News 🐉 Ascending tree dragon on 800-year-old cedar tree draws visitors to Okayama shrine

Deep in the mountains where the shrine has been located since the Heian period (794-1185), "Ryuo-sama" (lit. dragon king), the god of water, is enshrined. Until around 1970, rain-making rituals were held there, and rain is said to have actually fallen. According to Yoshiko Takaoka, 53, the chief priestess of the shrine, she considered pruning the cedar and administering nutrients this winter because the tree is old and weak, and consulted with the representative of shrine followers, who runs a forestry business. The representative apparently told her, "This cedar is like an elderly person in human terms, and trying to revive it would be going against nature. It would be better for the tree to be left as it is." It was then that the dragon became known. Takaoka said, "Gods dwell in mountains, trees and human hearts. Perhaps 'Ruszala' dwelled in the sacred tree." Ai Hosokawa, 23, a visitor from the city of Okayama whose Chinese zodiac sign is the dragon, said, "It looks like a rising dragon, and I think my luck will improve next year. I wish for peace of mind and good health for my family."

Click to expand...