85 



from 144:4, says: "'Dragon-head' and 'Yih-head' are two different 

 names of ships", which agrees with the words of the JikkinshoK 



These Chinese ships are different from the- "dragon -boats" used 

 in China on the fifth day of the fifth month at the water festival. 

 The latter are real boats used in regatta's, or fancy dragon-boats, 

 carried through the streets and burned at the sea-shore as sub- 

 stitutes which take away all evil influences. No doubt De Gtroot's ' 

 explanation of this festival, as being based on sympathetic magic, 

 is right. As we shall see below ', the Chinese used to make clay 

 dragoiis to cause rain. In the same way their dragon-boat-races y 

 are certainly intended to represent fighting dragons, in order to 

 cause a real dragon fight, which is always accompanied by heavy 

 rains. The dragon-boats carried through . the streets may also 

 serve to cause rain, although they are at the same time considered 

 to be substitutes. 



As to the enormous dragon, made of linen, bamboo and paper, 

 and carried in procession through the streets on the 15 th of the 

 first month, a red ball being carried in front of him, this was 

 formerly explained by De Gtroot * as an imitation of the Azure 

 Dragon , the head of which (a star) in remotest ages in the 

 beginning of spring rose and set at the same time as the sun 

 (the fiery ball), as if it persecuted this celestial globe and finally 

 succeeded in swallowing it ^. As to his later explanation con- 

 cerning the thunder, belched out by the dragon, we may refer to 

 this Book, Ch. IV (Ornaments), § 4. 



§ H. "Dragon-tail-road" and other words connected with the dragon. 



The " Dragon-tail-road'\ hIJ?^' Lung-wei-tao, was the road 

 ascending straight southward to the She yuen Hen, '^ tC ^ > 

 a building belonging to the Chinese Emperor's palace. Along this 

 road the visitors came to be received in audience (:([J M)^y 

 His Majesty, who always faced the South (^ 0). In imitation 

 the road before the Taikyokuden, a building belonging to the 



1 Cf. the Nambako, Sft jj^ '^J^ , written by Okamoto Yasutaka, |e^ 2b "^ ^ , 



who lived 1798—1878; Ch. II, "J^ , Hyakka seUurin, Vol. ^ "^ — • , P- 636. 



2 Feles annuelles a, Emoui, Vol. I, pp. 372 sqq. 



3 This Book, Ch. VI (causing rain). 



4 FStes annuelles, Vol. I, p. 369. 



5 Cf. SoHLEGEL, Uranographie Chinoise, pp. 55 sqq. 



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