The
Vermilion bird is one of the
Four Symbols of the
Chinese constellations. According to
Wu Xing, the
Taoist five-elemental system, it represents the
fire-element, the direction
south, and the season summer correspondingly. Thus it is sometimes called the
Vermilion bird of the South (南方朱雀, Nán Fāng Zhū Què). It is known as
Zhu Que in Chinese,
Suzaku in Japanese,
Jujak in Korean and
Chu Tước in Vietnamese. It is described as a red bird that resembles a pheasant with a five-colored plumage and is perpetually covered in flames. Represented by
Jonangu Shrine]in the southern part of Kyoto.