Iron-Crutch Li

Iron-Crutch Li (traditional Chinese: 李鐵拐; simplified Chinese: 李铁拐; pinyin: ''Lǐ Tiěguǎi''; Wade-Giles: ''Li T'ieh-kuai''; Japanese: Tekkai:) is sometimes said to be the most ancient and popular of the Eight Immortals of the Taoist pantheon. He is sometimes described as irascible and ill-tempered, but also benevolent to the poor, sick and the needy, whose suffering he alleviates with special medicine from his gourd. He is often portrayed as an ugly old man with dirty face, scraggy beard, and messy hair held by a golden band. He walks with the aid of an iron crutch (t'ieh kuai) and often has a gourd slung over his shoulder or held in his hand. He often is depicted as a clown figure who descends to earth in the form of a beggar who uses his power to fight for the oppressed and needy.

The legend says that Iron-crutch Li was born during the Yuan Dynasty period (1279–1368), and was originally named "Li Yüan". However, in folklore he is depicted as Laozi's disciple, which would claim him to be a figure of the 6th century BCE.