Warriors admired ink painting for similar reasons. The simplicity and self-control of meditation was good training for the disciplined life of a warrior. Zen appealed to the samurai warriors rising to power at the end of the 12th century. The ideas had been absorbed into a form of Buddhism based on meditation, known as Chan in China and Zen in Japan. The ancient Taoist idea of yin and yang, and the symbolism of the tiger and dragon, came to Japan from China. Japanese ink painters in the 16th century borrowed ideas and art forms from China. The tiger symbolizes the yin forces of the universe. The dragon symbolizes the yang forces of the universe. One will not dominate the other, just as the forces of yin and yang balance each other in the universe. But the tiger and dragon seem evenly matched.

His energy causes rain clouds to swirl and waves to form. The dragon, on the other hand, is full of active energy. But the tiger’s strength is a quiet power, held in her taut muscles. Plants bend in the force of the wind, said to be created by the tiger’s mighty roar. The tiger crouches low to the rocky ground, a sign that the yin earth is the tiger’s territory. The screens illustrate why these two animals, both of them powerful and strong, are fitting symbols for yin and yang. The tiger, respected in ancient China as mightiest of the wild beasts, stands for yin. The dragon, a mythical animal thought to reign over the heavens, stands for yang.

The dragon and tiger have long been symbols of these two forces. Everything in the universe results from the interaction of yin and yang. Yang qualities are active, while yin qualities are passive. Male traits are yang, and female traits are yin. Yin elements include darkness, water, wind, and the earth. Yang elements include light, fire, rain, and the heavens. The tiger and dragon are ancient symbols of yin and yang, forces that combine to make up the universe.Īncient Chinese Taoist philosophy explains the world in terms of two forces yin (from the ancient Chinese word for shady) and yang (from the word for bright).

Japanese dragon sketch