Dragon King
The Dragon King, also known as the Dragon God, is a celestial creature, water and weather god in Asian mythology. They can be found in various cultural and religious symbolic materials all around Asia, specifically in South, Southeast Asia and distinctly in East Asian cultures. He is known in many different names across Asia depending on the local language such as, Ryū in Japanese.
He can manipulate and control the weather, move seasons and bring rainfall with his divine power at his own will, thus, he is regarded as the dispenser of rain, divine ruler of the Seas, rivers and water bodies, commanding over all bodies of water. He is the collective personification of the ancient concept of the lóng in Chinese culture and Nāgarāja in Indian culture. It is described that they have their own under-water palace and a royal court system of their own.
There are also the cosmological "Dragon Kings of the Four Seas".
Besides being a water deity, the Dragon God frequently also serves as a territorial tutelary deity, similarly to Tudigong "Lord of the Earth" and Houtu "Queen of the Earth".
Origins
Serpent like creatures have been regarded as core part of Asian culture since 7000–5000 BCE at least. Numerous Serpent like crafts, marks and designs have been discovered in many archeological sites from south, southeast and east asia, which proves that the serpent/naga/dragon symbolically has been part of the local folklores, rituals and festivals in these areas from a really long time. As time has passed the Dragon culture has been adapted and shifted in various forms, terms, tales and cultures through generation around these regions and the folk-religious cultures.
Singular Dragon King
The Dragon King has been regarded as holding dominion over all bodies of water, and the dispenser of rain, in rituals practiced into the modern era in China. One of his epithets is Dragon King of Wells and Springs.Rainmaking rituals
Dragon processions have been held on the fifth and sixth moon of the lunisolar calendar all over China, especially on the 13th day of the sixth moon, held to be the Dragon King's birthday, as ritualized supplication to the deity to make rain. In Changli County, Hebei Province a procession of sorts carried an image of the Dragon King in a basket and made circuit around nearby villages, and the participants would put out in front of their house a piece of yellow paper calligraphed with the text: "The position of the Dragon King of the Four Seas 四海龍王之位, Five Lakes, Eight Rivers and Nine Streams", sprinkle it with water using willow withes, and burning incense next to it. This ritual was practiced in North of China into the 20th century.In the past, there used to be Dragon King miao shrines all over China, for the folk to engage in the worship of dragon kings, villages in farm countries would conduct rites dedicated to the Dragon Kings seeking rain.
In the Indian Subcontinent, South and South-east Asia, Naga/Dragon worship is an ancient tradition often associated with rainfall and fertility, particularly during the monsoon season through offerings incense, milk, turmeric, and flowers in Nāga shrines, temples, carved stones or more elaborate structures. Naga worship predates Vedic traditions and was later integrated into Hinduism, Buddhism, Shamanism and Jainism. There is a Hindu festival Naga panchami dedicated to serpent deities. There are numerous Serpent/Dragon deities and numerous temples or shrines dedicated to them such as Sagara, Varuna is also one of the oldest deities, often depicted as the God of the oceans, rivers, and all water bodies. People offer prayers and other offerings for rainmaking rituals and agriculture.
In Japan, rainmaking rituals, one of these is known as "amagoi" which has been practiced for centuries for rain during the times of drought. These rainmaking rituals varied and often involve Shinto and Buddhist ceremonies, with prayers, offerings and symbolic actions aimed to influence weather patterns and please the heaven. The water-related deities and dragons are central to these rituals. Many Japanese Shinto shrines have dragon imagery which are dedicated to the dragon god, reflecting their importance in the religion.
In Korea, Dragons are rather worshiped through folk beliefs and rituals. Yongwang is honored in village rituals, mainly in fishing communities. Prayers are offered for successful catches and safe voyages, rain and agriculture. Buddhist monks would sometimes burn their forearms or fingers in supplication for rain. In ancient Korea, rainmaking rituals were called "Giuje" which used to be performed during times of drought to invoke rain. These rituals varied and involved both government officials and commoners. It also included Buddhist monks and female shamans to perform the rituals. In one of the rituals named "Seokcheok-dongja", children would torment a lizard in the belief that it would induce the dragon to bring rain.
