Raijin

The God of Thunder

Domain: Thunder, Lightning & Storms
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Element: Thunder
Relics of Power: Drums of Thunder

Speak with Raijin

The People

People

Japanese

Region

Japanese archipelago

Period

c. 500 BC – present

The kami of Shinto have been worshipped in Japan since time immemorial, in thousands of shrines across the archipelago. The imperial family claims direct descent from the sun goddess Amaterasu, and the cult coexists with Buddhism brought from the mainland. Festivals (matsuri) and purification rites keep these beliefs alive to this day.

Matsuri fill the streets with processions of portable shrines (mikoshi), drums, and dances. The great shrine of Ise, dedicated to Amaterasu, is rebuilt every twenty years, and at hatsumode millions visit the shrines at New Year to ask for blessings.

The Sacred Scrolls

God of thunder, lightning, and storms, Raijin is a fearsome figure surrounded by a ring of drums that he strikes to make the sky boom. Demonic in appearance, he is at once feared and revered by the Japanese. He often appears alongside Fujin, the god of wind. As The God of Thunder, this deity occupies a position of supreme prestige in the japoneses pantheon. Their domains over Thunder, Lightning & Storms reflect ancestral cosmic order maintained across millennia. In classical iconography, they are depicted with an aura of unshakeable majesty and sacred attributes that inspired reverence in emperors and peasants alike. Their influence extended beyond earthly boundaries, governing fates and harmony between the visible and invisible worlds. For ancient devotees, contemplating their essence was to understand the very fundamental forces of nature and human existence.

Sacred Symbols

The ring of drums, the drumsticks, the lightning bolts and the oni-like appearance

Divine Lineage

Sometimes held to be a son of Izanami, born among the kami of the underworld.

The Legendary Myth

When the Mongols attempted to invade Japan in the 13th century, gods such as Raijin were credited with sending the storms that destroyed the enemy fleet.

Legends & Deeds

A celebrated secondary legend preserved in the oral traditions of the japoneses recounts the journey when Raijin intervened directly in the lives of mortals.