I recently purchased a leather journal from The Brass Unicorn, Tower District, which had an Asian dragon on it. I did some research on the Internet and to my amazement I learned that the dragon on the cover of this leather checkbook is a Japanese dragon.
The Japanese dragon has three claws on each foot. The Kanji character located in the lower righthand area of the cover means water.
The dragon embossed on the cover of this journal is a Japanese water dragon. This terrestrial dragon or river lord lives in rivers and springs and regulates and maintains the rivers, alternating their course as needed.
Force and power are the symbols attributed to the Japanese dragon. Japanese dragons are more serpent-like and have the ability to alter their size as well, or become invisible.
The Japanese dragon is capable of soaring to the highest heavenly heights and diving to the lowest depths of the sea. All Japanese dragons have serpentine bodies and all have four legs.
Japanese dragons do not have wings, even though they are often depicted in clouds and ascending from the heavens. According to legend, a Japanese dragon is able to live in the air, on land and in water.
Japanese dragons are based on an early type of Chinese dragon. In China, this mythological symbol dates back to 3000 B.C., and the dragon stands for happiness, immortality, procreation, fertility and activity.
The Japanese dragon is philosophically combined with the phoenix and symbolizes long life and prosperity. The Japanese dragon is also combined with the tiger to represent heaven and earth or yin and yang.
The Japanese dragon is a synthesis of many animals that inhabit the earth: the serpentine body of a snake, the head of a horse or a camel, ears like a bull or an ox, neck like an iguana, scales of a fish or carp, the belly of a clam or a frog, the eyes of a hare or a rabbit, paws like a tiger, talons or claws of an eagle.
Japanese dragons also have a lion-type mane around their neck, on their chin and on each elbow. They have two antler-type horns of a giant stag or deer decorating their wide mouthed head, and two long “feeler” whiskers spreading out from their snout.
The Asian dragon is by nature a gregarious creature who wanders the earth. According to Chinese legend, the Chinese believe that they had the original dragon and that their dragon had five toes or claws.
The further the dragon traveled away from China the more claws it would lose. Hence, when the dragon reached Korea and Indochina, it had four claws. By the time the dragon reached Japan it had three claws.
This also explains why it never traveled to Europe and the Americas in that by the time it got that far it would have lost all of its claws and could not walk.
The other Asian cultures deconstructed the Chinese dragon legend and then constructed their own dragon legend to meet their own mystical story telling needs.
Dragons in Japan are similar to their Chinese counterparts. These dragons are known as Tatsu or Ryu. The Japanese dragons are also national symbols and the insignia of the royal family. The Japanese believe that the original Asian dragon is native to Japan where it was born with only three claws.
The Japanese also believe that their dragon has a tendency to travel and the further it travels the more claws it grows. By the time the dragon reached Korea and Indochina, it had four claws and by the time it reached China it had five claws. Again, this is the reason why the Asian dragon never made it further than China. It kept growing claws and could not walk any further.
The Korean and the Asians of Indochina also had similar beliefs that their dragon was the original dragon. Their dragon had four claws. They also believed that their dragon traveled to China and to Japan.
When their dragon traveled to Japan it lost a claw and when it traveled to China it grew a claw. Their dragon also did not travel beyond China because it would have grown too many claws and could not walk. It did not travel beyond Japan because it would have lost too many claws and then could not walk.
A beloved figure, Asian dragons are not only a symbol of identity but also recognized as the essence of Asia. Dragons were also believed to ward off evil spirits.
In Asia, if one encounters a dragon they receive a gift as opposed to death. The Asian dragon is a companion and a teacher. Dragons are looked to for guidance and cherished as great wonderful creatures.
