|
DRAGON MYTHOLOGY. A
mythological animal of Chinese origin, and a
member of the
NAGA (Sanskrit) family of serpentine
creatures who protect Buddhism. Japan's dragon
lore comes predominantly from China. Images of
the reptilian dragon are found throughout Asia,
and the pictorial form most widely recognized
today was already prevalent in Chinese ink
paintings in the Tang period (9th century AD).
The mortal enemy of the dragon is the
Phoenix,
as well as the bird-man creature known as
Karura. In contrast to Western mythology,
Asian dragons are rarely depicted as
malevolent. Although fearsome and powerful,
dragons are equally considered just,
benevolent, and the bringers of wealth and good
fortune. The dragon is also considered a
shape
shifter who can assume human form
and mate with people.
 Dragons figure importantly in
folk beliefs throughout Asia, and are
dressed heavily in Buddhist garb. In
India, the birthplace of Buddhism around
500 BC, pre-Buddhist snake or
serpentine-like creatures known as the
NAGA
were incorporated early on into Buddhist
mythology. Described as “water spirits with
human shapes wearing a crown of serpents on
their heads” or as “snake-like beings
resembling clouds,” the
NAGA
are among the
eight
classes of deities who worship and
protect the
Historical
Buddha. Even before the
Historical
Buddha (Siddhartha, Guatama)
attained enlightenment, the
NAGA
King Mucilinda (Sanskrit) is said to have
protected Siddhartha from wind and rain for
seven days. This motif is found often in
Buddhist art from India, represented by images
of the Buddha sitting beneath Mucilinda’s hood
and coils. (Above paragraph adapted from
book
by M.W. De Visser.)
In China, however, dragon lore existed
independently for centuries before the
introduction of Buddhism. Bronze and jade
pieces from the Shang and Zhou dynasties (16th
- 9th centuries BC) depict dragon-like
creatures. By at least the 2nd century BC,
images of the dragon are found painted
frequently on tomb walls to dispel evil.
Buddhism was introduced to China sometime in
the 1st and 2nd centuries AD. By the 9th
century AD, the Chinese had incorporated the
dragon into Buddhist thought and iconography as
a protector of the
various Buddha and the Buddhist law. These
traditions were adopted by the Japanese
(Buddhism did not
arrive in Japan until the mid-6th century
AD). In both China and Japan, the character
for "dragon" (see orange-colored ideogram at
top of page) is used often in temple names, and
dragon carvings adorn many temple structures.
Most Japanese Zen temples, moreover, have a
dragon painted on the ceiling of their assembly
halls. See below photos.
Dragon, Ceiling Painting
at Tenryū-ji Temple 天龍寺, Kyoto. Rinzai Zen
Sect. Tenryū-ji is also a World Heritage
Site.
This ceiling painting was first created in
1899, and restored in 1997. It measures about
18 meters across.
Drawn on Japanese paper attached to ceiling
plates (tiles). Photo scanned from temple
catalog.
Tenryū translates directly as “Heaven
Dragon.”
Close-up of above
Tenryū-ji ceiling painting
DRAGON
SYMBOLISM - ORIGINS IN CHINA
FOUR GUARDIANS OF FOUR COMPASS
DIRECTIONS
Click any image above to
jump to that creature (takes you to another
page).
In both Chinese and
Japanese mythology, the dragon is one of
Four Legendary Creatures guarding the four
cosmic directions (
Red Bird - S,
Dragon - E,
Tortoise - N, and the
Tiger - W). The four, known as the
Four Celestial Emblems, appear during
China's Warring States period (476 BC - 221
BC), and were frequently painted on the walls
of early Chinese and Korean tombs to ward off
evil spirits. The Dragon is the Guardian of the
East, and is identified with the season spring,
the color green/blue, the
element wood (sometimes also water), the
virtue propriety, the Yang male energy;
supports and maintains the country (controls
rain, symbol of the Emperor's power). The
Guardian of the South, the
Red Bird (aka Suzaku, Hō-ō, Phoenix), is
the enemy of the dragon, as is the bird-man
Karura. Actually, the
Phoenix is the mythological enemy of all
Naga, a Sanskrit term covering all types of
serpentine creatures, including snakes and
dragons. The Dragon (East) and
Phoenix (South) both represent Yang energy,
but they are often depicted as enemies, for the
Dragon represents the element wood, while the
Phoenix signifies the element fire.
However, they're also often depicted together
in artwork as partners. The Dragon is the male
counterpart to the female
Phoenix, and together they symbolize both
conflict and wedded bliss -- the emperor
(dragon) and the empress (
phoenix). For many more details, see the
Phoenix page and
Four Guardians of the Compass page.
|
Dragon water
fountain
at Ryūtakuji
Temple
|
|
 Excerpt from "Myths &
Legends of Japan"
by F. Hadland Davis.
