~ Chinese Dragons
~ Japanese Dragons
~ Korean Dragons
~ Nagas

Eastern dragons have a rich ancestry that extends years into the past. The earliest archaeological evidence of Chinese culture is of the 12th century BC Shang people, who nursed and gave rise to Chinese civilisation (Bellingham et al., 2002), and thus the dragon who has long since been an intrinsic part of Oriental life.
By the 4th century BC, Chinese culture was highly developed and, through years of being passed down through written and artistic tradition, the dragon has gained in popularity immensely. The start of the Han dynasty in 206 BC saw the Chinese and Korean dragons become more prominent in literature, folklore (art and storytelling) and as architectural flourishes. However, the dragon had not always been so revered a creature. Buddha was born in the 6th century BC in North India and his new religion/ philosophy, Buddhism, largely questioned the Imperial nature of the Chinese dragon (Whittaker, 1997), casting it as more of a debase beast. The dragon managed to survive this and, ironically, this expanded the physical limitations of the Indian dragon, the naga.
China's highly-regarded image of the dragon continues to be recognised in the 21st century (Whittaker, 1997), and it appears the Korean and Japanese dragons have followed suit.

Historically, the exact date of the dragon's cultural and racial conception is a little vague, however their mythological "pre-birth" dates to a time before humans populated the earth. The primal, serpentine elements of the dragon have been present since mankind first began exploring their creation, and so appears at the very beginning of structured, core belief. As a featured member of the creation process, the dragon played an integral part in the divine beginnings of the human race. In China, the demi-dragon goddess Nu Gua (or Nü Kua) was a creator deity who first shaped mankind from the wet mud along a riverbank, and then realising she could not possibly create enough people to populate the entire earth, called upon her own magic powers to create more people by dipping a vine in mud and then twirling it around (Storm, 2002). The splattering of mud among the dewy grass produced immediate results, with men and women sprouting from the wet river mud at a remarkable rate. This same legend or belief is available in Eastern Asia, with the same half-human, half-dragon goddess, with only the altered spelling of Nu Wa. We say "pre-birth" because neither of these goddesses were dragons in the most precise sense, however they perhaps heralded the Oriental serpent movement.
From here, the dragon (alongside the human aspect of the creator goddess) seems to have sprung from being merely a symbol or (ultimately empty) visual aid, into a whole being. Of course, historically this is not to denounce the fact that the dragon may already have been prolific, and was later integrated into the creation process well after it was in existence. With the development of culture, old symbols and beliefs are often updated to fit into a more contemporary public viewpoint.
These creation stories give us not only an idea of how mankind came to be, but concurrently, tells us from where the dragons initial form evolved, and how it managed to break into the mainstream of the Oriental world. Both versions of the one goddess Nu Gua and Nu Wa have serpentine tails rather than legs, and this was more likely a reflection of the snake (from which most dragons chronologically evolve), however the dragon may have later been accepted as a more divine alternative to the base, slithering and earth-bound snake.
In the Chinese mythical hierarchy which consists of 360 "scaley" [sic] creatures, the dragon is first, representing a cardinal point as the Green Dragon of the East, tied to the element of wood (Storm, 2002). The corresponding Korean dragon is far more prominent, with a similar symbolism to its Chinese cousin, which, with five claws, denotes Imperial power. From this it appears the dragons divine aspect, originating from its conception through the goddesses Nu Gua or Nu Wa, was continued throughout its heavenly lifespan (Storm, 2002).

Unlike the Chinese and Asian dragon, the Indian naga did not play a central role in creation of mankind, and this has always set the naga at a substandard level, when compared to their close cousins. The naga first seems to have appeared during the churning of the Ocean of Milk, to produce amrita- the nectar of eternal life (Bellingham, et al., 2001). The naga played a relatively small part in the story, as the squabbling demons and their subsequent loss of amrita eclipsed the event. The naga itself was nothing more than a rope which the gods and demons used to churn the milk, and did not play a significant role. However, the naga still has taken up an almost stoical position as an impassive, dark figure of Indian myth, with little exception. However, despite this unspectacular beginning, the naga has remained as a creature of considerable import in Indian folklore.

Early portrayals of the naga in art show a dragon-like demon which is dangerous and destructive. Naga Padoha, the serpent ruler of the underworld according to South-east Asian myth, was confined to Hell after the creator god Batara Guru cursed him there, as a punishment for trying to destroy the earth (Storm, 2002). Early nagas appeared as multi-headed snakes and physically were little more than a freak of the natural world, however they did later develop to encompass serpent-tailed humans, which is reminiscent of early serpentine creator goddesses, Nu Gua and Nu Wa. During the first century BC, Buddhism was introduced to China via the Silk Road trading route, and the image of the Chinese dragon was darkened somewhat by the evil reputation of the Indian naga as Buddhism became more popular (Bellingham, et al., 2002). It seems that, while the dragon's virtuous nature was questioned under this religion, Chinese culture also rubbed off on the Indian naga to include the demi-human version of the beast (Storm, 2002).

