In the Nara period, a poisonous nine-headed dragon living in Lake Ashi tormented the people until the monk Mangan subdued and reformed it. The dragon is worshipped as Kuzuryu Okami, and Kuzuryu Shrine on the lakeshore is popular with people praying for love.
Legend Site
Lake Ashi (Nine-Headed Dragon Legend)
Please note Trespassing on private property or restricted areas is prohibited by law. Please be considerate of local residents.
Positions on the map are a rough guide to the area where a legend or sighting is set. Most pins are placed at representative points of a municipality or prefecture (outside Japan, a city position rounded to about 10 km, or the country), not at the exact place.
Municipality points: Geolonia address data (CC BY 4.0), based on the Address Base Registry (Digital Agency of Japan) / Country points: Natural Earth
| Encyclopedia | Ryu (Japanese Dragon) |
|---|---|
| Location | Kanagawa Hakone |
| Type of place | Pond or lake |
| Map position | Approximate position (Municipality), not the exact place |
A sacred creature with a long, snake-like body, horns and scales that governs water and rain. It came to Japan from China, where belief in the dragon god Ryujin, master of lakes, rivers and ponds, took deep root.