Raijin and Fūjin

How to recognise Raijin and Fūjin

1. A companion pairRaijin (thunder) and Fūjin (wind) are shown together, and in Tawaraya Sōtatsu's screens Fūjin is on the right and Raijin on the left.
2. Ring of drumsA circle of linked drums hangs around or behind Raijin, who beats them to make thunder; at Sanjūsangen-dō it is eight small drums, and they are often painted with the swirling tomoe pattern.
3. DrumsticksRaijin holds mallets or drumsticks, one in each hand, with which he strikes the drums.
4. Raijin's fierce formHe is a muscular, oni-like figure with wild, upswept hair, white-skinned in Sōtatsu's screens and red in other images; some images give him three fingers, said to stand for past, present and future.
5. Bag of windsFūjin carries a large inflated bag (fūtai) over his shoulders, as in the Sanjūsangen-dō figure with its bloated wind bag, and in Sōtatsu's screen he races ahead with it stretched out behind him.
6. Fūjin's form and loinclothFūjin is shown as a red-haired, green-skinned figure, and both gods are bare-chested and muscular in a tiger- or leopard-skin loincloth.
7. Clouds and goldThey stand, kneel or fly on clouds, and in Sōtatsu's screens they appear against gold leaf with a wide empty space between them.

Names and titles

• Gate Guardians of AsakusaThe pair flank Sensō-ji's Kaminarimon, whose official name Furaijinmon means gate of the wind and thunder gods
• Guardians of Thousand-Armed KannonAt Sanjūsangen-dō they stand in the retinue of the Senju Kannon
• Kaminari-samaA familiar folk name for the thunder god, often used in Japanese homes
• Bag of Winds, Ring of DrumsNames the two objects that identify the pair: Fūjin's wind bag and Raijin's drums
• Facing Off on Gold LeafSōtatsu's famous screens place the two gods across a wide expanse of gold

Feast days

• Fuchin Taisai4 July 2027 (date to be confirmed)

  Fuchin Taisai is the wind-calming festival of Tatsuta Taisha, a shrine long devoted to the wind kami of Tatsuta. Devotees pray for protection from storm damage, poor harvests and epidemics.

  How it's celebrated. The festival begins a week beforehand with offerings to the kami each morning and evening. It culminates on the first Sunday of July with offerings, chanted prayers, bell-and-sword dances and drumming, and with Tatsuta kagura performed by a hereditary shrine-maiden family. The evening ends with large handheld fireworks, which visitors watch from a distance.

  Sources: Visit Nara: Tatsutataisha Fuchin Taisai Festival · Nara Prefecture Towns and Villages Association: 龍田大社風鎮大祭 · Nara Prefecture: 龍田大社

• Tatsuta Taisha spring wind-god festival4 April, every year (date to be confirmed)

  The Reitaisai is Tatsuta Taisha's spring grand festival. It descends from the old April wind-god rite, which was held in April and July. Today the April rite is called Reitaisai and the July one Fuchin Taisai. It is a separate festival from the July one.

  How it's celebrated. The shrine's own tradition gives a preliminary rite the day before. Live fish are taken from the river by the shrine and carried in a chest. They are offered before the kami on the festival day, then returned to the river. Prayers are for a good harvest. The town and shrine pages give 4 April, while one tourism page says 3–4 April. Check with the shrine for the current year.

  Sources: Sango Town: 龍田大社（たつたたいしゃ） · Nara Prefecture: 龍田大社 · Tatsuta Taisha official site