Chasing the Tale of the Dragon: Women and the Moon in the Arts of Asia

In East Asia, dragons control water. From rain that falls from the heavens to water coursing through rivers, streams, and waterfalls, dragons are believed to guard oceans, lakes, ponds, and freshwater springs. Dragons may be benevolent, granting good harvests, an abundance of seafood, and even gemstones like pearls and coral. They may also be malevolent, withholding life-giving rains or poisoning water sources. Thus dragons possess or control riches in the form of both actual and metaphorical gems that provide physical and spiritual nourishment. The dragon is also one of the animals of the East Asian zodiac.

According to East Asian astrology, people born in the year of the dragon are confident, courageous, charismatic, powerful, and ambitious. Many parents try to have children within the year of the dragon to capitalize on these traits. In addition to being honored for possessing the power to birth children, women in East Asia are frequently described and depicted as intermediaries between humanity and dragons.

An annual event celebrating, among other things, the survival of healthy children is the Autumn Moon Festival. Celebrated throughout China (月見), Japan (Otsukimi お月見), Korea (Chuseok 추석), and Vietnam (Tết Trung Thu (節中秋). The festival occurs when many believe the moon to be the brightest and largest of the year. It is also when the harvest is gathered before the cold, less fruitful winter months. Honoring both the harvest season and the last months of this Year of the Dragon, this sixteen work installation features images of dragons and women who not only gaze at the moon but also produce fabulous works of art.

Image Credit: Utagawa Kunisada 歌川 国貞 (1786–1864) and Utagawa Hiroshige 歌川広重 (1797–1858), Tsukuda Bay with Lady Viewing the Moon from a Balcony, from the series “Fashionable Genji (Furyū Genji),” 1853, Edo period (1603–1868), ink and color woodblock print on paper; Gift of the Estate of Professor William J. Dorn, 2007.69a-c