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The Dragon in China and Japan

Dr. M. W. VISSER

Verhandelingen der Koninklijke Akademie van Wetense to Amsterdam
AFDELING LETTERKUNE

NIEUWE REEKS
DEEL XIII No. 2

Amsterdam
Johannes Muller

PREFACE.

The student of Chinese and Japanese religion and folklore soon discovers the mighty influence of Indian thought upon the Far-Eastern mind. Buddhism introduced a great number of Indian, not, especially Buddhist, conceptions and legends, clad in a Buddhist garb, into the eastern countries, in China. Taoisrn was ready to gratefully take up these foreign elements which in many respects reseualded its own ideas or were of the same nature. In this way the store of ancient Chinese legends was not only largely enriched, but they were also mixed up with the Indian fables. The same process took place in Japan, when Buddiusm, after having conquered Korea, in the sixth century of our era, reached Dai Nippon's shores. Before a, hundred years had elapsed the Japanese mind got imbued with foreign ideas, partly Chinese, partly Indian. To the mixture of these two elements a third one, consisting of the original Japanese conceptions, was added, and a very intricate complex was formed. Whoever studies the Japanese legends has the difficult task of analysing this complex into its parts.

No mythical creature is more familiar to Far Eastern art and literature than the dragon. It is interesting to observe how in Japan three different kinds of dragons, originating from India, China, and Japan, are to he found side by side. To the superficial observer they all belong to one and the same class of rain bestowing, thunder and storm arousing gods of the water, hut. a careful examination teaches us that they are different from each other.

The Indian serpent-shaped Naga was identified in China with the four-legged Chinese dragon, because both were divine inhabitant; of seas and rivers, and givers of rain. It is no wonder that the Japanese in this blending of Chinese and Indian ideas recognized their own serpent or dragon-shaped gods of rivers and mountains, to whom they used to pray for rain in times of drought. Thus the ancient legends of three countries were combined, and teatures of the one were used to adorn the other. In order to throw light upon these facts we must examine the Buddhist ideas concerning the Nagas which came from lndia, to the East. Being not acquainted with the Sanscrit language, we have to refer to the works of European scholars and to translations, in order to explain the western elements found in Chinese and Japanese dragon legends. This being our only aim with regard to the Nagas, we will deal with them only by way of introduction.

In the First Book we have systematically arranged the most interesting quotations concerning the dragon in China, selected from the enormous number of passages on this divine animal found in Chinese literature from the remotest ages down to modern times. In order to give the original conceptions we did not quote the numerons poems on the dragon, because the latter, although based upon those conceptions, enlarged then in their own poetical way. The Second Book treats of the dragon in Japan, considered in the light of the facts given by the Introduction and Book 1.

I avail myself of this opportunity to express my hearty thanks to Professor De Groot, whose kind assistance enabled me to largely extend the Chinese part of this paper. Not only was his very rich and interesting library at my disposal, but he himself was an invaluable guide to me through the labyrinth of many a dilticnlt Chinese passage. Moreover, front the very beginning his splendid works, especially the Religious System of Japan, formal the basis of my studies in Chinese and Japanese religion and folklore.

I also tender my best thanks to Professor Speyer, who with great kindness gave me most valuable information concerning the Nagas, and to Miss E. SCHMIDT, who kindly put her koowledge and time at my disposal in undertaking the weary labour of perusing the manuscript and correcting its language.

Leiden
M. W. de Visser

CONTENTS.

INTRODUCTION.

THE NAGA IN BUDDHISM, WITH REGARD TO HIS IDENTIPICATION WITH THE CHINESE DRAGON.

  1. The Nagn according to European scholars
  2. The Naga according to some translated tests
  3. The Saga as a giver of rain.
  4. Sutras recited in rain ceremonies

BOOK I. THE DRAGON IN CHINA.

CHAPTER I.

  1. Yih king
  2. Shu king
  3. Li ki
  4. Cheu li
  5. I li

CHAPTER II

DIVINATION AND GEOMANCY

  1. Lucky omens
  2. Bad omens
    1. Fighting dragons
    2. Dead Dragons
    3. Dragons appearing at wrong times
    4. Dragons appearing in wrong places
  3. Dragon-horses
  4. Geomancy

CHAPTER III.

GENERAL INFORMATION.

  1. Enormous light-giving mountain gods.
  2. Nature of the dragons
  3. What dragons like and dislike
  4. Shape of the dragons .
  5. Male and female dragons
  6. Different kinds of dragons.
  7. Kiao lung
  8. Rearing and taming dragons
  9. Dragons ridden by sien, or drawing the cars of gods and holy men.
  10. Dragon-boats
  11. Dragon-tail-road" and other words connected with the dragon.
  12. Dragon-gate
  13. Dragon's dens
  14. Dragon herds
  15. Dragon's pearls
  16. Dragon's eggs
  17. Dragon's bones, skins, teeth, horns, brains, livers, placentae and fetus, used as medicines
  18. Dragon's blood, fat and saliva

CHAPTER IV

ORNAMENTS.
  1. Symbols of Imperial dignity and fertilizing rain, represented on garments, honorary gates, coffins etc.
  2. Nine different kinds of dragons, used as ornaments
  3. Ornaments used by Wu-ist priests and mediurns
  4. 4. The dragons and the ball

CHAPTER V.

CAUSING RAIN, THUNDER AND STORM

  1. The gods of thunder, clouds and rain.
  2. Violent rains accompanied by heavywinds and thunderstorms.
  3. Rain magic and prayers.
  4. Buddhist rain ceremonies.

CHAPTER VI.