The Dragon has the head of a camel, horns or a
deer, eyes of a hare, scales of a carp, paws of
a tiger, and claws resembling those of an
eagle. In addition it has whiskers, a bright
jewel under its chin, and a measure on the top
of its head which enables it to ascend to
Heaven at will. This is merely a general
description and does not apply to all dragons,
some of which have heads of so extraordinary a
kind that they cannot be compared with anything
in the animal kingdom. The breath of the Dragon
changes into clouds from which come either rain
or fire. It is able to expand or contract its
body, and in addition it has the power of
transformation and invisibility. The ancient
Chinese Emperor Yao was said to be the son of a
dragon, and many rulers of that country were
metaphorically referred to as dragon-faced."
<end excerpt by Hadland>.
TYPES OF
DRAGONS
In both Chinese and Japanese mythology, the
dragon is closely associated with the watery
realm, and in artwork is often surrounded by
water or clouds. In myth, there are four dragon
kings who rule over the four seas (which in the
old Chinese conception limited the habitable
earth). In China, a fifth category of dragon
was added to these four, for a total of five
dragon types:
- Celestial
Dragons who guard the mansions of the
gods
- Spiritual
Dragons who rule wind & rain but can
also cause flooding
- Earth Dragons
who cleanse the rivers & deepen the
oceans
-
Treasure-Guarding Dragons who protect
precious metals & stones
- Imperial
Dragons; dragons with five claws instead of
the usual four
Five-clawed
dragon at
Kenchō-ji
Temple
(Kamakura,
Japan)
See above
for
details.
Painted in the
1990s.
Here, Japanese
dragon
iconographcy
does not
abide with
traditional
Chinese notions
about
the number of
claws.
|
|
NUMBER OF
CLAWS
Five, Four, Three
Claws
According to most sources, the dragon of China
and Japan resemble each other, with the
exception that the Japanese dragon has only
three claws, while that of the Celestial
Kingdom (China) has five.
www.khandro.net
Much has been made of these distinguishing
characteristics among Asian dragons. There is
an iconographic convention in which the common
dragon has only four claws. The five-clawed
dragon, in contrast, is reserved for the
Chinese imperial family, while the colonial
type (such as the Japanese dragon) has only
three claws.
Another View of Claws,
From Wikipedia
Chinese or Korean imperial dragons have five
toes on each foot; Indonesian dragons have four
and Japanese dragons have three. To explain
this phenomenon, Chinese legend states that
although dragons originated in China, the
further away from China a dragon went the fewer
toes it had, and dragons only exist in China,
Korea, Indonesia, and Japan because if they
travelled further they would have no toes to
continue. Japanese legend has an opposing
story, namely that dragons originated in Japan,
and the further they traveled the more toes
they grew and as a result, if they went too far
they would have too many toes to continue to
walk properly. These theories are rejected in
Korea and Indonesia. Another interpretation:
according to several sources, including
official documents from earlier times, ordinary
Chinese dragons had four toes -- but the
Imperial Dragon had five. It was a capital
offense for anyone other than the emperor to
use the five-clawed dragon motif. Korean
sources seem to disagree (or perhaps agree)
with this theory, as the Imperial dragon in
Gyeongbok Palace has seven claws, implying its
superiority over the Chinese Dragon. Of course,
this dragon image is hidden in the rafters of
the palace and not entirely in view, even to
those who know it is there, suggesting that
while the ancient Koreans viewed it as
superior, they also knew that it would be
offensive to the Imperial Chinese Court.
Unryū, Cloud
Dragon. Ceiling Painting, Late 1990s, Kenchō-ji
Temple, Kamakura
Painted by artist Koizumi Junsaku on 48 panels.
Took about three years to create, and
measures
approx. 10 meters by 12 meters in size. Photo
Courtesy Kenchōji Web
Site.
Close-up of above Kenchō-ji Temple ceiling
painting.
Founded in 1251, this temple was the
chief monastery for the five great Zen
monasteries that thrived in the
Kamakura era (1185-1333). It became the center
of Zen Buddhism thanks to strong state
patronage,
and was home to the first
landscape garden laid out in the Zen style.
However, unlike many other Zen temples
in Japan, Kenchō-ji never had its own dragon
painted on the ceiling of its assembly hall.
This painting was
commissioned to celebrate the 750th anniversary
of the temple’s founding, and was unveiled in a
public
viewing in May & June 2003. This photo is
from the event’s promotional poster.
COLOR OF DRAGON
ROBES
A yellow dragon is said to have presented the
Chinese with a scroll inscribed with mystic
characters, and this tradition is said to be
the legendary origin of the Chinese system of
writing. In China, yellow dragon robes are
reserved for the Emporer and his family. The
dragon is also used as a symbol for the Chinese
Emperor, the Son of Heaven. In earlier times,
the color of a dragon robe reflected the rank
of its wearer. Yellow for the Emperor and
Empress, apricot for the Crown Prince, and
golden yellow for the emperor’s other
wives.
 
DRAGON
SYMBOLISM
DRAGON MOTIFS ON IMPERIAL ROBES
SEE STORIES BY KYOTO NATIONAL
MUSEUM
Aristocrat's robe with
dragon motifs. China, Qing Dynasty, 17
century
Photo courtesy metmuseum.org. Met Museum Dragon Robe
#1
| Met Museum Dragon Robe
#2
|
