At the eastern tip of the Asian continent, Japan is an arc-shaped island nation with a coastline of more than 26,000 kilometers and more than 4,000 islands in Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu. The Japanese believe that Japan is the land of Japan and that the sun first rises in the sea, hence the name Japan.

When it comes to the dragon king and dragon palace in Japan, we must first talk about the belief in the god of the sea in Japan. Because among the many sea god beliefs in Japan, the dragon king is also a special sea god.

First of all, the Japanese scholar Taira Obayashi believes that the belief in the Japanese god of the sea is closely related to royal power. Amaterasu, the highest goddess of the East China Sea in Japan, was born by Izana washing her left eye in the sea, according to the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki, and many sea gods were born. In the mythical story of Yukihiko Yama, when Yukihiko Yama was fishing, the hook that Yukihiko Ami lent him was dragged away by a big fish in the sea. In search of the fish hook, Yukihiko Yama went to the Poseidon Palace in the sea and married Toyotama Bimai, the daughter of the sea god. Fengyu Bimai is actually a huge crocodile that is more than 20 meters long. Later, Feng Yu Bimai gave birth to a son named Ukai Grass Leaf Incompatibility, and U Leaf Grass Leaf Disagreement and his aunt Yu Yi Bimai married and gave birth to four children, one of which was the first emperor of Japan, Jimmu. This means that the emperor's mother and grandmother were the daughters of the god of the sea, and the emperor was the son of the sea. It is worth noting that "Fengyu Bimai is a giant crocodile more than 20 meters long", and the "crocodile" is a dragon statue in the local variant, or "squatting dragon", in China's primitive dragon totem beliefs.

Another saying is that in 1532, the first year of astronomy, there was a book in Japan called "Dust and Money", which said: "Emperor Ojin is the son of the god of the sea, so there is a dragon tail." And said: "Since the beginning of the disrespect, the descendants of the sea god have dragon tails, so the emperor of the gods also has dragon tails." The meaning of this passage not only points out the relationship between the Japanese sea god and the royal power, but also hints at the god-like characteristics of the Japanese sea god: the dragon of the sea. Because the sea god is a dragon, the god has a dragon tail, and the imprint of the dragon god's belief is clearer.

There is also such a mythical story in Japan's "Kojiki": "Yama Yukihiko was originally the younger brother of Umi Yukihiko, and everything was listened to Umi Yukihiko." After returning from his trip to the sea palace, Yama Yukihiko used the salt Yushu given to him by the sea god to make the sea water level high. forced Yukihiko Umi, who was drowned in the sea, to submit and thus became the supreme ruler. In connection with this, the mythical coronation ceremony of the king is the Yachishima Festival, which is the coronation ceremony of the sea in the second year of the emperor's accession to the throne, and a female official is sent to the Nambatsu Sea to attach the "spirit of the eighteen continents" with the emperor's imperial robes. There are twenty-two records of this ritual in Japanese literature. This is similar to the Chinese god of the sea.

About Japan's Ryufu, Ryujin and Ryu*Yang. Ryugu in the belief of the god of the sea in Japan, such as the Kojiki. Zhongyun: "The palace built of fish scales is the palace of the sea god Mianjin." It is described in the Nihon Shoki as "the palace walls are neat and the platform is exquisite"1. The "Tale of the Wind and Soil of the Tango Kingdom" also describes the underwater dragon palace as magnificent, saying that "the ground is like paving jade, the pavilions are shaded, the buildings are exquisite, and its majestic beauty has never been seen or heard."

There are also many stories of Ryugu Ryujin in Japan. There is a widely circulated story of Taro Urashima's visit to Ryunomiya Castle. In "The Tale of the Heike Family", there is also the myth and legend of "the first emperor entered the water". It is said that in the final battle of the Genpei War, the Battle of Tannoura, Emperor Antoku's grandmother, Ni Nen, said to the young Emperor Antoku, "Under the waves is the wonderful Pure Land of Bliss", and finally, the two highnesses picked up the emperor and sank to the bottom of Chihiro to find the underwater dragon palace.

