Summary
As the master and adoptive father of Genjyo Sanzo, this man served as the previous Sanzo priest. He found the infant floating down a river, named him Kouryuu, and raised him from childhood. A guardian of both the Seiten Sutra and the Maten Sutra, he handed all responsibilities over to Genjyo Sanzo before being attacked by youkai opposition and dying at the age of 47. He possessed a gentle, soft-mannered nature and moved at his own pace, often appearing as a natural fool. Despite this demeanor, he exhibited a philosophical depth that suggested he could see far into the future. An old acquaintance of Goudai Sanzo, he studied under the teachings of Arch-Bishop Jikaku alongside Goudai. Koumyou inherited the Seiten Sutra while Goudai took the Muten Sutra. Their friend, the youkai Tenkai Sanzo, walked the path of the Sanzo priest with them, but following Tenkai’s death, Koumyou also took charge of the Maten Sutra possessed by Tensan. Although he died 12 years prior to the main events, Koumyou remains a pivotal figure in the story of Saiyuki.
