Azure Dragon
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The Azure Dragon (simplified Chinese: 青龙; traditional Chinese: 青龍; pinyin: Qīnglóng) is one of the Dragon Gods who represent the mounts or chthonic forces of the Five Regions' Highest Deities (Template:Zhi). It is also one of the Four Symbols of the Chinese constellations, which are the astral representations of the Wufang Shangdi. The Azure Dragon represents the east and the spring season.[1] It is also sometimes referred to as the Blue-Green Dragon, Green Dragon, or the Blue Dragon (Template:Zhi).
The Dragon is frequently referred to in the media, feng shui, other cultures, and in various venues as the Green Dragon and the Avalon Dragon.[2] His cardinal direction's epithet is "Blue-Green Dragon of the East" (Template:Zhi or Template:Zhi).
This dragon is also known as Script error: No such module "lang". in Japanese, Script error: No such module "lang". in Korean and Script error: No such module "Lang". in Vietnamese.
Seven Mansions of the Azure Dragon
As with the other three Symbols, there are seven astrological "Mansions" (positions of the Moon) within the Azure Dragon. The names and determinative stars are:[3][4]
| Mansion no. | Name (pinyin) | Translation | Determinative star |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 角 (Script error: No such module "lang".) | Horn | Spica |
| 2 | 亢 (Script error: No such module "lang".) | Neck | κ Vir |
| 3 | 氐 (Script error: No such module "lang".) | Root | Zubenelgenubi |
| 4 | 房 (Script error: No such module "lang".) | Room | π Sco |
| 5 | 心 (Script error: No such module "lang".) | Heart | Antares |
| 6 | 尾 (Script error: No such module "lang".) | Tail | μ Sco |
| 7 | 箕 (Script error: No such module "lang".) | Winnowing Basket | γ Sgr |
Cultural depictions
Template:Wikisource/outer core In the Romance of the Tales of the Tang, the White Tiger's star is reincarnated as the fictionalized General Luo Cheng, who serves Li Shimin. The Azure Dragon's Star is reincarnated as General Shan Xiongxin, who serves Wang Shichong. The two generals are sworn brothers of Qin Shubao, Cheng Zhijie and Yuchi Gong. After death, their souls are said to possess heroes of the Tang dynasty and Goguryeo, such as Xue Rengui and Yŏn Kaesomun.
The Azure Dragon appears as a door god at Taoist temples. He was represented on the tomb of Wang Hui (stone coffin, east side) at Xikang in Lushan. A rubbing of this was collected by David Crockett Graham and is in the Field Museum of Natural History.[5][6] The dragon featured on the Chinese national flag in 1862–1912, and on the Twelve Symbols national emblem from 1913 to 1928.
Influence
Japan
In Japan, the Azure Dragon is one of the four guardian spirits of cities and is believed to protect the city of Kyoto on the east.[7] The west is protected by the White Tiger, the north is protected by the Black Tortoise, the south is protected by the Vermilion Bird, and the center is protected by the Yellow Dragon.[7] In Kyoto, there are temples dedicated to each of these guardian spirits. The Azure Dragon is represented in the Kiyomizu Temple in eastern Kyoto. Before the entrance of the temple there is a statue of the dragon, which is said to drink from the waterfall within the temple complex at nighttime. Therefore, each year a ceremony is held to worship the dragon of the east. In 1983, the Kitora Tomb was found in the village of Asuka. All four guardians were painted on the walls (in the corresponding directions) and a system of the constellations was painted on the ceiling. This is one of the few ancient records of the four guardians.
Korea
In Korea, the murals of the Goguryeo tombs found at Uhyon-ni in South Pyongan province features the Azure Dragon and the other mythological creatures of the four symbols.[2]
Mythology and folk-literature appearance
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The Azure Dragon is associated with the East Sea Dragon King Ao Guang, who is the Dragon King Sagara in Buddhist literature.
Gallery
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See also
References
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- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Tom, K.S. (1989). Echoes from Old China: Life, Legends, and Lore of the Middle Kingdom. University of Hawaii Press. pp. 55. ISBN 9780824812850 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Lee, Ki-Baik; Wagner, Edward W. (1984). A new history of Korea (Translated ed.). Cambridge / Seoul: Harvard University Press / Ilchokak. ISBN 978-0-674-61576-2.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."The Chinese Sky". International Dunhuang Project. Archived from the original on 2015-11-04. Retrieved 2011-06-25.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Sun, Xiaochun (1997). Helaine Selin (ed.). Encyclopaedia of the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine in Non-Western Cultures. Kluwer Academic Publishers. p. 517. ISBN 0-7923-4066-3. Retrieved 2011-06-25.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Starr, Kenneth (December 1957). "Gift of Chinese Rubbings goes on Special Exhibition" (PDF). Chicago Natural History Museum Bulletin. Field Museum of Natural History: 4–5. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-11-04. Retrieved 1 March 2012.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Walravens, Hartmut; Hoshien Tchen; Kenneth Starr; Alice K. Schneider (1981). Catalogue of Chinese Rubbings from Field Museum. Chicago: Field Museum of Natural History. OCLC 185544225. Retrieved 2 March 2012.
- ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Suzuki, Yui (2011). Medicine Master Buddha: The Iconic Worship of Yakushi in Heian Japan. Brill. p. 21. ISBN 9789004229174 – via Google Books.
External links
- Page Template:Sister-inline/styles.css has no content.Script error: No such module "Sister project logo". Media related to Script error: No such module "Commons link". at Wikimedia Commons
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