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The name Kuraokami combines kura 闇 "dark; darkness; closed" and okami 龗 "dragon tutelary of water". This uncommon kanji (o)kami or rei 龗, borrowed from the Chinese character ling 龗 "rain-dragon; mysterious" (written with the "rain" radical 雨, 3 口 "mouths", and a phonetic of long 龍 "dragon") is a variant Chinese character for Japanese rei < Chinese ling 靈 "rain-prayer ...
Sculpture of Raijin from Sanjūsangen-dō temple in Kyoto. Kamakura period, 13th century. Raijin (雷神, lit. "Thunder God"), also known as Kaminari-sama (雷様), Raiden-sama (雷電様), Narukami (鳴る神), Raikō (雷公), and Kamowakeikazuchi-no-kami is a god of lightning, thunder, and storms in Japanese mythology and the Shinto religion. [1]
Raijin (雷神) is the god of thunder and lightning and is often paired with Fūjin. As with the latter, Raijin is usually depicted as an oni. Ryūjin (龍神) Some traditions consider him and Ōwatatsumi as the same god. He is a dragon, as well as god of the sea. [6] Suijin (水神) The god of water.
Raijū is the companion of Raijin, the Shinto god of lightning. While the beast is generally calm and harmless, during thunderstorms it becomes agitated, and leaps about in trees, fields, and even buildings (trees that have been struck by lightning are said to have been scratched by raijū 's claws).
Chinese dragon mythology is the source of Japanese dragon mythology. Japanese words for "dragon" are written with kanji ("Chinese characters"), either simplified shinjitai 竜 or traditional kyūjitai 龍 from Chinese long 龍. These kanji can be read tatsu in native Japanese kun'yomi, [b] and ryū or ryō in Sino-Japanese on'yomi. [c]
A nine-headed dragon deity sometimes associated with water. Kyōkotsu A skeletal figure that emerges from a well where someone died a violent death. Kyonshii The Japanese version of the Chinese hopping vampire, known as jiāngshī. Kyōrinrin Scrolls or papers that have come to life as a tsukumogami. Kyubi Another name for kitsune.
Thunderstorms are commonly depicted as the rage of the deity which is associated with it.. Polytheistic peoples from many cultures have postulated a thunder god, the personification or source of the forces of thunder and lightning; a lightning god does not have a typical depiction, and will vary based on the culture.
According to some sources, the dragon was Raijin or possibly raiju, Raijin's animal companion which is oftentimes a dragon. The legends agree that even as a toddler, Kintarō was active and tireless, plump and ruddy, wearing only a haragake apron with the kanji for "gold" (金) on it.