Soon after, Minamoto Yoshitsune was ordered by Emperor Go-Shirakawa to find the sword, an artifact that Emperor Yasuku had lost when he threw himself into the water. Yuanyi sent Lao Song and Xiao Song, two baby girls, into the sea to look for them. At noon the next day, Lao Song floated on the waterfront and told the story of the trip: "When I looked for the sword and found the Dragon Palace City, I saw a big snake with a body about two feet long, eyes like the sun and the moon, and a tongue like a red dress, wrapped around a seven or eight-year-old child. The serpent said that the sword was not the treasure of the Japanese emperor, but the treasure of Ryugu Castle. When the second prince went to sea, he turned into a large snake of eight mischief, and when he was devouring people, he was conquered by Suji Mingzun, and the sword was also taken away by him and presented to Amaterasu. Later, the Yachi-Orochi Orochi became Emperor Andertoku again, set off the Genhei Rebellion, and returned to Ryugu with a sword. This sword is the title in my mouth, and the child in my arms is the first emperor Antoku. From this description, it can be seen that the dragon god in the Japanese dragon palace is the great snake: "The eyes are like the sun and the moon, and the tongue is like a red dress." "The Dragon Palace is the capital where the god of the sea lives. These are completely consistent with China.

The Japanese dragon gods and dragon kings are also the commanders of fish. According to the Kojiki, "The god of the sea, Toyotamahiko, is the god who rules over fish, and he can summon all the fish in the sea." When Yamayukiko returned to land, the sea god sent a crocodile to send him back. In the legend of Azumi Isora in the Middle Ages, Isora traveled to the bottom of the sea because of his association with fish, and as a result, he became "covered in snails, stone flowers, shellfish, and insects, and there was no human form to speak of." Fishermen all over Japan worship fish-related fish and sea rocks as objects of worship to the gods of the sea and dragons. For example, Shima fishermen believe that fish and shellfish have the ability to stop trouble. Fishing villages in southwestern Japan use the Stone of the Sea as the deity of Ebisu, the guardian god of fishing, and so on. They believed that the Underwater Dragon Palace was the dwelling place of the Fish Commander and the source of the abundant fishery harvest, and that everything related to it was spiritual and should be worshipped.

Among the sea gods that circulate in the Shima area of Japan, the most authoritative are the Eight Great Dragon Kings. The formation of Ryu* Yang in Japan, Obayashi Tara believes that when Buddhism was introduced to Japan.

So, what about the situation in ancient Korea? Korea also had the belief in the dragon king and the dragon palace. In the ancient Korean texts, there is a myth that the ancestor of the Goryeo Dynasty married the dragon maiden as an emperor. As for the specific description, the dragon * Yang in North Korea is very complicated. In the ancient book "History of Goryeo", it is recorded that Emperor Jian shot the dragon fox who was teasing the dragon king on the reef at the request of the dragon king, and married the daughter of the dragon king. After that, they returned to land and dug a well outside the window, leading directly to their mother's home, Xihai Dragon Palace. The dragon lady asks her husband not to look at her when she goes to and from home, but the husband disobeys. The dragon girl was angry and never returned. However, the dragon girl has given birth to four sons for Emperor Jian, and the eldest son, Long Jianzi Wang Jian, is the Taizu of Goryeo. This legend is very similar to the experience of Toyotama Bimai in the Japanese myth of Kaiyukiyamayuki.

The dragon worship in Korea, as in China, was especially strong among the royal nobility. There are many examples in Joseon's "Legacy of the Three Kingdoms". For example: "King Mumu of Silla wanted to become the dragon god who protected the kingdom after his death, so he asked to be buried on the big rock of the sea god." When King Xiankang was fortunate to come to Yunkaipu, he was tricked by the dragon king and lost his way in the clouds. The Dragon King of the East China Sea once led 7 children to meet the king, and when Chunzhen Gong and his wife Lady Shuilu arrived in Gangneung, they were plundered away by the sea dragon. Another example: "In the time of the True Holy Queen, there was an archer named Ju Tuozhi who went to a remote island to shoot the monster god at the invitation of the sea dragon. In hindsight, it turned out that this strange god was an old vixen. This is the story of the second dragon king of Joseon after the establishment of the emperor and asked someone to shoot the old fox. This is reminiscent of the belief that the Tsugaru region of Japan reveres the fox fairy as the god of fishing, and the two seem to be intrinsically linked.

