The Black Tortoise or Black Turtle (Chinese: 玄武; pinyin: Xuánwǔ) is one of the Four Symbols of the Chinese constellations. Despite its English name, it is usually depicted as a turtle entwined together with a snake. Furthermore, in East Asian mythology it is not called after either animal, but is instead known as the "Black Warrior" under various local pronunciations. It is known as Xuanwu in Chinese, Genbu in Japanese, Huyền Vũ in Vietnamese and Hyeonmu or Hyunmoo in Korean. It represents the north and the winter season, thus it is sometimes called Black Tortoise of the North (Chinese: 北方玄武; pinyin: Běifāng Xuánwǔ).
In Japan, it is one of the four guardian spirits that protect Kyoto and it is said that it protects the city on the north. Represented by the Kenkun Shrine, which is located on top of Mt Funaoka in Kyoto.
The creature's name is identical to that of the important Taoist god Xuanwu, who is sometimes (as in Journey to the West) portrayed in the company of a turtle and a snake.
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