nüwa?

    Nüwa is a Chinese deity.
    Source

    Source

    • Japanese fairy tales
02The names

The names Nüwa answers to

Jokwa

Source-form name used for Nüwa in Yei Theodora Ozaki’s 1903 retelling, “The Stones of Five Colors and the Empress Jokwa.”

SourceJapanese fairy tales

03The myths

The myths of Nüwa

1 myth, with sources recorded for each.

Nüwa Repairs the Sky

Ozaki’s tale places Empress Jokwa in China as Kokai’s rebellion and the floods he raises threaten her people. She sends Hako and Eiko into battle, but they cannot defeat the wizard alone. A white crane that becomes an old man rescues them. Jokwa asks Shikuyu, the Fire King, to aid the fight. Together they defeat Kokai.

Kokai’s fall breaks a mountain and damages a pillar that supports the sky. A corner of the heavens drops, and the Sun and Moon hide because they fear the broken heavenly roads. Jokwa gathers stones of five colours, makes a paste and uses it to mend the sky. She repairs the pillar with the legs of a great tortoise, but darkness remains. She sends two ambassadors in magical chariots to reassure the Sun and Moon that the roads are safe. They return, light comes back, and the tale closes with her people living in peace and prosperity.

Nüwa Repairs the Sky, a MythSource painting of the scene