Azure Dragon


The Azure Dragon, also known as Blue-green Dragon, Green Dragon, or the Blue Dragon, is one of the Dragon Gods who represent the mount or chthonic forces of the Five Forms of the Highest Deity. He 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.
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. His cardinal direction's epithet is "Bluegreen Dragon of the East".
This dragon is also known as Seiryu in Japanese, Cheongnyong in Korean and Thanh Long in Vietnamese.

Seven Mansions of the Azure Dragon

As with the other three Symbols, there are seven astrological "Mansions" within the Azure Dragon. The names and determinative stars are:
Mansion no.Name TranslationDeterminative star
1 HornSpica
2 Neckκ Vir
3 Rootα Lib
4 Roomπ Sco
5 HeartAntares
6 Tailμ Sco
7 Winnowing Basketγ Sgr

Cultural depictions

In the Romance of the Tales of the Tang, the White Tiger's star is reincarnated as 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 (

Influence

Japan

In Japan, the Azure Dragon is one of the four guardian spirits of cities and is said to protect the city of Kyoto on the east. 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. 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 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.

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