As Protector
Dragon or Naga also symbolically represents good luck and protection in the Asian culture. They symbolize wisdom, strength, and good fortune, embodying a fierce compassion that safeguards the sacred knowledge and maintains cosmic balance. In religion, they are revered as powerful protectors of the Dharma and the teachings.Dragons/Nagas stand guard at all Buddhist temples throughout Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia and Malaysia. In Indonesia, Nagas are often depicted battling garuḍas. Carved nāga art and sculptures are found as stairs railings in bridges or stairs, such as those found in Balinese temples, Ubud monkey forest, and Taman Sari in Yogyakarta.
Moreover, nāgas are sometimes linked to medicine due to the symbolizing of knowledge, wisdom and protection. The nāgas can also be founded substituting the snakes in either Rod of Asclepius or Caduceus of several medical field's symbols. In legends, Nāga Vasuki is present in the legend of the Samudra Manthana, in which Dhanvantari and amrita were churned from the Ocean of Milk by him.
Daoist pantheon
Within the Daoist pantheon, the Dragon King is regarded the zoomorphic representation of the yang masculine power of generation. The dragon king is the king of the dragons and he also controls all of the creatures in the sea. The dragon king gets his orders from the Jade Emperor.Dragon Kings of the Five Regions
Historically there arose a cult of the Five Dragon Kings. The name is registered in Daoist scripture from the Tang dynasty, found in the Dunhuang caves. Veneration of chthonic dragon god of the five directions still persists today in southern areas, such as Canton and Fujian. It has also been conflated with the cult of Lord Earth, Tugong, and inscriptions on tablets invoke the in rituals current in Southeast Asia.Description
The Azure Dragon or Blue-Green Dragon, or Green Dragon, is the Dragon God of the east, and of the essence of spring. Azure Dragon is associated as the Dragon King of the East sea, Ao Guang.The Red Dragon is the Dragon God of the south and of the essence of summer. The Red Dragon is associated as the Dragon king of the South sea, Ao Qin.
The White Dragon is the Dragon God of the west and the essence of autumn. The White Dragon is associated as the Dragon King of the West sea, Ao Run.
The Yellow Dragon is the Dragon God of the center, associated with summer. Yellow Dragon is directly associated as Jade Emperor and Yellow Emperor, it is considered that the mythical Emperor is the reincarnation of the Yellow Dragon.
The Black Dragon, also called "Dark Dragon" or "Mysterious Dragon", is the Dragon God of the north and the essence of winter. The Black Dragon is associated as the Dragon King of the North sea, Ao Shun.
Broad history
Dragons of the Five Regions/Directions existed in Chinese custom, established by the Former Han period. The same concept couched in "dragon king" terminology from "dragon" was centuries later, the term "dragon king" being imported from India, vis Buddhism, introduced during 1st century CE the Later Han.The five "Dragon Kings" which were correlated with the Five Colors and Five Directions are attested uniquely in one work among Buddhist scriptures, called the early 4th century. Attributed to Po-Srimitra, it is a pretended translation, or "apocryphal sutra", but its influence on later rituals is not dismissable.
The dragon king cult was most active around the Sui-Tang dynasty, according to one scholar, but another observes that the cult spread farther afield with the backing of Song dynasty monarchs who built Dragon King Temples, and Emperor Huizong of Song conferred investiture upon them as local kings. But the dragon king and other spell incantations came to be discouraged in Buddhism within China, because they were based on eclectic sutras and the emphasis grew for the orthodox sutras, or put another way, the quinary system was being superseded by the number 8 or number 12 being held more sacred.
During the Tang period, the dragon kings were also regarded as guardians that safeguard homes and pacify tombs, in conjunction with the worship of Lord Earth. Buddhist rainmaking rituals were also learned during Tang dynasty China.
The concept was transmitted to Japan alongside Vajrayana Buddhism, and also practiced as rites in during the Heian Period.
Five dragons
;The idea of associating the five directions/regions with the five colors is found in Confucian classic text,
The Huainanzi describes the five colored dragons and their associations, as well as the placement of sacred beasts in the five directions describes the ritual involving five colored dragons.
