Dragon King Belief

Japanese: 竜王信仰 - りゅうおうしんこう

The Dragon King is a personification of the dragon, an imaginary spiritual beast in ancient China. It is also syncretized with the Buddhist belief in the Eight Great Dragon Kings. They live in the sea, rivers, and lakes, and are subordinate to the supreme god of heaven, the Jade Emperor, and are in charge of rain and water. The River Dragon King regulates the river waters, and the Sea Dragon King is said to cause tsunamis and tides, and in fishing villages they are also considered guardian deities of the sea. In the past, there were Dragon King temples everywhere, or they were enshrined in Guandi temples or earth temples, and they have been the subject of rain-making in rural areas since ancient times. Generally, when making a request for rain, the whole village would pray to the Dragon King, and people would carry a wooden or clay statue or memorial tablet of the Dragon King in a procession to the riverside, pond, or well where the dragon is said to live.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

竜王は古代中国における想像上の霊獣である竜の人格化した神。仏教の八大竜王の信仰とも習合している。海，河，湖に住み，天の至高神〈玉皇大帝〉の配下で雨と水をつかさどる。河竜王は河水の調節をし，海竜王は津波や潮を起こすともいわれ，漁村では海上の守護神ともされた。かつてはいたるところに竜王廟があり，または関帝廟，土地廟に合祀され，古来農村では雨乞いの対象であった。一般に雨乞いは村共同で竜王に祈願し，竜王の木や泥の像か位牌をかついで練り歩き，竜が住むとされる河辺，池，井泉に詣でた。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

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