According to Mr. Obayashi's description, about the Five Dragons Palace of Korea and the god of the Dragon King Emperor Kingdom, his article says: "In the Dragon Kingdom, there are not only dragon kings, but also many minor gods such as dragon kingdom officials and dragon kingdom envoys. These gods and other gods are worshipped during witch bathing rituals. In addition, there are separate ceremonies to welcome the dragon king and ryu king festivals to beg for a good harvest or to overspend the drowning dead. In addition, people in many places even worship the dragon god as the "tang" god of the fishing village. The dragon god became the object of worship in the 'tang' ceremony. When the dragon king was a god in general, there were not many myths about it. When the dragon king was the god of the village, the myths about it were different, the most famous of which were the legends about the emperor of the dragon kingdom of the East China Sea and his young daughter. In these legends, it is said that there are countries on the sea, such as the Jiangnan Tianzi Kingdom, the Ichimoku Human Kingdom, etc., and the East China Sea Dragon Kingdom among the underwater kingdoms, and so on. Even in the daily life of Korean fishermen, the belief in the dragon king is strong. If a pregnant woman sees a dragon in her dream, it means that she is pregnant with a noble son. The dream dragon ascends to heaven, and the omen is the son of heaven. The fishery is abundant, depending on the dragon king and so on.

In addition, in the book "Examination of Korean Witchcraft" written by the Korean Xu Yongtai, there is also a vivid description of the Dragon Palace and the Dragon * Yang in North Korea. For example, in the 12th section of "The King of Fish Nose and the Princess of the Bowl", it is said: "The queen is married, throws rice for divination, and gives birth to seven daughters in a row, and the seventh daughter is called the son of the bowl." According to Yunwu's so-called princess in the bowl, that is, the wife of Rong Lang. "Chu Ronglang is the prince of the Dragon Palace of North Korea. The text also said: "The sea dragon dwells in the palace of coral, which is the origin of coral. "The king travels to Kaiyunpu, and the king will return to ...... Donghai Dragon led seven sons to drive in front of the car, dancing and playing music, one of his sons drove into Beijing, assisted Wang Zheng, the name is Rong, and the king is a beautiful wife. "To put it bluntly, one of the sons of the dragon, whose name is Chu Rong, is the prince of the Dragon Palace, and later married the princess of the king's bowl." The princess is very beautiful. The plague god admires and sleeps with it. From the outside to the home, there are two people in the bed, but singing and dancing and retreating, when the god appears to kneel in front of him and says: The oath has seen the description of the painting public not enter its door. Therefore, the entrance post of the country is in the shape of a place to ward off evil spirits and enter the celebration of "Yunyun." This is good, the prince of the Dragon Palace of North Korea has become the god of guarding the door, and he is also known as the king of fish nose. This dragon myth also has the following: such as "the princess of the bowl brought back the seven sons, brought the East China Sea Dragon King Ruyi beads and other elixirs, and reborn her dead father Yunyun", the East China Sea Dragon Girl has a heart disease and wants to get the rabbit liver to cure the disease, "The dragon god is worshiped on the boat, and there is a water mansion." Feed the fish family with corn as rice, and give alms to the fish. The Korean custom of "fish almsgiving" is very similar to that of Shengsi's "writing documents" and "rewarding the spirits". It can be seen that as far as the dragon belief in North Korea is concerned, it is closer to and imitated in China.

2. The influence of Zhoushan Ocean Dragon Culture on East Asia

Spreading out the map of Asia, it is obvious that among the many islands in the East China Sea, the Shengsi Islands in Zhoushan are the closest to Japan and South Korea. The Flower and Bird Mountain and Shengshan Islands in Shengsi are only 200 nautical miles away from Changzhi in Japan. Zhoushan fishermen also often fish near Jeju Island in South Korea, and on windy days, Japanese and Korean fishing boats often go to Shengshan and Luhua islands in Shengsi, Zhoushan to take shelter from the wind. As for the drifters of China, Japan and South Korea in history, as well as the mutual rescue incidents at sea, they have been recorded many times and passed down as beautiful talks.