Attestations of Five Dragon Kings
Consecration Sutra
The apocryphal , which purports to be Buddhist teachings but in fact incorporates elements of Chinese traditional belief, associates five dragon kings with five colored dragons with five directions, as aforementioned.The text gives the personal names of the kings. To the east is the Blue Dragon Spirit King named, with 49 dragon kings under him, with 70 myriad myllion lesser dragons, mountain spirits, and assorted demons as minions. The thrust of this scripture is that in everywhere in every direction, there are the minions causing poisonings and ailments, and their lord the dragon kings must be beseeched in prayer to bring relief. In the south is the Red Dragon Spirit King named, in the west the White, called, in the north the Black, called and at center the Yellow, called, with different numbers subordinate dragon kings, with minion hordes of lesser dragons and other beings.
Though connection of poison to rainmaking may not be obvious, it has been suggested that this poison-banishing sutra could have viably been read as a replacement in the execution of the ritual to pray for rain, in Japan. A medieval commentary has reasoned that since the Great Peacock sūtra mandates one to chant dragon names in order to detoxify, so shall offerings made to dragon lead to "sweet rain".
Divine Incantations Scripture
The dragon kings are also attested in the, though not explicitly under the collective name of "five position dragon kings", but individually as "Eastern Direction's Blue Emperor Blue Dragon King ", and so forth. It gives a laundry list of dragon kings by different names, stating that spells to cause rain can be performed by invoking dragon kings.Ritual process
An ancient procedural instruction for invoking five-colored dragons to conduct rainmaking rites occurs in the Luxuriant Dew of the Spring and Autumn Annals, under its "Seeking Rain" chapter. It prescribes earthenware figurines of greater and lesser dragons of a specific color according to season, namely blue-green, red, yellow, white, black, depending on whether it was spring, summer, late summer, autumn, or winter. And these figures were to be placed upon the alter at the assigned position/direction.This Chinese folk rain ritual later became incorporated into Daoism. The rituals were codified into Daoist scripture or Buddhist sūtras in the post-Later Han period, but Dragon King worship did not come into ascendancy until the Sui-Tang dynasties. The rain rituals in Esoteric Buddhism in the Tang dynasty was actually an adaptation of indigenous Chinese dragon worship and rainmaking beliefs, rather than pure Buddhism.
As a point of illustration, a comparison can be made against Buddhist procedures for rainmaking during the Tang dynasty. The rainmaking tract in Atikūṭa 阿地瞿多's translated, prescribes an altar to be built, with mud figures of dragon kings placed on the four sides, and numerous mud-made lesser dragons arranged within and without the altar.
Dragon Kings of the Four Seas
Each one of the four Dragon Kings of the Four Seas is associated with a body of water corresponding to one of the four cardinal directions and natural boundaries of China: the East Sea, the South Sea, the West Sea, and the North Sea.They appear in the classical novels like The Investiture of the Gods and Journey to the West. In Ramayana Ocean King Varuna assists Rama to create the Ram-setu.
In Fengshen Yanyi and Journey to the West where each of them has a proper name, and they share the surname Ao. The origin of their family name, Ao, however, remains unclear. The names of the Dragon Kings also vary according to the stories they are featured in.
Dragon of the Eastern Sea
His proper name is Ao Guang, and he is the patron of the East China Sea. He is often directly associated as the Dragon King Sagara.Dragon of the Western Sea
His proper names are Ao Run, Ao Jun or Aó Jí. He is the patron of Qinghai Lake, sometimes also the Indian Ocean, Bay of Bengal and beyond. Naga king Varuna is associated as him many times due to relations with Chinese Western Religion.Dragon of the Southern Sea
He is the patron of the South China Sea, West Philippine Sea and his proper name is Ao Qin.Dragon of the Northern Sea
His proper names are Ao Shun or Ao Ming, and his body of water is Lake Baikal, Sea of Japan sometimes also, the Arctic Ocean.Worship of the Dragon God
Worship of the Dragon God is celebrated throughout China with sacrifices and processions during the fifth and sixth moons, and especially on the date of his birthday the thirteenth day of the sixth moon. A folk religious movement of associations of good-doing in modern Hebei is primarily devoted to a generic Dragon God whose icon is a tablet with his name inscribed on it, utilized in a ritual known as the "movement of the Dragon Tablet". The Dragon God is traditionally venerated with dragon boat racing.In coastal regions of China, Korea, Vietnam, traditional legends and worshipping of whales have been referred to Dragon Kings after the arrival of Buddhism.
