Ryujin (aka Ryu-o) is the dragon king, god of the sea, and master of snakes in Japanese mythology. With his magical jewels, he is responsible for the tides and represents both the dangers and generosity of the sea, making him especially relevant to an ancient island nation like Japan.
Ryujin is often associated with or considered the same as Owatatsumi-no-kami, another water deity or Shinto kami (spirit), better known as Watatsumi. Believed to have useful knowledge of medicine and considered the bringer of rain and thunder, Ryujin is also the patron god or ujigami of several Japanese family groups.
1. Associations
Ryujin is one of the eight dragon kings who were originally imported from Indian mythology via China and Korea. He is the lord of the sea and snakes, which can be his avatar and were considered by the ancient Japanese to be a form of dragon.
Snakes were also considered Ryujin’s messengers and provided the dragon king with a link to the outside world from his residence in a palace under the sea or in the lake of an extinct volcano. The depths of Lake Biwa, northeast of Kyoto, are often cited as Ryujin’s home.
Snakes were associated with death and thunder, which relate to Ryujin’s role as a bringer of rain and storms. Ryujin was thought to appear in people’s dreams and briefly at the moment of awakening. The sea god also has a handy dispenser of useful medicines, especially those that can ensure a long life. Finally, the god is often linked to sujin, the lesser kami of fresh water, springs, and wells.
The god has shrines throughout Japan and especially in rural areas where fishing and rainfall for agriculture are so important to local communities. In art, Ryujin is typically portrayed as a dragon dwelling in the sea or a giant snake. He may carry the round magical jewel that represents power and monarchy in Japan and with which the god can control the tides.
2. Myths and heroes
Ryujin is the protagonist in several Japanese myths but, reflecting the fickle nature of the sea, he can be a sinister force or a kind ruler who helps heroes in distress. Disguised as Watatsumi, for example, he helped Hoori against the hero’s brother, Hoderi. However, Ryujin also stole the jewel that belonged to Kamatari, the founder of the Fujiwara clan. The jewel was only recovered after Kamatari’s wife dived into the god’s palace under the sea and retrieved it, tragically drowning in the process.
Tawara Toda and the Centipede
In a very flattering story, Ryujin gave a bell (although he had stolen it first) to the hero Tawara Toda (aka Fujiwara Hidesato) in gratitude for saving his palace from a fearsome centipede whose body was so long that it covered an entire mountain.
The 11th-century warrior hero was famous for his archery skills, but it wasn’t until he magically dipped his fourth and final arrow in his own saliva that he managed to bring down the giant creature. The bell was left at the Miidera temple, and it is possible that Ryujin’s other gift, a huge, inexhaustible sack of rice, explains the hero’s title as “the lord of the rice bullet” (another reason could be his supposed ability to lift a 60-kilogram rice bullet).
But there were other gifts from Ryujin to Tawara Toda: a magic cauldron that could cook without fire and an endless roll of brocade.
Urashimataro
Another myth involving the dragon king is that of Urashimataro. One day, the fisherman saw some children tormenting a turtle on the beach and chased them away. In gratitude, the turtle offered to take Urashimataro on a sea voyage and a free visit to Ryujin’s underwater palace.
Upon arrival, the dragon king’s daughter gave the fisherman a feast and, when he finally left, a parting gift from a jeweler. When Urashimataro arrived home, he realized that the village had changed since he had left, and he could not find his own house or his family.
He then met an old woman who had just remembered being told about the mysterious disappearance of one of the village fishermen. Furthermore, when he opened the jeweler’s box, a mist came out that turned him into a very old man with a long white beard. At the bottom of the box was a single feather, and when Urashimataro took it, he transformed into a crane, the symbol of happiness, which then flew off in the direction of Ryujin’s distant palace.
Hoori and the hook
Ryujin, this time as Watatsumi, features prominently in the story of Hoori (also known as Hoho-demi or Hikohohodemi) told in the Kojiki (“Record of Ancient Matters”) compiled in 712 AD. Hoori, the youngest son of Ninigi (grandson of the sun goddess Amaterasu), one day borrowed the magic hook from his brother Hoderi. The hook allowed the user to catch a large number of fish without any effort.
Inexplicably, however, when Hoori tried it, the hook did not catch a single fish, and to make matters worse, the unfortunate fisherman dropped it, allowing it to sink into the depths of the sea. Not very happy about what had happened to his prize, Hoderi rejected his brother’s offer of a new batch of 500 hooks made from his broken sword.
Sitting on the beach crying, Hoori was approached by a kami who, upon discovering his distress, told him to visit Watatsumi, who would surely be able to find and return the hook if he asked him kindly enough. Consequently, Hoori built himself a small boat and after a long journey finally arrived at the palace of the sea god.
There he was welcomed by Watatsumi’s daughter, Toyotama hime, and, amazed by the princess’s beauty, he quickly forgot why he had sailed there in the first place. Hoori and Toyotama hime were married with the blessing of Watatsumi, who gave them so many gifts that it took 100 tables to display them all. However, in their happy youth, they lost track of time, and several years passed before Hoori remembered that his brother was still waiting for the hook.
When he told Watatsumi, the god gathered all the fish in the sea and discovered the hook in the mouth of a sea bream (or dorado). He cursed the hook and then gave the departing Hoori two jewels with which he could control the waters that irrigated his rice fields. Back home after being carried away by a shark (or crocodile), the magical jewels ensured that while ruin befell his brother, Hoori became very prosperous and lived for 500 years.
Ryujin’s palace
Ryugu-jo is the underwater palace of the dragon god of the sea, Ryujin. According to variations of the legend, the castle is made of solid crystal or red and white coral. Ryujin’s family and his loyal servants lived in the famous castle. Supposedly, its four corners have different seasons and a single day inside, spanning a century in the outside world.
An iconic story tells how Empress Jingū succeeded in her attack on Korea with the help of Ryujin’s tide jewels. When Jingū had to deal with the powerful Korean navy, she threw one of the jewels, the kanju (tide jewel), into the sea, causing the tides to recede. This left the Korean fleet stranded and the men were forced to abandon their ships.
Once they were out, Jingū threw the manju (tide-flowing jewel), releasing a torrent of water that drowned her enemies. The annual festival, Gion Matsuri at Yasaka Shrine, celebrates this memorable victory. Ryujin, who embodies the enormous power of the ocean, controlled the tides with magical tide jewels from his castle, Ryugu-jo.
He is said to have a large mouth and can transform himself into a human being. Ryujin was the father of Otohime, a goddess who married the sovereign hunter prince, Hoori. Emperor Jimmu, the first emperor of Japan, was the grandson of Otohime and Hoori. Thus, the ancestors of the Japanese imperial dynasty have roots that go back to Ryujin.
Watatsumi is another name for Ryujin. The Kojiki, written around 712 AD, is the first known written source to mention the dragon god. The Nihongi, written in 720 AD, also mentions the sea god. Ryujin shinkÅ (dragon god, faith) is a Shinto religious belief that worships dragons, a water kami possibly associated with agricultural rituals, rain, and the luck of fishermen. Japan has several Shinto shrines dedicated to the sea god Watatsumi: the Watatsumi jinja in Kobe and Kitakyūshū and the Daikai jinja in Osaka.
