Week 12
Discussion
From a byōbu by Kanō Tan’yu (Japanese, 1602 – 1674). See discussion.
Dragons
Western Dragons
For mythological creatures, there are certainly lots of variety when it comes to dragons. When Westerners think of dragons, they often have something resembling this in mind.
Players of games on game consoles might think that dragons look like this. His name is Spiro.
Those who remember old Disney animated features may recall The Reluctant Dragon short feature (1941).
People have imagined many more types of dragons and thought up alternate names for them.
Asian Dragons
The Asian dragon at the bottom left is this week's painting subject. The concept of Asian dragons spread from India through China and was introduced to Japan in the Nara Period (710 - 794). Folklore has it that Japanese dragons are descendants of Jimmu (reigned 660–585 BC), Japan's first emperor.
Note that the Asian dragons have no wings. They are capable of flying in spite of this, but they are more closely associated with water where they usually live (in folklore). They are often depicted as sea monsters, though unlike Western dragons, they are considered to be benevolent. They also don't breathe fire. Artists sometimes ignore this rule.
Japanese dragons (Nihon no ryū) have the body of a serpent, scales of a carp, claws of an eagle, head of an ox, horns (antlers) of a deer, eyes of a ghost, mouth of a donkey, beard of a catfish, and mane of a lion. Chinese dragons have five toes, while Japanese dragons only have three.
Dragons in Japanese Culture
Ryūjin
The Japanese dragon is a prominent symbol in Japan, representing strength and wisdom. The most powerful dragon, Ryūjin, is seen as the guardian of the Shinto faith. Many shrines and temples feature statues of him.
Ryūjin lives under the sea in a palace made of coral. He commands the tides, and is believed to have caused the typhoon that destroyed Kublai Khan's Mongol fleet that was attempting to invade Japan in 1273.
Dragon Dances
Many people associate lion and dragon dances with traditional Chinese and Japanese New Year celebrations, but they are actually performed on many festive occasions throughout the year.
One special dragon dance, the Kinryū-no-Mai (Golden Dragon Dance), is held at Tōkyō's Buddhist Sensōji temple every year on March 18. On that day in 628, according to legend, two fishermen, casting their nets in the Sumida river, are said to have brought up a statue of the Bodhisattva Kannon, goddess of mercy. The goddess is supposed to have descended from heaven in the form of a golden dragon. This led to the construction of Edo's (Tōkyō's) Sensōji temple nearby. In 1958, Sensoji's main hall, Kannondo, was rebuilt. The Golden Dragon Dance became an annual event starting that year in honor of the legend. It has since become a big tourist attraction.
Other Japanese Dragons
There are supposed to be many types of Japanese dragon besides the most potent Ryūjin. They are distinguished by their color. Colors are black, green, golden, blue, yellow, white, and red. The colors represent personality traits. For example, golden dragons represent wisdom, kindness, and helpfulness.
Ryūjin isn't the only named dragon. Several named dragons have special characteristics. To name one, Ri-ryū is a fearsome dragon with eyesight so acute that he can see clearly for more than 100 miles.
Junishi (Japanese Zodiac)
Several Asian countries including Japan have their own form of Zodiac, different from the Western Zodiac. It, too, has twelve signs, though unlike the West, the signs aren't associated with astronomical constellations. In Japan, this year is the year of the rabbit. 2024 is the Year of the Dragon (Tatsudoshi).
There are five different types of dragons in junishi.
1976 was the year of the Fire Dragon.
1988 was the year of the Earth Dragon.
2000 was the year of the Metal Dragon.
2012 was the year of the Water Dragon.
2024 will be the year of the Wood Dragon.
The cycle repeats after that.
There are certain personality characteristics associated with the year in which one is born. People born in the year of the dragon are healthy, energetic, excitable, short-tempered, and stubborn. They are also honest, sensitive, brave, and can inspire trust in most others. The type of dragon matters, too. Wood Dragon people have great ambition, are openly frank, and have good leadership skills. They devote themselves fully to their chosen field of work. They may also be impractical and short-sighted dreamers.
That is quite a mixed bag.
Artwork
Netsuke
Netsuke are small carvings tied to a cord, the other end of which is connected to inro, small storage containers that people carried. The netsuke helps keep the inro securely hanging from an obi. This coiled dragon netsuke is clutching a pearl. It may be a reference to the folk tale of Tamatori (see Utagawa Kuniyoshi below). This netsuke was carved in the late 18th century.
Kanō Tan’yu (Japanese, 1602 – 1674) & Kanō Naonobu (Japanese, 1607 – 1650)
The highly influential Kanō school catered mostly to the tastes of Japan's feudal military classes. Tan'yu and Naonobu were brothers; both court painters for the shōgun in Edo. They partnered in creating the pair of byōbu below. Tan'yu did the dragon and Naonubu did the Tiger. Influenced by Chinese Taoism, the dragon and tiger symbolize complementary opposites: yin and yang. The tiger (yin) represents passivity, darkness, and the earth. The dragon (yang) represents activity, light, and the heavens. The byōbu were painted in the 1630 to 1640 timeframe.
Ogata Kōrin (1658 – 1716)
Kōrin was one of the original founders of the Rinpa school of art. The name of the school is partly taken from one of the syllables of Kōrin's name. Besides being a noted artist, Kōrin was a textile designer. The dragon image below is from a book of designs of his, many of which were accompanied by poetry: One Hundred Newly Selected Designs by Kōrin (Kōrin shinsen hyakuzu). It was originally published in 1683. The dragon image below is from a reprint published in 1864.
Katsushika Hokusai (1760 – 1849)
Hokusai is best remembered for his many landscape ukiyo-e paintings, but he published books of artwork, too. One of them is "A Realistic Sketchbook by Hokusai" (Hokusai shashin gafu), published in 1814, from which this illustration of the Buddhist Goddess Kannon riding a dragon is taken. Kannon is a Goddess of mercy.
Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1798 – 1861)
Kuniyoshi was one of the last great ukiyo-e masters. He painted a wide range of subjects, principal among them being bijin-ga (pictures of beautiful people) and yakusha-e (kabuki actor prints). Another favorite subject of his was mythical animals. Closely related to that is the story of Tamatori.
Tamatori was a beautiful pearl diver who married a prince who was seeking a priceless pearl that had been stolen by the dragon king. After bearing the prince a son, Tamatori vowed to recover the pearl. She managed to enter the palace of the dragon king and get the pearl when he and his minions were lulled asleep by music. While she was escaping, the king and his guards woke and chased after her. She cut open her chest, hid the pearl inside, and escaped through water made cloudy by her blood. Tamatori died from her wound but is revered for her sacrifice.
Kuniyoshi painted several versions of the legend. Tamatori Escaping from the Dragon King, below, was printed in 1853.
