Traditional Japanese Dragons

Traditional Japanese dragons in art, tattoos, and other creative works.

Compare and contrast: Chinese v.s Japanese

Written by dragonlover on

Described as “water spirits with human shapes wearing a crown of serpents on their heads" or as "snake-like beings resembling clouds," Chinese and Japanese dragons are both amazing but different. The cultures they emerged from saw different meaning in the dragon; they both used them as guardians of their temples and other special places, and as symbols of happiness, immortality, procreation, fertility and activity. And yet they each were a different and unique to the Chinese and Japanese. Chinese dragons were often red or gold, turquoise or white. The turquoise dragon was the symbol of the Emperor, the East, the rising sun, the rain as well as the fifth element of the Chinese zodiac. The white dragon on the other hand stood for the West and death. Chinese mythology, dragons lived under the surface of the Earth and only visited the world in the second month of the Chinese calendar to cause rain and thunder. Each one of its four short legs had five claws on each foot. The five-toed dragons symbolized power and in China these dragons were called “Lung.” They are also associated with the weather as the bringer of rain and water in an agriculturally driven nation. In Chinese mythology there are five types of dragons: celestial dragons who guard the mansions of the gods, spiritual dragons who rule wind & rain but also can cause flooding, earth dragons who cleanse the rivers and deepen the oceans, treasure-guarding dragons who protect metals and stones, imperial dragons who have five claws instead of the usual four. All of the kinds of Chinese dragons, with their symbolic nature and many forms are unique to their culture.

In Japanese mythology, a dragon is a guardian of the imperial family, also the god of thunder and lightening. Most Japanese Zen temples, have a dragon painted on the ceiling of their assembly halls. The Japanese dragon has three claws, unlike the Chinese dragon. This may be because the number four is an unlucky number in Japan. The Japanese dragons have a sleek snake-like form and some have whiskers. Some of the Japanese dragons have been said to grant wishes, and others to have the powers of healing, flight, and transformation among other things. These dragons are similar to the Chinese, and yet have a few very outstanding characteristics all their own.

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. Images of dragons are found painted frequently on tomb walls to dispel evil. In both China and Japan, the character for "dragon" is used often in temple names, and dragon carvings adorn many temple structures. In both Chinese and Japanese mythology, the dragon is one of four legendary creatures guarding the four cosmic direction, the others being the red bird (also known as a phoenix), the tortoise, and the tiger. Most of the time Japenese and chinese dragons look like snakes and had no wings. The dragons of Japan and China are both similar in their one of a kind features, and are marvelous in their own way.
These dragons of myth and of the Chinese and Japanese traditions are in a way, magical, mystical, and important figures in the societies of China and Japan. They are alike but different and are more amazing than other dragons in most every way. As a significant symbol and figure in the lives, buildings, and stories of the ancient Chinese and Japanese world.

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