The Japanese wind god Fūjin, Sōtatsu, 17th century.
Fūjin (風神) or Futen is the Japanese god of the wind and one of the eldest Shinto gods.
He is portrayed as a terrifying dark demon, resembling a red headed black humanoid wearing a leopard skin, carrying a large bag of winds on his shoulders.
In Japanese art, the deity is often depicted together with Raijin, the god of lightning, thunder and storms.
Myths[]
According to Kojiki, Fujin (Shina-Tsu-Hiko) was born from Izanami.
Origins[]
Iconographical evolution of the Wind God. Left: Greek wind God (Greco-Buddhist art of Gandhara), Hadda, 2nd century. Middle: Wind God from Kizil, Tarim Basin, 7th century. Right: Japanese Wind God Fujin, 17th century.
The iconography of Fujin seems to have its origin in the cultural exchanges
Statue at Taiyū-in in Nikkō
along the Silk Road. Starting with the Hellenistic period when Greece occupied parts of Central Asia and India, the Greek wind god Boreas became the god Wardo in Greco-Buddhist art, then a wind deity in China (frescoes of the Tarim Basin), and finally the Japanese Wind God Fujin.
The wind god kept its symbol, the windbag, and its dishevelled appearance throughout this evolution.