Dragons of the east all appear to have a similar conformation which, when collectively classing the whole dragon family, must be kept in mind. While in Western culture there is a far more definite line between serpent and dragon, the physical body of the Eastern dragon is not too far removed from the snake. The bodies of Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Indian dragons have always remained inherently snake-like, and the variants include the presence of wings, horns, multi-heads and toes. Toes for Oriental dragons are a particular defining point for certain classes of dragon, namely the Imperial dragons of China whose five toes set them apart from their cousins. The majority of the dragons of Korea have four toes because, as folklore details, the further they travel from China, the more toes they lose until eventually they can no longer walk; by the time they reach Japan, they have only three toes and cannot travel any further. Reversing this process, dragons cannot travel any further than China because they grow too many toes.

Not only do these dragons share this common "curse", but their elemental ties are similar- most of the Eastern dragons have some linkage to water, which is in turn reflected in their flowing physical composition. Chinese dragons are credited with bringing down the rain; the subordinate Dragon-Kings who undertake this task (of which there are four dragons, called Ao Kuang, Ao Jun, Ao Shun and Ao Ch'in [Aldington & Ames, 1959]) are reliant on the Jade Emperor (Yu Huang) or the "August Personage of Jade", who rules over a large system of divine officers (Bellingham, et al., 2001) and who instructs the dragons on rain dispersal. However, contrary to popular belief today, the Eastern dragons also have ties to fire as the Takahara tomb in Japan depicts a sweating, red-clawed Japanese dragon breathing fire (Bahn, 1997). Other Eastern tombs, noticeably the Tang tomb in China, depict the dragon as the Green Dragon of the East, alongside the White Tiger of the West (which, with the dragon, is the bestial representation of the Yin Yang), Red Phoenix of the South, and Black Warrior (snake and turtle) of the North (Bahn, 1997).

While Eastern dragons are associated with water and even fire, they are also noted for their famed pearl, which is a symbol of fertility and good luck and is formed from the spit of their curling tongue which holds sexual potency. As the male epitome of Yang, the Chinese dragon is a masculine, bright and fertile symbol (Littleton, 2002).

Contrary to popular belief, the "good" dragons of China and Japan had a short temper (Whittaker, 1997), and the Chinese people were consciously aware of this, going so far as to employ geomancers when building their homes to avoid building a house or choosing a burial site that would obstruct the flow of the "dragon-lines", or veins of the earth. Geomancers were employed even in advanced cities such as the 20th century Hong Kong (and are still employed in China today), for fear of arousing the dragon's supreme anger (Whittaker, 1997). The dark side of the Eastern dragon unveiled itself in other ways too. The story of the human-faced dragon god Gu plotting the demise of the god Bao Jiang (Littleton, 2002) is one such example. Tales such as that of the Japanese dragon who was slain by the young woman Tokoyo (after she took the place of a young girl who was to be sacrificed to the dragon) are not unheard of (Storm, 2002). The Buddhist patriarch, Hui-Neng, tricked a fierce dragon to shrink to a small size, and then captured the dragon in a rice bowl and subdued it (Storm, 2002).
Having said this, the Chinese dragon and their eastern cousins were also seen as beneficent spirits, and the alignment of good and evil was finely balanced. It is well known that Japanese, Korean and in particular Chinese dragons are generally good figures, but it is also important to remember that the cursed, evil nagas still had a practical role to play. This does not necessarily mean certain individuals were benevolent or good, but that in the scheme of events they were necessary, often fulfilling the role of a dutiful servant. Vishnu's great serpent upon whom the god rested between delicate bursts of creation was served by nagas, and Tibetan mythology places the naga as the faithful guardian of Buddhist scriptures.
The Chinese dragon was perhaps the most helpful creature, or at least the most recognised. Imperial dragons who represented the "Sun of Heaven" were held in high esteem, and Dragon Processions held over China in spring welcomed their return from a winter spent underground (their ascension back into the world is heralded by thunder, and occurs on the second day of the second lunar month), and marks the return of fertility (Storm, 2002).

Eastern dragons are well renowned for their powers of metamorphosis; Japanese dragons were famed for their transition from dragon to bird and back again. The infamous O-gon-cho who turned from a white dragon into a golden songbird foretold sadness (Dragon Fantastic, 2001). Chinese dragons are known for size-shifting to fit the space between the heavens and earth, or into the size of a silkworm. Chinese dragons also step through solitary evolution throughout their lives, taking 4 000 years to change into ying-lung, their winged form. Nagas too have undergone a physical adaption or inclusion, beginning as the multi-headed serpent before finally including the human-snake as part of their clan; a transformation which is reflective of the Indian/ Chinese cultural and religious melting pot (Storm, 2002). As a whole, Eastern dragons undergo change and adaption together, as the Korean, Japanese and Chinese dragons lose or gain toes, depending on their travels. Individual dragons have been known to transform into people (such as in the Chinese tale of the girl who was impregnated by an old man to eventually give birth to a dragon [Littleton, 2002]) and animals, such as turtles (In-Sob, 1982).

The divine transformations of the Eastern dragon are sometimes portrayed in art, such as the royal depiction of the dragon in its most powerful form; forward-facing with five claws (Binder, 1972). These dragons along were embroidered on the robes of Emperors and were usually backed with the Imperial sun-colour, yellow. Dragons are usually portrayed in Oriental art symbolically or for royal purposes, usually as an emblem of divine or higher power. However, they do feature in myths in a literal sense and appear in art and literature as a living creature that is to be taken on at face value. As a member of the Chinese animal hierarchy they take first precedence and are consequently greatly revered.