Tradition: Chinese mythology, Japanese mythology
Alternative Names: Chiryū, Chi Long, Chi, Ri, Amariyō, Amariyū, Rain Dragon, 螭龍
Category: Dragon
The Myth
The Chiryū is a type of dragon without horns. It is described as red, white, blue, or yellowish-blue in color, with a long, slender tail. Some Japanese descriptions compare it to a mizuchi, but without horns, while others say that it resembles a large lizard.
The Chiryū was known in Japan through Chinese writings and was identified with the Rain Dragon, a dragon associated with bringing rain, as well as with the mizuchi, a dragon-serpent associated with watersides. Its lack of horns was considered one of its defining characteristics.
Chinese descriptions distinguish the Chiryū from other kinds of dragons according to their physical features. Scaled dragons are called Jiaolong, winged dragons are Yinglong, horned dragons are Qiulong, while dragons without horns are Chiryū.
In Japan, the Chiryū became known by the name Amariyō or Amariyū, meaning Rain Dragon. It was described as belonging to the dragon family, without horns, with a long thin tail and a body sometimes compared to that of a large lizard.
Because of its lizard-like appearance and its characteristic lack of horns, foreign reptiles displayed in Japan were sometimes casually described as “children of the Chiryū.”
Sources
Takahashi, Toshihiro. “地竜 [ちりゅう] (Chiryū).” 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑 (New TYZ Yokai Encyclopedia). October 21, 2024. https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1082955065.html