Japanese symbolism: the peacock
The peacock is the national bird of India, so how did it gain prominence in Japan? It's all about religion, and the blend between Hinduism and Buddhism. In India, peacocks are known to be able to predict rain and kill snakes, sometimes even those of the poisonous variety. Due to these unique attributes, Hindus celebrated peacocks from the earliest times, and in their religion, they associated peacocks with the god Murugan, who travels on the back of a giant, mythical peacock. Since Buddhism and Hinduism developed together, they share many traditions. The peacock became not just a Hindu symbol, but also a Buddhist symbol, related to the Buddhist Wisdom King (Queen), Mahamayuri or Kujaku. As Buddhism spread east to Japan, these Indian traditions followed. In Buddhism, Mahamayuri is known to prevent poisoning, both physical poisoning from things like snakes, but also spiritual poisoning. In...






















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