Japanese dragons are diverse legendary creatures in Japanese mythology and folklore. Japanese dragon myths amalgamate native legends with imported stories about dragons from China, Korea and India.
The Japanese dragon is invariably figured as possessing three claws.
The Kojiki and Nihongi mention several ancient dragons.
Dragons in later Japanese folklore were influenced by Chinese and Indian myths.
The style of the dragon was heavily influenced by the Chinese dragon.
Like these other Asian dragons, most Japanese ones are water deities
associated with rainfall and bodies of water, and are typically
depicted as large, wingless, serpentine creatures with clawed feet.
The
modern Japanese language has numerous "dragon" words, including indigenous tatsu from Old Japanese ta-tu, Sino-Japanese ryū or ryō 竜 from Chinese lóng 龍, nāga ナーガ from Sanskrit nāga, and doragon ドラゴン from English dragon.
Ryūjin shinkō 竜神信仰 "dragon god faith" is a form of Shinto religious belief that worships dragons as water kami. It is connected with agricultural rituals, rain prayers, and the success[citation needed] of fisherman.
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