Tenchi Kaigen Kyoumon

The Founding Scriptures of Heaven and Earth or The “Sutras from the Dawn of Time”【天地開元経文】.

The story of Saiyuki revolves around the demons' need for Sanzo's holy scripture so that the experiment to revive Gyumaoh can succeed.

The Legend
Long ago, Shakyamuni Tathagata spread forth a sutra across the heavens, from which was born existence and void, light and dark. The earth was created thence, where life and death came to be. Shakyamuni tore apart the sutra into five pieces and entrusted its fate into the hands of the people Below.

Facts
The Tenchi Kaigen Kyoumon is made up of not only the Maten and Seiten scripture, but also three others: the Uten, Muten and Kouten. The people chosen to protect these five sutras bear the title of Sanzo, a priest chosen by Heaven who (under normal circumstances) have chakra on their foreheads. Just as the Maten scripture has the power to purify evil, each of the scriptures are endowed with unique ability.

By itself, each of the scriptrues has great power--but in combination with any of the others, that power intensifies exponentially. The five together had been used in the creation of the world; if they were ever to be put together again, what could happen is just unimaginable. So the Sanzos have been scattered to various areas, keeping the sutras apart from each other.

The Maten

 * The Maten 【魔天経文】 governs over evil and the yin principle.

Among the five “sanzo priests” who may exist at one time, only one – the successor of the Maten Sutra – has been traditionally inherited through the generations by a youkai priest.

The last known demon priest that protected the Maten was Tenkai Sanzo. When he died, he gave the sutra to Koumyou Sanzo who already had the Seiten. Before Koumyou died, he left the sutras to his ward, Kouryuu.

Genjo Sanzo is the current holder of the Maten.

The Seiten

 * The Seiten 【 聖天経文】 governs over holiness and the yang principle.

Genjo Sanzo inherits this scripture but it was stolen on the day of his Sanzohood. It is currently at the hands of Gyokumen Koushu at Houtou Castle.

The Kouten

 * The Kouten 【恒天経文】 governs over the unknown and the infinite.

Sharak Sanzo is the current holder of the Kouten.

The Uten

 * The Uten 【有天経文】 governs over life and existence.

One of the Founding Scriptures of Heaven and Earth that Dokugakuji carried back to Houtou Castle from the desert at the end of a large-scale search. It’s the scripture that was held by the Sanzo Priest who was killed and eaten by the cross-dressing scorpion youkai, Ren ri. In the end we didn’t even find out this Sanzo’s name before he died. The Uten Sutra has fallen into the hands of the Gyumaoh side.

The Muten

 * The Muten 【無天経文】 governs over death and nothingness.

One of the Founding Scriptures of Heaven and Earth. It administers “death” and “nothingness”, and falls under destruction. Its power is to bury all creation in a darkness blacker than night. It voids any and all attacks.

Ukoku Sanzo is its current holder, and although he said he was bored of being a Sanzo, the sutra alone he did not give up. Dr. Ni/Ukoku took the Sanzo Priest’s Golden Crown with him from Kami-sama’s crumbled castle.

The Inheritors

 * Koumyou Sanzo - 30th Sanzo and the inheritor of the Seiten scripture along with the Maten scripture (when Tenkai passes away.)
 * Tenkai Sanzo - the former youkai inheritor of the Maten scripture.
 * Goudai Sanzo - the former inheritor of the Muten scripture.
 * Ukoku Sanzo - 24th Sanzo and the inheritor of the Muten scripture from Priest Goudai Sanzo.
 * Genjo Sanzo - is said to be the 31st Sanzo of Shangri-la. He inherits the Maten and Seiten scripture from Koumyou Sanzo.
 * Sharak Sanzo - 28th inheritor from Ar'hat. She governs the Kouten Kyoumon.