Detailed Introduction
At a jiao festival you may see two kinds of men in Taoist robes: one presiding over a solemn grand liturgy, the other with a red band around his head calming a frightened soul. Taiwanese often lump them together as "shigong," but strictly speaking a daoshi (Taoist priest) and a fashi (ritual master) are not the same. Both have passed through long years of cultivation and master-disciple transmission, and both serve as professional intermediaries between the human and spirit worlds.
Priest or Ritual Master?
In Taiwan the two terms are often used interchangeably, but strictly there are distinctions:
- Taoist priest (daoshi, also daozhang or daogong): belongs to the Zhengyi (Orthodox Unity) tradition, has undergone a formal "ordination" (a ceremony akin to receiving religious credentials), and holds a documented master-disciple lineage. Their liturgies are more rigorous, grounded in Taoist scripture and centered on communion with the Three Pure Ones; they usually preside over major jiao rituals, peace assemblies, and other formal occasions.
- Ritual master (fashi, also "red-cap master" or "black-cap master"): a practitioner who blends Taoist, Buddhist, and folk elements. The "red-cap master" wears a red headband and handles mainly blessing rites (shoujing, jigai, Tai Sui pacification); the "black-cap master" wears a black headband and handles mainly funerary and salvation rites. Their ceremonies are more flexible and take in more local folk elements.
- Shijiao ritual master: a practitioner who works mainly from Buddhist scripture but folds in Taoist liturgy, especially common in southern Taiwan.
Training and Transmission
Becoming a priest or ritual master means enduring a long apprenticeship. Tradition follows the master-disciple system: after being taken into a lineage, the disciple starts with the humblest tasks -- carrying implements, setting up the altar -- then learns chanting, ritual pacing, visualization, talisman-writing, and the use of the implements, step by step. Full training usually takes three to five years or more, with the master passing on different levels of art according to the disciple's aptitude and insight. At a certain point, the disciple must travel to a Taoist holy site (such as Tainan's Altar of Heaven or Taipei's Zhinan Temple) for the "ordination" or "transmission" ceremony that grants formal religious standing.
In Taiwan the priesthood is often hereditary -- father to son, son to grandson -- forming what are called "ritual altar families." Tainan has the densest concentration of them, many having carried their lineages for more than ten generations, all the way back to the Qing dynasty. These families pass down not only their liturgical craft but also large collections of precious hand-copied scriptures and old ritual implements.
Implements and Equipment
Each implement a priest uses carries its own symbolism:
- Emperor Bell (Sanqing Bell): shaken to summon the Three Pure Ones and all the celestial deities down to the altar.
- Command Flags: the authority of the heavenly court, in five colors (green, red, yellow, white, black) for the five directions; a wave of the flags issues divine orders.
- Dragon Horn: made from ox horn or a conch shell, its deep note intimidates evil spirits and signals the heavenly court.
- Treasure Sword (Seven Star Sword): a ritual sword patterned with the Big Dipper, for slaying demons and consecrating sacred objects.
- Court Tablet (hand board): a ceremonial board held when paying respect to the Celestial Worthies, a token of reverence.
- Tianpeng Ruler (Thunder Token): a ritual ruler of lightning-struck wood, struck to sound with demon-warding, spirit-subduing effect.
Vestments
A priest wears different robes for different occasions:
- Red robe: for blessing rites, jiao rituals, and other auspicious occasions.
- Black or dark-blue robe: for salvation and funerary rites.
- Nine Palace Bagua robe: an ornate robe embroidered with the eight trigrams, reserved for the highest-grade liturgies.
- Plain robe (zhuangyi): a simple everyday Taoist garment.
The head wears a "yellow crown" or a "net cap," and the feet, "cloud shoes" stitched with cloud patterns.
Their Role in Taiwanese Society
Priests and ritual masters wear many hats in Taiwan: presiders at temple festivals, officiants of life-cycle rites (from a child's "courage-building" ceremony to an elder's funerary merit rites), spiritual counselors to their communities, and guardians of traditional culture. As times change, some younger priests have begun sharing liturgical knowledge on social media, and academic bodies (such as National Chengchi University's Institute for the Study of Religion) have partnered with ritual altars for fieldwork and digital archiving, setting down a record of this precious religious heritage.