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Japanese dragons (日本の竜/龍,Nihon no ryū)[a] are diverselegendary creatures inJapanese mythology andfolklore.Japanese dragon myths amalgamate native legends with imported stories aboutdragons fromChina,Korea and theIndian subcontinent. The style and appearance of the dragon was heavily influenced by theChinese dragon, especially the three-clawedlong (龍) dragons which were introduced in Japan from China in ancient times.[1]: 94 Like these otherEast Asian dragons, most Japanese ones arewater deities orkami[2] associated with rainfall and bodies of water, and are typically depicted as large, wingless, serpentine creatures with clawed feet.
The c. 680 ADKojiki and the c. 720 ADNihongi mytho-histories have the first Japanese textual references to dragons. "In the oldest annals the dragons are mentioned in various ways," explains de Visser,[3] "but mostly as water-gods, serpent- or dragon-shaped." TheKojiki andNihongi mention several ancient dragons:
Chinese dragon mythology is the source of Japanese dragon mythology. Japanese words for "dragon" are written withkanji ("Chinese characters"), either simplifiedshinjitai 竜 or traditionalkyūjitai 龍 from Chineselong 龍. Thesekanji can be readtatsu in native Japanesekun'yomi,[b] andryū orryō in Sino-Japaneseon'yomi.[c]
Many Japanese dragon names areloanwords from Chinese. For instance, the Japanese counterparts of the astrologicalFour Symbols are:
JapaneseShiryū 四竜 "4 dragon [kings]" are the legendary ChineseLongwang 龍王 "Dragon Kings" who rule the four seas.
Some authors attempt to differentiate Japaneseryū and Chineselong dragons by the number of claws on their feet. In 1886 Charles Gould wrote that in Japan the dragon is "invariably figured as possessing three claws, whereas in China it has four or five, according to whether it is an ordinary or an Imperial emblem".[5] A common belief in Japan is that the Japanese dragon was native to Japan and was fond of travelling, gaining claws as it walked further from Japan; e.g. when it arrived in Korea, it gained 4-claws; and when it finally arrived to China, it gained five-claws.[1]: 94 However, contrary to the Japanese belief that the three-clawed dragons also originated in China and were introduced to Japan.[1]: 94 Three-clawed dragons were depicted in China earlier in history[1]: 94 and were the principal form of dragons which were used on the robes of theTang dynasty.[6]: 235 When the Chinese dragons were introduced in Japan, they still had three claws.[1]: 94 Three-clawed dragons were seldom used after theSong dynasty and were later depicted with four or five claws in China.[6]: 235 Three-clawed dragons were briefly revived during theQing dynasty.[7]
DuringWorld War II the Japanese military named many armaments after Chinese dragons. TheKōryū 蛟竜 <jiaolong 蛟龍 "flood dragon" was amidget submarine and theShinryū 神竜 <shenlong 神龍 "spirit dragon" was a rocketkamikaze aircraft. An Imperial Japanese Army division, the 56th Division, was codenamed the Dragon Division. Coincidentally, the Dragon Division was annihilated in the Chinese town ofLongling (龍陵), whose name means "Dragon's Tomb".
WhenBuddhist monks from other parts of Asia brought their faith toJapan they transmitted dragon and snake legends fromBuddhist andHindu mythology. The most notable examples are thenāga ナーガ or 龍 "Nāga; rain deity; protector of Buddhism" and thenāgarāja ナーガラージャ or 龍王 "Nāgarāja; snake king;dragon king". de Visser (1913:179) notes that many Japanesenāga legends haveChinese features. "This is quite clear, for it was viaChina that all theIndian tales came toJapan. Moreover, many originally Japanese dragons, to which Chinese legends were applied, were afterwards identified withnāga, so that a blending of ideas was the result.
Some additional examples of Buddhistic Japanese dragons are:
Dragon lore is traditionally associated withBuddhist temples. Myths about dragons living in ponds and lakes near temples are widespread. De Visser[8] lists accounts forShitennō-ji inOsaka, Gogen Temple inHakone, Kanagawa, and the shrine onMount Haku where theGenpei Jōsuiki records that a Zen priest saw a nine-headed dragon transform into the goddessKannon. In the present day, the LakeSaiko Dragon Shrine atFujiyoshida, Yamanashi has an annual festival and fireworks show.
Temple names, like Japanesetoponyms, frequently involve dragons. For instance, theRinzai sect hasTenryū-ji 天龍寺 "Heavenly Dragon Temple",Ryūtaku-ji 龍沢寺 "Dragon Swamp Temple",Ryōan-ji 竜安寺 "Dragon Peace Temple". According to legend,[9] when the Hōkō-ji 法興寺 orAsuka-dera 飛鳥寺 Buddhist temple was dedicated atNara in 596, "a purple cloud descended from the sky and covered the pagoda as well as the Buddha hall; then the cloud became five-coloured and assumed the shape of a dragon or phoenix".
TheKinryū-no-Mai "Golden Dragon Dance" is an annual Japanesedragon dance performed atSensō-ji, a Buddhist temple inAsakusa. The dragon dancers twist and turn within the temple grounds and outside on the streets. According to legend, the Sensō Temple was founded in 628 after two fishermen found a gold statuette ofKannon in theSumida River, at which time golden dragons purportedly ascended into heaven. The Golden Dragon Dance was produced to celebrate the reconstruction of the Main Hall of the temple in 1958 and is performed twice yearly.[10]
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Japanese dragons are mostly associated withShinto shrines as well as some Buddhist temples.
Itsukushima Shrine on Miyajima orItsukushima Island in Japan'sInland Sea was believed to be the abode of the sea-god Ryūjin's daughter. According to theGukanshō andThe Tale of Heike (Heinrich 1997:74–75), the sea-dragon empoweredEmperor Antoku to ascend the throne because his fatherTaira no Kiyomori offered prayers at Itsukushima and declared it his ancestral shrine. When Antoku drowned himself after being defeated in the 1185Battle of Dan-no-ura, he lost the imperialKusanagi sword (which legendarily came from the tail of theYamata no Orochi] dragon) back into the sea. In another version, divers found the sword, and it is said to be preserved atAtsuta Shrine. The great earthquake of 1185 was attributed to vengeful Heike spirits, specifically the dragon powers of Antoku.
Ryūjin shinkō 竜神信仰 "dragon god faith" is a form of Shinto religious belief that worships dragons as waterkami. It is connected with agricultural rituals, rain prayers, and the success[citation needed] of fisherman.
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