Zennyo Ryūō

According to Japanese Buddhist tradition, the priest Kūkai made Zennyo Ryūō appear in 824 AD during a famous rainmaking contest at the Kyoto Imperial Palace.

Fowler (1997:155) cites Nishida Nagao 西田長男 that this 女 "woman" in Zennyo was an error for the original character 如.

In Japanese Buddhist terminology, nyo 如 "like; thus" is used to translate Sanskrit words like nyorai 如来 "thus come" for tathāgata.

The oldest historical record is the 937 CE Ben’ichizan nenbun dosha sōjō 宀一山年分度者奏上 "Mount Murō Annual Report of Ordained Monks".

It states that in 778 CE five Buddhist monks went to the mountain and ceremonially prayed for the health of future Emperor Kanmu (r. 781–806), who later established the Murō-ji Temple in appreciation.

This text also states that in 781 CE, (Fowler 1997:147), "a Dragon King (龍王) who had been residing at this site vowed to protect the country and particularly the temple complex.

On his way from there to another place he crossed a bridge over a river, when suddenly a lady, noble looking and beautifully dressed, came and, without showing her face, politely asked him for the mudrā (mystic finger-charm) used to become at once a Buddha.

(Visser 1913:170) The best-known appearance of Zennyo was during an 824 CE Buddhist rainmaking competition at the Shinsen'en or Shinzen'en 神泉苑 "Divine Spring Garden" in Kyoto.

Some versions of this Kūkai story record Zennyo coming from Mount Murō and others from Lake Anavatapta, which is at the center of the world in Buddhist cosmology.

According to Mahayana tradition (Visser 1913:4), Anavatapta was one of the Hachi-ryūō 八龍王 "8 Dragon Kings" that first heard the Buddha preach the Lotus Sutra.

The 835 CE Goyuigō 御遺告, which records Kūkai's last words, first describes Zennyo (Fowler 1997:154) as, "a golden snake measuring eight sun 寸 (approx.

[I]n a time of heavy drought the Emperor ordered [Kōbō-Daishi ] to cause rain, and the saint for seven days practised the Doctrine of the Rain-praying-sūtra in the Sacred Spring Park.

Visser 1913:162) The Kojidan elaborates the rainmaking story, It says the Emperor first permitted Shubin's request to practice the rain sutra ceremonies, but this only caused showers in the Kyoto area.

Kūkai promised to make it rain throughout Japan, and after reciting sutras for seven days without rainfall, he went into mediation and realized that his rival had secretly used magical tantra to capture all the dragons and shut them up in a pitcher.

And when the seven days of the new vow had expired, a heavy thunderstorm broke forth and a torrent of rain came down all over the country, so that the water of the pond overflowed the altar.

And behold, a gold-coloured dragon, eight sun long, appeared, seated on the head of a snake, more than nine shaku in length, and entered the pond.

Fowler (1997:157–159) contrasts the present-day autumn festival at Ryūketsu Shrine, where abstract dragons are fashioned out of straw cords and maple leaves, but are no longer associated with rain prayers to Zennyo.