Buddhism
"There were eight dragon kings'', the dragon king Nanda, the dragon king Upananda, the dragon king Sagara, the dragon king Vasuki, the dragon king Takshaka, the dragon king Anavatapta, the dragon king Manasvin, the dragon king Utpalaka, each with several hundreds of thousands of followers." - Dragon King SutraIn chapter 12 of the Lotus Sutra, The eight-year-old daughter of the dragon king Sagara attained Enlightenment after offering a jewel to Buddha Sakyamuni, hearing Bodhisattva Manjushri and Avalokiteśvara preach the sutra in place of her father. In the Budhhist folk tale Complete Tale of Avalokiteśvara and the Southern Seas, the third son of the Dragon king was accidentally captured by a fisherman and later saved by Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara. To show her gratitude for saving her brother, Longnü offers the "Pearl of light" to Avalokiteśvara and became a disciple of him and soon later Longnü attained Niravana.
Tibetan Buddhism, the nāgas are the followers of Virūpākṣa, one of the Four Heavenly Kings who guards the western direction. They act as guards upon Mount Sumeru, protecting the dēvas of Trāyastriṃśa from attacks by the asuras.
Apalāla is a water-dwelling Nāga-king in Buddhist mythology. The story of conversion to Buddhism by the Buddha can be found in Buddhist texts such as Samantapāsādikā and Divyāvadāna.
Some Buddhist traditions describe a figure named Duo-luo-shi-qi, or Talasikhin, as a Dragon King who resides in a palace located in a pond near the legendary kingdom of Ketumati. It is said that at midnight, he would drizzle in this pond to cleanse himself of dust.
Buddhist literature features a Nāga King named Dhṛtarāṣṭra, he is one of the four Heavenly kings who guards the east. He was the father of Gautama Buddha in a past life when Budhha was bodhisattva named Bhūridatta. He is mentioned in Buddhist texts Bhūridatta Jātaka'', the Mahamayuri Vidyarajni Sutra and the Mahāmegha Sūtra.
Japan
As already mentioned, Esoteric Buddhists in Japan who initially learned their trade from Tang dynasty China engaged in rainmaking ritual prayers invoking dragon kings under a system known as or, established in the Shingon sect founded by the priest Kūkai, who learned Buddhism in Tang China. It was first performed by Kūkai in the year 824 at Shinsen'en, according to legend, but the first occasion probably took place historically in the year 875, then a second time in 891. The rain ritual came to be performed regularly.The ritual used two mandalas that featured dragon kings. The Great Mandala that was hung up was of a design that centered around Sakyamuni Buddha, surrounded by the, the ten thousand dragon kings, Bodhisattvas. The other one was a "spread-out mandala" laid flat out on its back, and depicted five dragon kings, which were one-, three-, five-, seven-, and nine-headed.
Also, there was the "Five Dragons Festival/ritual" that was performed by or yin-yang masters. The oldest mention of this in literature is from Fusō Ryakuki, the entry of Engi 2/902AD, 17th day of the 6th moon. Sometimes, the performance of the rain ritual by Esoteric Buddhists would be followed in succession by the Five Dragons Ritual from the. The Five Dragon rites performed by the onmyōji or yin yang masters had their heyday around the 10–11th centuries. There are mokkan, or inscribed wooden tablets, used in these rites that have been unearthed.
In Japan, there also developed a legend that the primordial being Banko sired the Five Dragon Kings, who were invoked in the ritual texts or read in Shinto or Onmyōdō rites, but the five beings later began to be seen less as monsters and more as wise princes.