Sha Wujing (沙悟凈 WG: Sha Wu-ching) is one of the three helpers of Xuanzang in the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West. Wujing was the Buddhist name given by his master which means "aware of purity". Sha Wujing, was like Zhu Bajie, a general in Heaven. Once, he became very furious and destroyed a valuable vase. Other sources mention that he did this rather unintentionally. Nevertheless, he was punished to be reincarnated as a terrible Sand Demon on earth. There he lived in a river with sandy waters. His appearance was rather grisly; he had a red beard and his head was partially bald; a necklace consisting of skulls made him even more terrible. but he still used the weapon he had in heaven, namely a staff with blades (one crescent-shaped, the other like that of a shovel) on either end. After he was defeated by Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie, he became the third disciple of Sanzang. Now, he was clad in a Buddhist pilgrim's robe and his skull-necklace was turned into a monk's one. His appearance also changed; from now on he looked more like a human, yet still ugly. During the Journey to the West, his swimming ability was quite useful, yet his fighting skills weren't as great as Wukong's or Bajie's. Sha Wujing was actually a kind-hearted and obedient person and was very loyal to his master. Like Wukong, Lord Buddha transformed him into an arhat or luohan.
In Japan he was seen as a kappa, another fearsome kind of water demon.