235 



incantations and the recital of sutras a magical image of the 

 dragon (which reminds us of the clay dragons of the Chinese) 

 was used by Kukai, who strived to spread his doctrine by the 

 extraordinarily impressive art of making rain. And his success 

 was marvellous. 



Further, we have seen how during the thirteenth century in 

 times of drought the Buddhist "Five Dragons Festival" was 

 celebrated in the same Sacred Spring Park or somewhere else, 

 or sutras were recited before the Dragon-hole on Mount Murobu 

 in Yamato, in order to cause the Dragon-king who lived there, 

 to give rain. The remarkable fact that a Buddhist priest was 

 said to have erected on this spot a Shinto shrine for the Indian 

 dragon seems to indicate that the Naga had taken the place of 

 a Shinto dragon, a mountain god believed to live in the hole 

 from ancient times. In the same century horses were still offered 

 by the Emperors to the famous rain-gods of Nibu (the "Rain- 

 Master") and Kibune, white ones to obtain, and red ones to stop 

 rain. And the Court oflBcials themselves went to the Sacred Spring 

 Park and prayed to the * Sea-dragon-king", at the same time 

 performing "sympathetic magic" by sprinkling water on the 

 stones near the pond. Numerous were the miracles wrought by 

 Buddhist priests in forcing the dragons to obey their will. In 

 later times, however, especially in the eighteenth century, we see 

 the Chinese ways of making rain gain ground again. The Chinese 

 conception of arousing the anger of these rain-gods by making 

 noise or by throwing iron utensils or metal shaving or dirty 

 things into their ponds and thus causing them to ascend and 

 cause rain, was different from the Shinto idea of praying and 

 offering to the river-gods, as well as from the Buddhistic way 

 of persuading or forcing the dragons to benefit mankind by 

 abundant rains. As I remarked above ', the Chinese methods, 

 which got the upper hand in later ages, are still prevalent among 

 the Japanese country folks of the present day. 



The fourth chapter gave the Japanese legends concerning 

 Indian Nagas (Dragon-kings). As the Indian tales reached Nippon 

 via China and Korea, it is quite logical that their Japanese 

 imitations showed many Chinese features. Among the eight Great 

 Dragon-kings Sagara, who was believed to reside in a splendid 

 palace at the bottom of the sea, is the most frequently mentioned. 

 Like other Dragon-kings he possesses the "Precious pearl which 

 grants all desires" (cintamani). During storms the sailors tried 



1 Book II, Ch. Ill, § 13, p. 178. 



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