RYŪ 龍

Pronunciation: REE-yoo

Translation: Dragon

Also known as: Tatsu (竜), Orochi (大蛇), Kuraokami (闇淤加美神)

Overview

The ryū, or dragon, a creature of immense power and magnificence, is viewed as a divine kami (god) and has strong ties to both Shinto and Buddhism. This legendary beast has inspired countless folktales and epic encounters as well as literally being present at Japan’s mythical beginnings. After the deities Izanagi and Izanami created the islands of Japan, Izanami tragically died from giving birth to the fire god, Kagutsuchi. A furious Izanagi beheaded this matricidal, fiery son and chopped him into pieces. Depending on the version of the story, some part of Kagutsuchi’s body (or the blood that pooled at the hilt of Izanagi’s sword) transformed into the deity Kuraokami (闇淤加美神), the dragon god of rain and snow.

The first thing you’ll notice about Eastern dragons compared to Western ones is that the Eastern variety are more serpentine and have no wings. Wingless though they are, they can still soar into the heavens if they want. Places you can find ryū are oceans, lakes, rivers, and waterfalls. That’s because they are associated with water, clouds, and rain.

The Wakan Sansai Zue (和漢三才図会), or Illustrated Sino-Japanese Encyclopedia (1712) states that Japanese dragons have a head that resembles a horse, eyes of a rabbit, ears of an ox, a tail like a snake, the belly of a dragonfly, scales like a carp, and the claws of a hawk.

That image aside, dragons in Japan aren’t evil or necessarily destructive, per se, like Western ones tend to be. The Japanese ryū are instead godly symbols of power and good fortune. Their connection with water (through rainfall) makes them important deities for farmers. Ryū are also tied to fertility, wisdom, and abundance.

Background and Popular Stories

Though ryū aren’t inherently evil, that’s not to say they aren’t extremely dangerous when crossed. The orochi (大蛇), literally “big snake” or “large serpent,” are an early kind of dragon that lean more to the malevolent side. As stated in the Kojiki (C.E. 712), Yamata no Orochi was an eight-headed, eight-tailed serpent with eyes that were “red like a winter cherry.” It was so huge it stretched over eight hills and valleys and grew firs and cypresses on its back.

The dragon is especially significant to the Japanese people for two other important reasons: The ryū is believed to be the ancestor to the first emperor of Japan, and the actual shape of the island chain that is the Japanese archipelago resembles a dragon.

Because a seven-headed naga (snake/dragon) protected the Buddha after he achieved enlightenment, dragons are also seen as protectors of Buddhism. They can be found in sculptures, in paintings on the ceilings, and living in the deep depths of ponds and lakes situated near temples.

As for Shinto, there are shrines dedicated to Ōwatatsumi no kami (大綿津見神)—also called Watatsumi—which translates as “great deity of the sea.” It’s not uncommon to see a dragon-shaped sculpture dripping water at the temizuya (water-purification pavilion) in front of a shrine.