Ryūjin

Ryujin (Japanese for 'luminous being', also known as Rinjin) was the god of the sea in Japanese mythology. He was a dragon, symbolic of the power of the ocean, had a large mouth, and was able to transform into a human shape. Ryujin lived in Ryūgu-jō, his palace under the sea built out of red and white coral, from where he controlled the tides with magical tide jewels. Sea turtles, fish and jellyfish are often depicted as Ryujin's servants.

Ryujin was the father of the beautiful goddess Otohime who married the hunter prince Hoori. The first Emperor of Japan, Jimmu Tenno, is said to have been a grandson of Otohime and Hoori's. Thus, Ryujin is one of the ancestors of the Japanese imperial dynasty.

According to legend, the Empress Jingū was able to carry out her attack into Korea with the help of Ryujin's tide jewels. Upon confronting the Korean navy, Jingū threw the low tide jewel into the sea, and the tide receded. The Korean fleet was stranded, and the men got out of their ships. Jingū then threw down the high tide jewel and the water rose, drowning the Korean soldiers. An annual festival, called Gion Matsuri, at the Yasaka Shrine celebrates this legend.

Another legend involving Ryujin is the story about how the jellyfish lost its bones. According to this story, Ryujin wanted to eat monkey's liver (in some versions of the story, to heal an incurable rash), and sent the jellyfish to get him a monkey. The monkey managed to sneak away from the jellyfish by telling him that he had put his liver in a jar in the forest and offering to go and get it. As the jellyfish came back and told Ryujin what had happened, Ryujin became so angry that he beat the jellyfish until its bones were crushed.

External link

• Ryujin at the Encyclopedia Mythica.