EMPERORS CONNECTED WITH DRAGONS

  1. Hwang Ti rode on a dragon
  2. Yao and Kao Tsu were sons of dragons
  3. Shun was visited by a yellow dragon
  4. Yu drove in a carriage drawn by dragons, and was assisted by a ying lung
  5. Ming Hwangs vessel was rnoved forward by a dragon
  6. Two yellow dragons threatened to upset Yu's vessel
  7. Shi Hwang died on account of having killed a dragon

CHAPTER VII

TRANSFORMATIONS

  1. The dragon's transformations are Indiinited
  2. Appearing as old uien or beantifal women
  3. Appearing as fishes
  4. Appearing as snakes, dogs or rats
  5. A cow transformed into a dragon
  6. Appearing as objects

CHAPTER VIII. THE INDIAN NAGA IN CHINA

  1. Reborn as a dragon
  2. Ponds inhabited by Dragon-kings
  3. Temples of Dragon-kings
  4. Palaces of Dragon-kings

BOOK II THE DRAGON IN JAPAN

CHAPTER. I.

THE ORIGINAL DRAGON-GODS OF RIVERS, SEAS AND MOUNTAINS.

  1. Okami.
  2. Yamaatsumi and Mitsua.
  3. Watatsumi
  4. Mizuhi, the rivergods
  5. Oho-uatatsumi, the sea-god
  6. Wani
  7. The jewels of flood and ebb
  8. Take-hua Tatsu no Mikoto, the dragon-god of a sacred pond in Higo province
  9. An Emperors dragon-tail

CHAPTER II

THE CHINESE DRAGON AND THE DRAGON-HORSE AS OMENS IN JAPAN
  1. Flying dragon as the horse of a ghost or a sien
  2. Dragon-horses
  3. Carriage of a ghost drawn through the air by eight dragons
  4. A dragon appears as a good omen

CHAPTER III. CAUSING RAIN

  1. Shinto gods
  2. Horses offered to Shinto gods
  3. Buddhism wins field
  4. The Sacred Spring Park
  5. The "Dragon-hole" on Mount Murobo
  6. Reborn as a rain-giving dragon
  7. Buddhist priests dominating the dragons
  8. Dragon-women in ponds
  9. Stirring up the dragons by throwing iron
  10. A dragon engraved on an incense pot believed to or filth into their ponds. cause rain. Pine trees cause clouds to rise and rain to fall
  11. The eight Dragon-kings
  12. A Buddhist dragon's suicide
  13. Conclusion

CHAPTER IV.

THE INDIAN NAGA IN JAPAN

  1. The Dragon-kings rever Buddha's Law
  2. Dragons appear at the dedication of Buddhist temples
  3. Dragons living in ponds or lakes, mostly near Buddhist shrines.
  4. Reborn as dragons
  5. Dragon-kings of the sea check the course of vessels in order to obtain special Buddhist treasures as offerings
  6. The "jewel which grants all desires" (eintonmni).
  7. The eight Dragon-kings
  8. The Dragon-gods of the innerr and outer seas
  9. Dragon-palaces
  10. Dragons connected with Buddhist priests.
  11. Eight dragons ridden through the sky by a Buddhist deity
  12. Curses, wrought by dragons
  13. Relics of dragons preserved in Buddhist temples
  14. The "Dragon-Flower-meeting

CHAPTER V

CHINESE AND INDIAN DRAGONS CONNECTED WITH JAPANESE DEITIES

  1. Sagara the Dragon-king, the Yamato no orochi, Antoku Tenno and tho Kusanagi sword.
  2. The Thunder-god caught by Sukaruand identified with the Dragon-king
  3. Watatsumi no kami, the, Son-god, identified with a Dragon-king.
  4. The dragon-hole in tho Giou shrine.
  5. The dragon-snake offered by the Sea-god
  6. A dragon-snake as a tree-sprite on Koya santo the Sada shrine
  7. The "Heavenly Dragon's Well" at Suwa shrine
  8. Kurikara Myo-o, the dragon-Shaped mountain god

CHAPTER VI THE DRAGON-LANTERN

  1. Dengyo Daishi's image of Yakashi Nyorai
  2. Kobu Daishi's spirit
  3. Jigen Daishi's spirit
  4. "Dragon-lantern Pine trees"
  5. Tide-stones connected with dragon-lanterns
  6. The moutain-light and the Dragon-lantern of Gantmokuzan in Etchu province
  7. Kwannon's dragon-lantern at Ryukoji
  8. Tomyo-dake, Kumano Gongen at Nugami, Kwomyoji at Kanmkara and Zenkwoji at Nagan
  9. The light of Yutsukuea
  10. The lights of Ushijima, Ishidozau and Kurikara11. Ignes fatai in general. The dragon-lantern is the only one which arises front the sea and flies to the mountains

CHAPTER VII. CHINESE DRAGON'S EGGS IN JAPAN

  1. The dragon-fetus remains in the egg for three thousand years.
  2. Dragons born from beautiful stones picked up in the mountains
  3. Thunderstorms

CHAPTER VIll. THE TATSUMAKI, OR DRAGON'S ROLL

  1. Dragons which ascended to heaven
  2. Tatsumaki in Yedo
  3. Tatsumaki on the sea
  4. Snakes rise as dragons up to the clouds

CHAPTER IX. JAPANESE, CHINESE AND INDIAN DRAGONS IN GEOGRAPHICAL TEMPLE AND PRIEST NAMES

  1. The Japanese dragon (tatsu)
  2. The Chinese and Indian dragons (rya or ryo) .
    1. Names of mountains,
    2. Names of springs, waterfalls and rivers
    3. Names of islands, valley, and places
    4. Names of Buddhist temples
    5. Names of Buddhist priests

CHAPTER X

CONCLUSIONS