Deva (ten) or guardian deity
Zennyo Ryūō
善女龍王
Zennyo Ryūō is a dragon king who has been cherished at Shinsen'en in Kyoto together with the tradition of Kūkai praying for rain. The dragon king is said to dwell in the pond of Shinsen'en and is connected with prayers for water and rain.
This introduction follows the history of Shinsen'en, a temple of the Tōji Shingon school. A dragon king is one of the guardian deities of Buddhism and is not in the same category as buddhas or bodhisattvas.
English pages are the site’s own translations of its Japanese pages. The sources cited are in Japanese. 日本語で読む
Kūkai and the story of praying for rain
According to the history of Shinsen'en, during a drought in Tenchō 1 (824), Kūkai prayed for rain by imperial command and invited Zennyo Ryūō from the pond Munetsuchi in northern India. The tradition holds that after rain fell, the dragon king came to dwell in the pond of Shinsen'en.
Source: 神泉苑
The blessing of water, and a place of prayer
After this tradition, Shinsen'en became a place for rites praying for rain, building up a history of prayers and offerings by monks. It offers a way to learn about a faith that thinks of the lives of people who need water and gives thanks for the blessing of rain.
Source: 神泉苑
Related shrines and temples
Related kami and buddhas
Sources (in Japanese)
- 神泉苑「神泉苑の歴史」（2026-10-16 確認）