RAIJIN AND FŪJIN 雷神 and 風神
Pronunciation: RYE-jeen and FOO-jeen
Translation: Thunder and Lightning or Storm God and Wind God
Raijin is also known as: Kaminari-sama (雷様), Raiden-sama (雷電様), Narukami (鳴神), Raikō (雷公)
Fūjin is also known as: Fūten (風天)
Overview
Raijin and Fūjin are the unmistakable sibling duo that roam the skies, especially during storms. They are both Shinto gods and yōkai, with Raijin being the god of thunder, lightning, and storms and Fūjin being the god of wind. They’re easily recognizable: Their hair and long, ribbony pennants blow wildly in the tempest they’ve created. Barefoot and naked from the waist up, both gods are well-muscled giants, riding on clouds and baring their teeth, looking fierce and resembling oni (see the Oni entry). The two are brothers but also rivals. Some theories state thunderstorms are the result of their fighting; others suggest they work together to create nasty weather.
Though they look similar, Fūjin and Raijin can be told apart. The most iconic piece of artwork of the pair was painted by Tawaraya Sotatsu (1570–1643), and it consists of three golden panels with Fūjin and Raijin on either side, facing each other; it’s from this image almost all following depictions derive. It can be seen in the Kyoto National Museum.
When trying to differentiate the two, keep in mind that Raijin’s skin is deep red or pale white. He holds a small mallet in each hand, which he uses to beat on the many taiko drums embedded on the ring that surrounds him, causing thunder. He has three fingers, which represent past, present, and future, and two horns on his head. While he is feared, some farmers pray to him for rain or for a lucky lightning strike that will bring a bumper harvest. Raijin has a son named Raitarō and is sometimes seen with the thunder beast (see the Raijū entry).
Fūjin, on the other hand, has blue or green skin and bright red hair and wears a leopard-skin loincloth. He has a single horn jutting from his forehead. In each of his hands, he grasps the ends of what looks like a long piece of white cloth. This is, in fact, a bag of wind that he manipulates to cause great gales. Traditionally, Fūjin has four fingers.
Both Raijin and Fūjin have an interesting backstory. According to the mythology, they were born from the rotting corpse of Izanami, the divine female creator of Japan. Izanagi (Izanami’s husband) followed her to the Yomi no Kuni (Land of the Dead) and, after seeing her miserable condition (decaying corpse), fled—but not before a horde of demons started chasing him. Izanagi escaped and blocked the entrance to the underworld with a large stone to stop any demons from getting out. Raijin and Fūjin, however, managed to escape through a crack.
Background and Popular Stories
One particularly disturbing folktale about one of this duo is called the “Legend of Shokuro.” Once upon a time, a man named Shokuro lived in the village of Oinura. Shokuro was strong and confident and wanted to impress the magistrate of his district, so he promised him that he would capture the thunder god.
Shokuro had a brilliant idea. Since Raijin adored human belly buttons (see the sidebar), all he needed to do was attach a person’s navel to a kite, then fly the kite during a thunderstorm. Surely Raijin—out and active because of the weather—would snap up the bait and be caught.
There was only one problem: How could Shokuro obtain a human belly button? The answer came while he was out strolling in the woods one day and met a woman named Ochiyo; he callously killed her and cut out the required body part. He then disposed of her body in a ditch.
Soon after this incident, Raijin was passing by overhead and noticed the poor dead woman. He came down to investigate. The thunder god was dazzled by her beauty but alarmed that she was missing her navel. But that wasn’t a problem. He just happened to be chewing on some other person’s belly button at the time, so he took it out of his mouth and gave it to Ochiyo, thus bringing her back to life. The two had an instant connection; Raijin swept her up into the skies and they were soon married.
A few days later, Shokuro was still out hunting for the god of thunder and lightning. Ochiyo, who was now living in the clouds with her new husband, noticed his kite and went over to check it out. But as she neared, she recognized Shokuro as her murderer. At the same time, Shokuro, too, realized whose attention he’d caught with his morbid kite trap. Ochiyo reclaimed her own navel just as Raijin swooped down from the heavens to take vengeance on the man who had initially killed his newly revived wife.
Shokuro was very strong; surprisingly, he severely beat Raijin. Afterward, the remorseful Shokuro begged Ochiyo’s forgiveness, which she accepted before returning to the heavens with her husband. The magistrate, along with the entire village, were awed by Shokuro, and he went on to become quite famous, which was his original goal all along.
In Modern Stories
This dynamic duo has inspired many characters in current pop culture. For example, in the manga and anime Naruto, both Naruto and Sasuke show the telltale signs of the mythical duo: They’re rivals, and Naruto controls the winds and Sasuke controls lightning. They also take on the criminals named Raijin and Fūjin, who are also known as the Legendary Stupid Brothers.
In the video game Mortal Kombat, Raiden (another name for Raijin) is the god of thunder. Raiden also shows up in Metal Gear Solid. Raijin and Fūjin are portrayed in Final Fantasy VIII as well. Here, Fūjin is female and wearing all blue, and the character on her pauldron means “wind.” Raijin is a muscular male, and the character on his shoulder guard means “thunder.”
Pokémon’s Tornadus and Thundurus are also inspired by the god of thunder and god of wind.