During the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty, Zhoushan was once the nest of Japanese pirates. Hu Zongxian, the governor of the Japanese at that time, once said, "If you come with a Japanese boat, you must divide the sect from Xia Ba and Chen Qian." If the southeast wind is fierce, it will be a horse track. If the northeast wind is fierce, then go to the sheep mountain in front of the palace, cross the Tamsui Gate, and offend Su Song. Yiyun in the "Chongming County Chronicles": "Donghou invades, from Xiaba, Chen Qian Ershan, will anchor in this mountain, refer to Yangshan, draw water to rest, and then divide and attack." The Chen Qian (now Shengshan), Xiaba, Maji, Yangshan and other islands mentioned in the quotation are all islands to which Zhoushan belongs. In fact, from a historical point of view, Xu Fu crossed to Fusang to look for Penglai, and Penglai in ancient times including Daishan and Shengsi Islands and Jianzhen crossed to Japan to Japan, and also passed through Zhoushan, and anchored on the relevant islands of Zhoushan to rest; When Japan's envoys and monks to China came to China, they all sailed through the southern route of Japan's Putuo Mountain and Mingzhou Prefecture, and the sea area was also in Zhoushan. It can be seen that due to the historical and regional reasons of this particularity, the marine dragon culture of Zhoushan is bound to have a profound impact on East Asian countries. As for the belief in the dragon king and the dragon palace, it has been around Japan and ancient Korea since ancient times, and it does not necessarily come from China. However, if we compare the dragon culture of Zhoushan with the three East Asian countries, we can find many interesting phenomena.

2.1 Kingship and Dragons

In the dragon belief of the fishermen of Zhoushan, the emperor of the world is the true dragon son of heaven, wearing a dragon robe, wearing a dragon crown, and living in the palace surrounded by dragons, which is actually a symbol of the dragon. In Japan, Japan's first emperor Jimmu's grandmother, Toyotama Bimai, was a crocodile dragon more than 20 meters long, and in Japan's book "Dust Heavens Xiangyuan" also said: "Emperor Yingjin left a dragon tail." The emperor of Joseon even married a dragon girl and gave birth to four dragon sons, including King Taejo of Goryeo. All of this shows that the maritime fishermen of Zhoushan and the three East Asian countries have the same belief in dragons: the dragon is a symbol of imperial power, and the emperor is the embodiment of the dragon.

2.2 Dragon* Yang

Similar to the dragon * Yang of Zhoushan fishermen, Japan and North Korea have it. Zhoushan has the theory of the Dragon King of the Four Seas, North Korea has the Dragon Kingdom of the East Sea, and there is also the Five Dragons Palace and the Dragon King Emperor Kingdom. In the ancient Korean book "History of Goryeo", there is a story of Emperor Jian marrying a dragon girl; It mentions the Dragon Palace of the West Sea, especially the dragon * Yangzhong of the people of Jeju Island, South Korea, not only has a dragon king, but also a huge system of dragon country officials, dragon maidens, dragon envoys, etc., which is exactly the same as the underwater dragon country in the legend of Zhoushan fishermen. In the myth of the Dragon Palace in Japan, it is believed that "under the waves is the wonderful Pure Land of Bliss", and the decoration of the Dragon Palace is "like a paved jade, and the pavilions are shaded", "the palace walls are neat, and the pavilions are beautiful", and the eight dragon kings are so similar to the myth of the Dragon Palace of the East China Sea that circulates in Zhoushan. There is a widely circulated story in Japan about "The Legend of Urashimako", which is recorded in the Japanese "Kojitan", "Shosho Class", "Tango Province Wind and Soil", "Continuation of Urashimako Biography", "Manyoshu", "Nihon Shoki", and "Jiji Mythology". This story tells the story of Emperor Chunhe Emperor Yuyu Tianchang in the second year of Otomi, Shuijiang Pudaozi entered the Dragon Palace, and its text said: "Pudaozi took a fishing boat alone and got a spirit turtle." Floating on the waves, between the eyes in the boat, the spirit turtle changes, suddenly becomes a beauty, the beauty of the jade face, and the south is obscured and loses the soul; Between qualities, Xi Shi hides his face and is colorless...... The slender body is towering, and the light body stands out", and its beauty is born from the image of the dragon girl in China. After that, Pu Daozi followed the dragon woman Sea Palace: "Follow this road, there is a palace made of fish scales." "Its palace is also, the city is prosperous, and the buildings are magnificent." "From the palace of the sea god. Jin Jing Yuying, applied to the Danqi. Yaozhu coral, full of the surface of the Xuanpu. The wave heart of the clear pool, the Wurong opens the lips and is glorious; At the end of Xuanquan, Lan Ju smiled but did not wither. "These environmental descriptions are completely reconstructed of the Dragon Palace of the East China Sea. In the totemic sense, there is a kind of stone stele in China after the Later Han Dynasty, and the pedestal of the stele is often a large sea turtle, called the sage, one of the nine sons of the dragon. In the changes in Chinese dragon culture, the turtle dragon is also a type of ancient dragon. So in the Edo period of Japan, the Sea God Palace was called the Sea Dragon Palace, and the body of the turtle girl was the body of the dragon girl. This reminds people of the stories of "Stone Peeling into the Dragon Palace" and "Dong Laoweng's Night Tour of the Seven Dragon Caves" in Zhoushan, which have many similarities.

