, or is a

deity A deity or god is a supernatural being considered to be sacred and worthy of worship due to having authority over some aspect of the universe and/or life. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines ''deity'' as a God (male deity), god or god ...

that appears in

folklore Folklore is the body of expressive culture shared by a particular group of people, culture or subculture. This includes oral traditions such as Narrative, tales, myths, legends, proverbs, Poetry, poems, jokes, and other oral traditions. This also ...

and

legend A legend is a genre of folklore that consists of a narrative featuring human actions, believed or perceived to have taken place in human history. Narratives in this genre may demonstrate human values, and possess certain qualities that give the ...

s of various parts of

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

, including, for example,

Hakone is a List of towns in Japan, town in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. , the town had a population of 10,965, and total area of . Hakone is a notable spa town and a popular tourist destination due to its many onsen, hot springs being within view of ...

(

Kanagawa is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Kanagawa Prefecture is the List of Japanese prefectures by population, second-most populous prefecture of Japan at 9,221,129 (1 April 2022) and third-dens ...

Nagano Prefecture is a Landlocked country, landlocked Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Nagano Prefecture has a population of 2,007,682 () and has a geographic area of . Nagano Prefecture borders Niigata Prefecture ...

and

Fukui Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshū. Fukui Prefecture has a population of 737,229 (1 January 2025) and has a geographic area of 4,190 Square kilometre, km2 (1,617 sq mi). Fukui Prefecture border ...

. In many cases, the ''Kuzuryū'' is associated with water.

Hakone Kuzuryū legend

During the

Nara period The of the history of Japan covers the years from 710 to 794. Empress Genmei established the capital of Heijō-kyō (present-day Nara). Except for a five-year period (740–745), when the capital was briefly moved again, it remained the capita ...

, a legend arose that the Nine-headed Dragon had settled in Lake Ashi in Hakone, and that it demanded a sacrifice. To appease the dragon, the villagers agreed to select a house by shooting a white-feathered arrow and seeing where it landed, then sacrificing the daughter of the house. A priest named Mankan () cursed the dragon, and is said to have chained it to the Upside-down Cedar (an underwater rock formation). As a result of this legend, the dragon came to be worshipped as . The expression "send up a white-feathered arrow" has come to mean "choose by lot." The legend continues, saying Mankan saw the dragon reform and change into a

Dragon King The Dragon King, also known as the Dragon God, is a Chinese water and weather god. He is regarded as the dispenser of rain, commanding over all bodies of water. He is the collective personification of the ancient concept of the '' lóng'' in ...

. He then built a shrine to the dragon. After this the customary offering to the dragon changed from human sacrifice to steamed rice with red beans.

Hokkaido Kuzuryū legend

In the

Edo period The , also known as the , is the period between 1600 or 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when the country was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and some 300 regional ''daimyo'', or feudal lords. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengok ...

after the Zenkōji earthquake hit in 1847, causing many tragedies as well as Natural disasters. A pond in Hokkaido, Japan, named Aoiike was left empty after the quake, causing panic among the locals, hoping that a wandering cleric would pray for the water to return to the pond. The cleric would then build an altar in the Center of the pond for the kami Kuzuryū and complete a task of rituals. After demonstrating deep faith in Kuzuryū, water suddenly fills the pond back up again.

Other Kuzuryū legends

Kuzuryū in Togakushi, Nagano prefecture

''Kuzuryū'' is said to have appeared in response to the echoing sound of a rock door to a cave torn off by another god, and flung down to earth. The thrown door became Mount Togakushi, and ''Kuzuryū'' became a nearby mountain of the same name. At the foot of Mount Togakushi resides Togakushi Shrine, where a small shrine dedicated to the ''Kuzuryū'' can be found. Togakushi Shrine in 2014 09

Indian influence

Kuzuryū's origins can be traced to the Hindu deities Vāsuki and Śeṣa, Nāgarajas who guard Mount Meru. According to Hindu myth, Śeṣa was one of one thousand nāga offspring of Kaśyapa and Kadrū. His appearance is that of a giant snake with one thousand heads. The earrings, crown, and corolla attached to each one of one thousand heads depict are decorated with swastikas.Tho, Nguyen Ngoc. “SERIES-THE SYMBOL OF THE DRAGON AND WAYS TO SHAPE CULTURAL IDENTITIES IN VIETNAM AND JAPAN.” (2015). When Buddhism was introduced to China, Vāsuki was recognized as one of the Eight Great Nāga Kings. In Japan, due to the influence of Shintō on Buddhism, Vāsuki became a guardian deity in both religions. The Eight Nāga Kings became influential in the esoteric tradition, which has a strong focus on obtaining worldly benefits. This was reflected in Kuzuryū's role as a rainmaker deity. Kuzuryū is sometimes referred to as ''Kuzuryū Gongen,'' which refers to his

identification Identification or identify may refer to: *Identity document, any document used to verify a person's identity Arts, entertainment and media * ''Identify'' (album) by Got7, 2014 * "Identify" (song), by Natalie Imbruglia, 1999 * ''Identification ...

with Vāsuki.

References

External links

Hakone jinja, aka Kuzuryu jinja
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kuzuryu Japanese dragons Mythical many-headed creatures