Who the Dragon is
The fifth branch (辰, tatsu) — power, vision, and a largeness that other signs orbit. The single mythical animal in the twelve, and somehow the least questioned. It belongs to mid-morning, the direction east-southeast, and Earth that holds Wood and Water both: the storm-bringing ground.
The Dragon is read as charismatic, ambitious, and lucky in a way that looks unfair — the sign that expects the extraordinary and often gets it.
The water-dragon of Japan
The Western dragon hoards gold and burns villages. The Japanese dragon (ryū) is a water god — it lives in rivers, lakes, and the sea, brings rain, and is prayed to in drought. Shrines across Japan honour dragon deities of water; the dragon coils on temple ceilings and water basins. It is not a monster to be slain but a force to be asked. The Dragon is the sign of those who move weather — who change the conditions other people are merely subject to.
The Dragon's nature
Scale. Dragon people are associated with confidence, generosity, and a visionary streak that pulls others along. The shadow is disdain for the ordinary — the impatience with small tasks, small people, small days, that leaves the grand plan with no foundation under it.
Time, direction, and season
The hour of 7am to 9am — mid-morning, the day gathering force. Direction east-southeast. Late spring, when the rains come.
Who the Dragon moves with
Harmony in the Water trinity with Rat and Monkey (申子辰). Opposition to the Dog (戌) — a clash the tradition reads as the visionary against the loyalist.
The Year of the Dragon
The most auspicious year in the cycle — traditionally read as a year of ambition, luck, and big undertakings. Birth rates across East Asia measurably rise in Dragon years. People choose to have Dragon children.
The Dragon is one of the twelve Earthly Branches — the ox, the tiger, the dragon, and the rest.