2.3 Dragon customs

Zhoushan, shipbuilding belief in the ship as a wooden dragon, there is a dragon's eye, dragon spirit customs, Japan and North Korea do not have a wooden dragon, but the ship's eye custom is also a dragon's eye. In the festival ceremony, Zhoushan has the custom of offering to the dragon king, asking the dragon king, asking the dragon king, and thanking the dragon king, etc., in order to beg for a good harvest of fishery, or to overspend the wandering soul that died in the sea, and Korea and Japan also hold ceremonies to welcome the dragon king and dragon king festivals. In Korea, when the dragon king was the village god, the dragon king had a higher status and more abundant offerings. In the daily life of North Korean fishermen, "when a woman is pregnant and sees a dragon in her dream, it means that she is pregnant with a noble son." The dream dragon ascends to heaven, and the omen is the son of heaven. The fishery is abundant, depending on the dragon king" and so on, these are the same as the dragon customs of the fishermen in Zhoushan.

About dragon taboo. The Japanese scholar Tatara Obayashi said in his article "Folk Beliefs About the Sea in East Asia": "The gods of Ryugu in Japan did not like knives, and Tomizaki in Chiba Prefecture hated throwing metal objects into the sea. He added: "This taboo stems from the belief that dragons and snakes are afraid of metal." Interestingly, the same is true for North Korea to a considerable extent. In fact, in the past, the fishermen of Zhoushan Shengsi also had this custom, but now they are not very particular. In terms of language, there are many taboos among Zhoushan fishermen, and Japanese fishermen also have a set of maritime vocabulary, such as calling snakes "long worms", so as not to offend the sea dragon king.

In addition, Shima fishermen in Japan believe that the fish and shellfish on the bottom of the sea have the ability to stop trouble, and fishing villages in western Japan worship the stone of the sea as the deity of Ebisu, the guardian god of fishing. Although there is no custom of sacrificing sea stones to the dragon king in Zhoushan, the act of throwing fish from fishing boats to the roof on Chinese New Year's Eve to predict the coming year's fishing arrears is similar to that of fishing villages in western Japan. Among the fishermen of Zhoushan, the new boat went to sea to thank the dragon king, and when he encountered a big fish, he wanted to scatter blessings, and he had to "throw rice into the sea to feed the fish tribe", which is exactly in line with the style of "fish charity" in North Korea.

Generally speaking, in the East Asian cultural circle, the dragon, the dragon king and the dragon palace beliefs are the same, and Zhoushan, as an island on the outer edge of the East China Sea, is naturally an outpost and meeting point for the transmission and exchange of East Asian dragon culture. The influence of Zhoushan's marine dragon culture on East Asia is evident. This shows that the development of Zhoushan dragon culture not only has a wide domestic influence, but also a broad international basis, especially in East Asia. This is because the belief of the dragon king cannot be formed overnight, let alone disappear in a short time, and the charm of faith is endless.

References

(1) Tara Obayashi's Folk Beliefs about the Sea in East Asia was selected as "Similarities, Differences and Exchanges between Chinese and Japanese Folk Customs", published by Peking University Press in April 1993.

(2) Jin Tao, "Comparison of Chinese and Japanese Fishermen's Folk Beliefs and Customs", was selected into the proceedings of the first International Symposium on "Comparison of Chinese and Japanese Folk Customs" in 1991 (internal data book)

(3) Zhang Zichen, "Comparison of Some Customs in Okinawa and Southern China", was selected into the proceedings of the first International Symposium on "Comparison of Chinese and Japanese Folk Customs" in 1991 (internal data version)

(4) Dr. Kim Dong-wook, South Korea, ed., Comparative Folklore, Vol. 6, May 1990 (internal source)

(5) Liu Zhixiong and Yang Jingrong, Dragon and Chinese Culture, People's Publishing House, published in November 1992

This book was first published from 17K, the first time to see the genuine content!