Oriental Dragons

Interested in traditional Japanese arts? There is a charming review of a current exhibition, written by CB Liddell, in today's Japan Times online. Here's what he has to say about oriental dragons, which might surprise those who are only familiar with the Harry Potter sort of dragon.

"Although dragons are often conceptualized as fire-breathing monsters, in Japan they are more often seen as deities associated with particular bodies of water. Nihonbashi's dragon, it seems, has ancient roots.

Some of this can be traced in "Tawara-no-Tota," an illustrated book from the 17th or 18th century. This shows Tawara-no-Tota Hidesato, a legendary warrior, defending a bridge against a rampaging dragon that is perhaps symbolic of the often wild power that Japanese rivers can unleash after a heavy rainstorm."

For the full article, go to the arts section of The Japan Times online version, July 21.