Japanese dragons, unlike Western ones, don¡¯t breathe fire and hoard gold. In Japan, dragons are concerned with water quality, rain, drought, spirituality and purity.
Folktales and oral traditions suggest that °ù²â¨± (dragons) live in caves or underwater. At Shinto shrines, the water of temizuya ¡ª pavilions with founts for ritual purification ¡ª often pours from the mouths of dragon sculptures, and dragon carvings and paintings adorn countless Buddhist temples, including not least of all Tenryu Temple in Kyoto¡¯s Arashiyama neighborhood and the expansive illustration of an un°ù²â¨± (cloud dragon) covering the ceiling of its teaching hall.
Far from the refined art of the ancient capital, in the mountainous stretches of Nara Prefecture, some locals say dragons still actually exist.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.