Shinto Gods: Raijin and Fuujin

Oni brothers born from a corpse in Yomi, the land of the dead. No wonder they both bring such destruction.

Photo by Gio Almonte on Unsplash

Raijin and Fuujin feature in my story The Cry of the Raijuu, but there is so much more to them in real world Shintoism. These are things I learnt about both to influence how I shaped them in my stories.

Raijin

雷神 - らいじん

Raijin’s name comes from a combination of the kanji for thunder (雷 kaminari) and god (神 kami), and he has similar titles all eluding to what he is the god of: storms. When a storm rolls in across the sky, Raijin is there with his drums which he plays with hammers to create thunder. Afterwards, he is often seen mending the damage dealt to them.

The god of storms also goes by the name of Yakusa no ikazuchi no kami (厄災の雷の神) meaning god of storms and disaster as the storms he brings are deadly to those below. Alongside his drumming, he rides dark clouds and throws lightning down, often with his brother Fuujin, the god of winds. He can also be seen fighting with him and causing mischief. Sometimes Raijin brings along the thunder beast Raijuu, and sometimes he can be seen with his son Raitaro too.

Both Raijin and the raijuu have stories about belly buttons, with the raijuu hiding in them and Raijin awakening them with lightning, to Raijin eating children who don’t hide theirs. It is said these stories come from envy at those born naturally, as Raijin is one of a few gods who wasn’t. He was born from the corpse of his mother, Izanami, in Yomi, the land of the dead.

He is a chaotic god shown to be angry and delighted at the destruction he causes and there are stories of how he was unwilling to listen to nearly anyone, including the emperor. He only answers to other deities and revered Buddhist figures. And unlike other deities, Raijin is depicted with a Buddhist halo which is reserved for those holy or divine.

Perhaps it is because they understand the duality of Raijin’s nature. Although he brings storms, Raijin also brings rain which is vital. So much so, it is said that if there is a drought it is because Raijin is at fault, whether that be through laziness or being captured. When his lightning hits crops, it produces a bountiful yield instead of more destruction. He is also shown as a warrior-protector who protects temples and shrines.

While there is much to fear from his presence, he can also be a great boon too, much like his brother Fuujin.

Fuujin

風神 - ふうじん

Fuujin’s name comes from the kanji for wind (風 kaze) and god (神 kami) and that’s exactly what he’s the god of. He also has similar name he goes by, Fuuten (風天) which means heavenly wind. Just like his brother, Fuujin was also born of Izanami in Yomi which is why he is depicted as an oni, just like his brother, and is the most well known oni in Japan. He wears leopard skin, has green skin, and an ogre-like appearance.

Alongside his brother Raijin, Fuujin uses a great bag of air that sits around his shoulders to move himself and the winds around, creating large destructive typhoons down to gentle eddies. Fuujin often rides on a cloud as he does so.

Although most of his winds are seen as destructive, they can be useful too. It is said to be the work of Raijin and Fuujin that caused a storm and later a two day typhoon which stopped the two Mongol invasions in the 1200s.

Of the two gods, he is seen as the lesser one, perhaps because winds are seen as less destructive by themselves.

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This is just an overview of the most important details of both gods, but there is more to learn. There are many tales about the Shinto gods and many so fun to read. When I create my version of the gods I try to read as much as I can find to build up a faithful character to the information I’ve found.