Suijin

Suijin (水神, water god) is the Shinto god of water in Japan. The term Suijin (literally water people or water deity) refers to the heavenly and earthly manifestations of the benevolent Shinto divinity of water. But it also refers to a wide variety of mythological and magical creatures found in lakes, ponds, springs and wells, including serpents (snakes and dragons), eels, fish, turtles, and the flesh-eating kappa. As The God of Water, Mizu no Kamisama, Mizugami, or Suijin, he is widely revered in Japan. He is a big part of Japanese culture and is often worshiped in temples.

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Suijin is sometimes conflated with Ryūjin, the dragon kami who is also associated with water. Fudō Myōō is also sometimes termed Suijin because of his association with the waterfall. In most cases, however, Suijin appears simply as a stone plaque, or even a simple small stone set upright near a spring’s emergence.

The Water Kami is the guardian of the fishing folk, and a patron saint of fertility, motherhood, and easy childbirth. One reason people worship and praise the Water Kami and give offerings to it is to hope for pure and unpolluted water for human consumption, as well as for other uses like agriculture and sanitation. Other reasons of worship include praying for success in fishing trips, praying for successful and good fertility and motherhood, as well as for easy childbirth.